April 28, 2023
Ancient construction technique opens door for Maori
A leading Māori architect says traditional Māori building techniques could open the door to major opportunities for the forestry and construction industries.
As part of a project to rebuild the meeting house Tānewhirinaki near Opotiki which was critically damaged in the 1931 Napier Earthquake, Anthony Hoete from the University of Auckland architecture school and Māori architectonic researcher Jeremy Treadwell researched a pre-European building technique called mīmiro, which combines lashing and carved notches to give structural strength.
Professor Hoete says when they stress tested the prototype’s 14 metre span, they almost pulled the bumper off the landrover.
He says it points the way to greater use of timber for construction of halls and warehouses, which could be a boon to Maori both in building and wood supply.
“And so what we’re hoping with projects like the ones where we utilise mīmiro is to get Maori at the top of the contracting and construction tree. We want that hapu to build their own buildings using their own knowledge and to lead cosnstuction so it’s also seen as a way of upskilling and creating employment opportunities,” Professor Hoete says.