Aonui, the new headquarters for Otago Regional Council, is shaped through a genuine co‑design partnership with Kāi Tahu.

With mana whenua organisation Aukaha and Port Otago’s project architects GHD, we’ve collaborated to embed mana whenua voices and values from project inception, reflecting ORC’s commitment to working as authentic partners with mana whenua, and promoting our shared aspirations.

Co-design is a collaborative process that weaves iwi, architects, and project partners together to ensure that Māori perspectives, values and stories are respectfully woven into the project from the ground up.

Aonui’s building and cultural design integration is a response to place. It acknowledges the whenua (land) and wai (waterways) of the site location and its cultural significance. This connection to place runs throughout the project, from orientation and spatial flow to natural materials and native planting.