Tāwaha ki Te Ao Mārama – Ākau Tangi 100m Mural
In my role as Principal Māori Design Advisor at Wellington City Council, I provided cultural design and integration management to support lead artist Len Hetet (Taranaki Whānui) and Baked Design in delivering this 100-metre public artwork at Ākau Tangi.
- Location: Kilbirnie
- Region: Te Whanganui-a-Tara
- Iwi + Hapū: Taranaki Whānui ki Te Upoko o Te Ika
- Ngā Aho practitioner(s): Josephine Clarke
- Other participants: Baked Design Ltd, Wellington City Council
- Resources:
- Discipline and Expertise: Cultural & Heritage Landscape, Co-Design, Urban Design
While working as Principal Māori Design Advisor at Wellington City Council, I supported the end-to-end delivery of Tāwaha ki Te Ao Mārama—a 100-metre mural along the Kilbirnie coastal pathway at Ākau Tangi Sports Centre.
I didn't design the artwork myself. My role was about cultural integration and advisory management inside Council—working alongside our Mana Whenua partner Te Āti Awa Taranaki Whānui ki Te Upoko o Te Ika, lead artist Len Hetet, Manukorihi Winiata, and Baked Design. I helped navigate Council processes to ensure their creative team had the space to lead, while keeping the internal project team aligned with supporting Mana Whenua identity, narratives, and tikanga. In alignment to our Tākai Here agreements and Tūpiki Ora Māori Strategy.
