December 13, 2023
Tainui stories embedded in airport hotel architecture
An architect for Auckland Airport’s new Te Arikinui Pullman Hotel says the design drew on the traditions of its Tainui co-owners.
The 311-room five star hotel beside the international terminal opens to guests today.
It’s a 50-50 joint venture between the airport company and Tainui Group Holdings.
Jonathan Hewlett from Warren and Mahoney Architects says points on the build significant sites in the journey of Tainui waka including Maungataupiri, the Manukau Heads and the Waitematā Harbour
He says they’ve worked closely with the head carver at Tūrangawaewae Marae, Renata Te Wiata, and his late father Inia Watene Te Wiata on the stories and history embodied within the building.
“We ensure that the building fabric and every part of the building actually resonates and embodies and infuses those stories. So they’re not they’re not surface things that are applied. They’re not token they’re actually part of the fabric of why the building is it is,” he says
The Te Arikinui Pullman includes Te Kaahu restaurant and bar overseen by award winning Māori chef Nancye Pirini, who also helms the kitchens at the neighbouring Novotel Auckland Airport.