Three Māori sisters from Tāmaki Makaurau are breaking barriers in engineering while helping develop culturally grounded structural solutions for Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei.
Twenty-two-year-old Tiaho Wihongi-Minhinnick celebrated her graduation from the University of Auckland on May 4, joining sisters Ngarui Manukau and Phoenix Manukau as qualified engineers.
While completing her Bachelor of Engineering with Honours, Tiaho was selected to lead a unique project focused on designing mana-enhancing structural foundations for pou whakairo at Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei’s papakāinga development in Ōrākei.
The iwi plans to install four ten-metre tōtara pou at the housing development and wanted engineering solutions that would preserve the dignity, beauty and cultural significance of the carvings.
Tiaho enlisted the help of older sister Ngarui, with the pair working to create structural systems that avoid bulky or visually intrusive bases often used in conventional engineering designs.
The sisters say pou are far more than structural objects, carrying whakapapa, stories and mana that should be respected within the engineering process.
Designing foundations strong enough to support 1.2 tonne carved tōtara posts for decades while remaining visually seamless has presented major engineering challenges.
The sisters say they struggled to find existing research specific to pou footings, although studies involving Native American totem poles provided some inspiration.
Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei has delayed carving the pou until the structural systems are fully integrated into the overall design process from the outset.
The project has received support from MĀPIHI – Māori and Pacific Housing Research Centre at the University of Auckland.
Beyond the engineering work itself, the sisters say their academic journey has also highlighted the lack of Māori representation within the profession.
Ngarui says entering engineering was initially inspired by her strengths in maths and science, but also by a chance conversation with a careers advisor during college that opened the door to a pathway she had never previously considered.
The sisters describe the transition into university engineering as confronting, particularly entering lecture theatres filled with hundreds of students where very few were Māori.
Despite the challenges, all three say the journey has been worthwhile and hope their success encourages more Māori wāhine into engineering and STEM careers.
Tiaho has already secured a permanent role with a structural engineering consultancy, marking the beginning of what the sisters hope will be a long future combining engineering excellence with mātauranga Māori and cultural integrity.
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