February 09, 2023
Floods force architecture reset
A leading Māori architect says Auckland has little alternative to building in flood-prone areas – but it could manage the consequences better.
Anthony Hoete, a professor of architecture at the University of Auckland, says Māori have shown the way in some of their traditional approaches.
He says instead of trying to pipe stormwater away from former wetlands like Victoria Park, such natural basins could be redesigned to flood during extreme weather events.
He’s been working with Ngāti Awa marae around Te Teko on papakainga developments which use elevated floors rather than concrete slabs so they are not inundated if the Rangitaiki River again bursts its banks.
“It’s kind on in the te ao Maori perspective or lens, it’s allowing nature to run her course and if that means flooding, in order to live with that flooding we’re going to have to change the way we build and of course elevating housing so the whare represents more like the fale in the Pacific which is more prone to flooding there too,” Professor Hoete says.
He says Aucklands floods should be a game changer for long-term strategic thinking.