Nohonga take their place in Britomart Square

After a mihi whakatau by Ngāti Whātua-o-Ōrākei, members of the Auckland Branch of the New Zealand Institute of Landscape Architects Tuia Pito Ora and supporters were able to view the finished designs.

Boffa Miskell teams from Auckland and Tauranga designed two of the four realised designs.

Auckland-based Team Tenax installed three iterations of the ‘Whiria’ bench in Tauktai Square four days before the offical opening, and the colourful interpretations of a folded flax leaf were an immediate hit with the city centre lunchtime crowd, and throughout the weekend.

Team Tauranga’s ‘Bioluminescence’ is the first of the four Nohonga to be installed at Brick Bay. With separate elements fabricated by Jagas and Streetscape, the massive structure is going directly to Matakana, and will be ready for public viewing this month.

Richard Didsbury, owner and director of Brick Bay, said that the Nohonga encapsulated two of the most important aspects of a vibrant public realm: a place for people to connect and an expression of imagination and creativity.

“Public art is something that enhances every community, no matter its size or location,” he said. “And these Nohonga, which serve both a practical and an aesthetic function, are a way to bring an unexpected moment of delight. I certainly hope these are the first of many such works by talented landscape architects.”

The Nohonga Design Challenge is sponsored by Brick Bay, Britomart, the Auckland Branch of the New Zealand Institute of Landscape Architects Tuia Pito Ora, and Viva.

For further information please contact Alex Smith or Topsy Steele