About

Kaupapa

Ngā Aho is a network of Māori and Indigenous design professionals who come together to support one another in better serving the design aspirations of our Māori and Indigenous communities. Māori and indigenous design professionals are represented across multiple fields of design.

Our Name

Tō Mātou Ingoa

Ngā aho" he aho herenga ki ngā tīpuna, ki te ao hou ki te ao tawhito, he kaupapa whakaruruhau mō ngā iwi katoa i raro i te mahi kotahi hei painga mō te katoa. Otirā, e whai atu ana i ngā mahi hanga whare. "Ngā aho" ki te whenua, ki te moana, ki te rangi, ki te ao, koinei ngā whakamāramatanga mō tēnei ingoa mō tēnei roopu hou.

He kaupapa tūhono atu ki te wairua, te hinengaro, te tinana, āe rā ki te whānau me te whenua. Ko ngā aho he rite ki te muka hei tuitui I te tangata ki ēnei mea katoa, heoi rā he taura herenga i ō tātau waka i tākia mai i Hawaiki, ā he tuia ki ngā tīpunaki a rātau kua ngaro.

– Tā Haare Williams, Kaumatua, Ngā Aho

Ngā Aho are the multiple threads which tie us to our ancestors, the new and ancient worlds. A governing body for all peoples to unify in good works for all, primarily through the pursuit of design and architecture. These threads are that of the land, the ocean, the sky, that which forms the world. This is the background to the naming of this collective.

This initiative is deeply connected to spirit, consciousness, humanity and people of the land. Like a finely formed flax string or rope that binds humankind to all things. Including the ancestral ties to our great voyaging waka, our spiritual home Hawaiki, and our beloved ancestors.

- Translation Terri Crawford, Pae Matua, Ngā Aho

Ngā Aho is awareness of all that makes us who we are. The physical, emotional, symbolic and unknown. There are intergenerational connections that exist between you, me, and the entire universe. We are tied together with those cords we refer to as, ‘aho.’ Therefore, we are “collective.” To sever the aho is to perish, alone and isolated.

Ross Hemera
Kāhui Whetū
Ngā Aho

Profile

Ross Hemera

Seek after the footsteps of our tīpuna in acknowledgement of their treasures that are handed down to us. Be vigilant about recognising and learning from the visual and material culture of our ancestors. Create things that maintain our connection to them – even the fragmented and fragile remains.

Ross' profile

Our Origins

Takenga Mai

The 20th century saw the emergence and establishment of strong capability, presence and infrastructure for our creative arts with the establishment of entities such as Ngā Puna Waihanga, Te Waka Toi and Toi Māori Aoteaora. There have been no parallels for Māori in commercially oriented design disciplines.

In the post-settlement era it is more important than ever that Māori design professionals are equipped to support the design needs of a growing Māori economy. Ngā Aho allows for the emergence, establishment and realisation of our potential in our more commercially focused creative disciplines of Design, Architecture, Landscape Architecture, Engineering and Information and Communications Technology etc.

The Ngā Aho dialogue began with the Hui Kaihoahoa Whare at Hoani Waititi marae in July 2001. Around 50 participants met to discuss recent developments in Māori architecture. The hui acknowledged the need for a professional body representing the aspirations of Māori design professionals.

Ngā Aho (Māori Design Professionals Inc) formalised as an entity in 2005/06, in response to the Urban Design Protocol released by the Ministry for Environment, which failed to meaningfully engage with Māori aspirations and interests in the built environment. As a network of Māori design professionals, largely (but not exclusively) involved in the built and physical environment, Ngā Aho has continued to champion Māori design and Māori design practitioners as an advocate and connector. Ngā Aho has also sought to support and promote Pasifika and broader Indigenous practices and practitioners.