Name Te Ākau Roa 
Year    2025
Status Complete
Client Ngātiwai Holdings Limited
Location 11 Marina Drive Tutukaka
Type         Commercial Fitout, Restaurant & Bar front of house, and creation of lettable tenancies.
Floor area 415m2 (including 167m2 of lettable tenancy)
Construction cost $332,554.20
Consultant Team RSENG (Structural Engineering and Fire), Kwanto (Quantity Surveyor), Arclab Lidar existing building survey
Contractor OTC Projects.
Nominated subcontractors
Amelia Fagence Design,– Selected Cabinetry items
Fieldcraft – Selected Cabinetry items
Kings Custom – Steel fabrication items
Limewave – Custom Tadalekt natural plaster finishes

Te Ākau Roa, a newly completed fitout for Ngātiwai Holdings. Ngatiwai manaakitanga, storytelling and deep connection to place infuse dishes inspired by kai moana and the bounty of the land. Our brief was to bring this idea to life in the fitout, creating a welcoming space to support and celebrate Ngātiwai excellence. The design consolidated service between the kitchen, restaurant and bar areas, and added new lettable tenancy spaces and created space for an in-progress artwork.

The finishing materials speak to the themes. Reclaimed mataī riverlogs, sourced in Northland, have been made into custom feasting tables and bar leaners. This timber has a wonderful warmth and soft feel and has journeyed through time from the ngahere to the awa and finally to the shore of Tutukākā. Custom lime plaster finishes the existing fireplace surround, and the new bar front. Lime plaster is a natural material finish. Made using lime putty which in turn is made from limestone which in turn is formed over time from the bones of small sea creatures. Heavy materials are kept low, mimicking the tide shaped shoreline. Existing light fittings have been carefully re-used, and the colour palette is inspired by the shoreline sand of Kōwharewa Bay with hints of water and bush.