Beronia Scott (Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei), Te Pūawai Ōrākei Marae, the Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei Weaving Collective

Beronia Scott (Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei), one of our mana whenua design partners, and TePūawai Ōrākei Marae, the Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei weaving collective, have hand-woven 120 harakeke whāriki (flax mats) for every room across the InterContinental Hotel at One Queen Street.

The whāriki on each floor represents a different atua (god or goddess), from Rūaumoko, the atua of geothermal energy from deep within the earth on the lower floors, to those ruling over the moana (oceans), whenua (land), Tāwhirimātea (wind), rangi (sky), and weather on the upper floors. The design presents the kaokao, a symbol of strength and hospitality, and each level employs a weaving stitch and a color that references the atua for that level.

With the separate fibers of the harakeke bound together to make the whāriki, and with a collective approach to the kaupapa, this commission resonates with the kōrero of Aukaha, a powerful pūtake (narrative) we have woven into the heart of this kaupapa. Aukaha are the bindings that strap the waka together and symbolise strength in unity, reflecting the convergence of whenua (land) and moana (sea), and the power of working collaboratively.

Te Pūawai Ōrākei Marae consists of dozens of senior kuia and younger weavers from across the motu. Not all the members affiliate with Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei, so it is a true collaboration and coming together of different iwi in the delivery of this massive weaving kaupapa in the spirit of Aukaha.

The whāriki extend a welcome from Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei into the private spaces of the hotel, connecting each guest with the tangata whenua, ahi kā, and kaitaki of central Tāmaki.

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

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