Vision for Tāmaki Makaurau - Our place in the world
What we aim to achieve
Our vision is for a city centre with a sense of place informed by the past and looking to the future. We seek a thriving and authentic tangata whenua identity and culture that is genuinely visible throughout the city centre.
Why we want to do this
From earliest settlement, the city centre and waterfront area has been a place of abundance and trade, where people and culture come together.
Māori, the tangata whenua of Tāmaki Makaurau / Auckland, have openly extended their manaakitanga and welcome to people of many cultures. This has delivered the multiculturalism that defines Auckland today.
It is the world's largest Māori city, with about a quarter of New Zealand's urban Māori population. It also has the largest Polynesian population. Almost 40 per cent of Aucklanders were born outside New Zealand.
How we can promote a thriving and authentic Māori identity and culture
Māori life and culture
Māori life and culture and mana whenua having a prominent, authentic and active presence in the city centre with:
- widespread use of te reo Māori
- the delivery of a range of Māori focused facilities and cultural tourism
- regular cultural festivals and events.
Māori enterprise
- Advancement of Māori enterprise, innovation and investment, including high value speciality businesses and transformative development schemes.
- Enabling Māori business and mana whenua organisations to be significant drivers of Auckland's economy.
Environmental design outcomes
- The acknowledgment that mana whenua have a unique relationship with the natural environment as kaitiaki.
- Enhanced environmental design outcomes harnessing mātauranga Māori with a focus on the recognition of water as taonga.
- Environmental wellbeing to be led by a whakapapa approach.
Māori design
- A Tāmaki Makaurau / Auckland design approach founded on Māori design and engagement delivering unique architectural and spatial design responses.
- Empowered Māori representation at all levels of decision-making.
- Through Māori design, matauranga Māori, mana whenua can be placed at the centre of planning, design and development.
This offers a holistic approach that creates places and spaces that are welcoming to all, from tamariki and young whānau to kaumātua.
Related information
More information about Tāmaki Makaurau - Our place in the world
