‘Beautiful’ design reflects city identity

The arrival of a "beautiful" new iwi-backed building in central Dunedin reflects the city’s distinctive Ōtākou identity, mana whenua say.

About 50 people gathered for an early morning whakawātea (blessing) of six-storey commercial property Mataukareao in Great King St yesterday.

Mataukareao will house Pacific Radiology, Inland Revenue and, via the city council, provide 30 public carparks.

Ōtākou Rūnaka upoko Edward Ellison (Kāi Tahu) said he was thrilled to see the building complete after years of work and planning.

Mataukareao was developed by Hāpai Commercial Property, an iwi-owned and controlled property fund comprising 24 predominantly small iwi and Māori investors, including Ōtākou Rūnaka.

"That’s been quite an exciting aspect of it, to be linked in with Hāpai and being able to invest and be joined with the company on this project here in Dunedin," Mr Ellison said.

"This is tribes ... and iwi interests from across the country investing here in the city — I was really touched by that."

Designs reflecting mana whenua on the building’s exterior and at street level were heartening to see, he said.

"That’s part of our aspiration, is to have our korero, have our artwork, have our stories become part and parcel of the cityscape, so people can see and observe in their own way.

"Have our distinctive identity in the city."

Narrative author Megan Pōtiki (Ōtākou Rūnaka), for Aukaha, said the "absolutely beautiful building" would serve a great purpose for the community.

The involvement of Ōtākou Rūnaka showed it was more than a "village out on the peninsula", Dr Pōtiki said.

"Actually we’re very much a part of the city, and a part of the community of Dunedin."

A lovely blend of Māori and Scottish architecture was emerging across the city as more buildings with mana whenua designs were built, she said.

The rūnaka provided the name Mataukareao, for a nohoaka and tauraka waka (waka landing place) at the bottom of present-day Hanover St.

Matau is a hook, and kareao (a vine also called supplejack) were recorded as growing on the flat below Hanover and Frederick Sts.

Hāpai chairman Andy Knight (Taranaki) said Mataukareao was the fund’s first Dunedin investment and the first property it built "from scratch".

"It’s a really proud moment, I think, and hopefully a proud moment for ... our investing iwi and hapu, because they can see that they are investing in the community."

Pacific Radiology is an anchor tennant of Mataukareao — medical equipment, such as PET/CT, X-ray and MRI services, had been installed in the building, some by crane.

The tenants are expected to arrive in the new year.

Hāpai general manager Bevan Hames said Mataukareao had four levels of office space, or about 5600sq m of net lettable space.

Some space was still to be leased and discussions were positive, he said.

It was the only new five-star rated green building in the city’s CBD.

The first two levels had 62 carparks.

Thirty of those would be used for public parking by the Dunedin City Council.

Built on historically reclaimed land, the structure is deeper than it is tall; the building sits on dozens of metre-wide concrete rods set 40m into the ground.

The land was previously a carpark and on-site work began about August 2023.

ruby.shaw@odt.co.nz