Whare Māori - The Wharenui (Episode Two)

Television (Full Length Episode) – 2011

This episode of the Māori Television series looks at the place of the wharenui in Māori architecture. Rau Hoskins explores the origins and meaning of the structure, and looks at some iconic examples: a replica pataka being built in Hamilton Gardens; te hau ki turanga (the oldest surviving example of a wharenui) controversially taken by colonial forces, now displayed at museum Te Papa Tongarewa in Wellington; and Ngākau Māhaki at Auckland's Unitec — designed by master carver Lyonel Grant and replete with dashboard lights from 70s Holdens.

The series is beautifully shot local cultural history through architecture, very much the story of how the built environment helps inform who we are.
– Diana Wichtel, Listener, 4 July 2011