Auckland, 13 June 2025: Victoria University’s Ngā Mokopuna, has been awarded the Resene Sustainable Building Property Award at the prestigious Property Council New Zealand Rider Levett Bucknall Property Industry Awards tonight. The event, which was held at Spark Arena, is Aotearoa New Zealand’s most prestigious property awards programme.
Ngā Mokopuna, a three storey, 3,000m² educational facility rooted in Māori values, was constructed to complement the whare whakairo, and first university-based marae in the country, Te Tumu Herenga Waka. The marae was closed for three years during the construction process, and both buildings were unveiled in December 2024.
Constructed by LT McGuinness and designed by Tennent Brown Architects, Ngā Mokopuna is a collaborative space used for both recreational and corporate activity. On the ground floor is the wharekai for the marae complex. The second floor houses student study areas, group and seminar spaces and a larger flat-floor teaching space, and office for the marae team. The third-floor houses Te Kawa a Māui—School of Māori Studies, the Office of the Deputy Vice-Chancellor Māori and the University’s Sustainability Office.
The name, Ngā Mokopuna comes from the name of the dining room when the Te Tumu Herenga Waka first opened, 38 years ago. Built to demonstrate Victoria University’s commitment to manaakitanga and kaitiakitanga, and to place more care towards people and the natural world, Ngā Mokopuna plans to enhance and protect the community and sacred value of Te Tumu Herenga Waka.
Chief judge Andy Evans said that Ngā Mokopuna embraces the past, while still looking to the future.
“You don’t just walk into Ngā Mokopuna, you walk the path of those before you. It breathes with the heartbeat of those who came before, while opening its arms to those yet to arrive. It’s a rare thing: a building that doesn’t speak for the land, but with it.”
The vision of Ngā Mokopuna is to have a positive impact on the land, its people, and future generations. This building has been thoughtfully designed to integrate with its surroundings, rather than be an imposition.
Ngā Mokopuna is designed to meet the rigorous Living Building™ certification, one of the world’s most demanding sustainability standards, and the standard is hoped to be reached by Victoria campus as a whole. Ngā Mokopuna is one of approximately 35 projects worldwide hoping to achieve full Living Building Challenge (LBC)® certification.
The site generates 105% of its energy needs through 550 solar panels and features a closed-loop water system that recycles 180,000 litres annually for irrigation, while treating wastewater for use in nearby buildings.
The structure is made primarily from locally sourced engineered timber, helping to sequester more carbon than it emits, and over 95% of construction waste was diverted from landfills. Natural ventilation and daylight are optimised, with 95% of occupiable spaces receiving fresh air and sunlight, aligning with passive design principles.
A building that holds a Living Building™ certification must be regenerative, self-sufficient and remain within the resource limits of their site, and create a positive impact on the human, community and natural systems that interact with them.
As part of the ecosystem, Ngā Mokopuna embodies a respectful relationship with the environment, rather than representing a disruption that must later be reconciled.
“Ngā Mokopuna is in partnership with the land, and our whakapapa. Every beam, every panel, every drop of water in this space is part of a choreography that gives more than it takes. It’s proof that architecture can be humble and alive,” said Evans.
Last year, the University of Auckland took home the Resene Sustainable Building Award, showcasing the forward thinking of New Zealand universities. The University of Auckland’s B201 Redevelopment, which saw the Social Sciences building be rebuilt around the existing concrete framing, using carbon fibre and other environmentally conscious materials and processes to reduce the buildings gas and power consumption.
Last year’s award winner took great steps to ensure that the building served the community, as well as looking after the whenua. The B201 development and Ngā Mokopuna both prioritise the need to connect people together, along with connecting people to nature to be truly sustainable.
“What makes this new generation of thinking, and the buildings that come from it extraordinary is not just their efficiency, it’s their connectivity. Like B201 before it, Ngā Mokopuna shows us that true sustainability is a conversation between people and place. It doesn’t isolate, it brings together,” concluded Evans.
Resene Sustainable Building Property Award
Best in category: Ngā Mokopuna (project previously known as: The Living Pā)
- Address: 42-50 Kelburn Parade, Wellington
- Owner/developer: Te Herenga Waka – Victoria University of Wellington
- Construction: LT McGuinness
- Architect: Tennent Brown Architects
- Structural engineer: Dunning Thornton Consultants
- Service engineer: 335
- Building enclosure engineer: Oculus Architectural Engineering
- Quantity surveyor: Rider Levett Bucknall
- Project manager: The Building Intelligence Group
- Landscape architect: Wraight + Associates
- Industrial designer: Hakaraia Designs
OTHER WINNERS IN THIS CATEGORY INCLUDED:
Excellence:
- Bowden Estate, Auckland
- Deloitte Centre, Auckland
- Te Hurihanga Ō Rangatahi – The Youth Hub, Christchurch
- Woolworths Waimakariri Junction, Christchurch
Merit:
- Christchurch Fresh Distribution Centre (CFDC), Rolleston
- Fisher & Paykel Appliances Distribution Centre, Auckland
ENDS