New Architecture stars rise for Matariki

Light installations created by sixty Landscape Architecture and Architectural Studies ākonga shone brightly at the Takapuna Matariki Market at Waiwharariki Anzac Square on 20-21 June 2025.

Nearly 4,000 people attended the two-day event with many captivated by the eight structures which took the students six weeks to create – from concept to critical feedback to the finished product – as part of their second-year Design Studio Course.

Now in its third year, the Takapuna Matariki Market recognises the Māori New Year in the heart of the North Shore suburb and was an opportunity for Unitec ākonga to once again showcase their creativity.

Our students presented a series of interactive architectural light installations, exploring the themes of recyclability, storytelling and creative reuse.

Their work was also showcased alongside the Takapuna Beach Association Matariki Craft Festival which ran on Sunday.

Academic Programme Manager and Lecturer, Yusef Patel says the event was a unique opportunity for the public to experience Matariki in action, see creativity in the built environment, and to connect with Unitec’s design community.

“Whether you’re interested in design, culture or community, there was something for everyone,” says Patel.

According to Adjunct Lecturer and Head of Architectural Workshop, Keith Mann, who led this project, his goal was to “push students to be the best they can be”.

“We were really pushing them to build something that is different and never seen before, and is a finished product,” Mann explains.

The students were given a brief to keep the dimension of their installation work to 1m x 1m x 3m. The critical feedback also reiterated the importance of the installation work being health and safety compliant and stable enough for public exhibition.

“The student work is a response to the Matariki theme, but encompassing all the Pacific not just New Zealand,” says Mann.

“They were encouraged to connect to that cultural narrative and pull it into a response and see where it takes them.”

Mann adds that the group work component of this project was also important.

“The aim was to get the students thinking collectively together and cohesive and then taking this back into the community. From our Puna to Takapuna. This is our gift to them and when we return to Unitec we gift the work out so it has a second life – nothing gets thrown away,” Mann adds.

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