Coupland Cormack worked with senior photographer Fiona Pardington (Ngāi Tahu) and Starkwhite on a major private commission for One Queen Street and the InterContinental Hotel. Pardington provided 12 new images, each released as an edition, with approximately 120 images adorning every room in the hotel. This is the first private commission by Pardington of such a significant scale.

Pardington’s work invites viewers to engage in a profound dialogue with the past, resonating with the essence of Aukaha, the unified pūtake (narrative) underpinning the curation of this collection and manifested in all the artworks commissioned.

Aukaha are the bindings that strap a waka together, connecting the tauihu (bow carving) and the taurapa (stern post) with the hull. These bindings and lashings strengthen the waka, and the carvings they connect elevate the waka’s status. It also refers to the site where the reclaimed whenua (land) meets te moana (the sea), as well as the strength in working collaboratively, showing how through unity we become stronger.

Pardington collaborated with Te Mātauranga Māori curators at Te Papa Tongarewa, Museum of New Zealand. Visiting the extensive collections at Te Papa, Pardington connected with tauihu and taurapa, carefully photographing them to highlight their inherent mauri - the life spark or energy in all things. This process breathes life back into these taonga, reanimating them and acknowledging their significance.

Pardington is a highly acclaimed photographer recognised for her large-scale images of Māori taonga, extinct native birds, and museum artifacts. She collaborates closely with museums to document Māori ancestral treasures and other significant objects from Aotearoa, New Zealand's past. Working within museum collections, Fiona returns these taonga to the world through her photographs. Fiona’s work is celebrated for how it re-examines taonga, drawing them into a conversation with the current moment, which is the approach she has taken with this project.

The One Queen Street kaupapa includes commissioned mahi toi by our four mana whenua design partners alongside works by leading contemporary artists from Aotearoa, New Zealand, and Australia. One Queen Street, the Deloitte Centre, is a Precinct Properties development with architecture by Warren & Mahoney, interior design by Technē, and is home to the luxury InterContinental Hotel.

We wish to thank the team of Te Mātauranga Māori curators at Te Papa Tongarewa especially Matiu Baker, Neil Pardington and Erihapeti McPherson (Ngāi Tahu) who led the karakia and ensured Fiona’s safety as she worked in this sacred space. 

Selected photography: Melissa Collow. Images courtesy of the artist.