Tāmaki housing works
2016-2017
Te Wai Mokoia considers ecology not only in relation to biology, but in relation to a wider understanding of ecology – that of the relationships between people, their whenua, and social and political frameworks. It is centred on a specific ecology, presented through a kōrero between a kuia and her whāngai daughter, both long term residents of Glen Innes. The health of Te Wai Mokoia cannot be separated from its people, a community that is fighting to stay in their homes.
Tāmaki is undergoing “regeneration,” a process through which thousands of state housing tenants are being affected. Many residents are refusing to be moved away from their homes – a collective resistance that is taking a huge toll on the community’s hauora.
The work considers all that extends from a house – childhood memories, the garden we bury in and grow from, and the environment surrounding it. For residents of Glen Innes, the estuary is a site of resource gathering, of learning and exploration, and a place to foster interconnectedness with nature. Te Wai Mokoia flows through this community as wairua tapu.
Te Wai Mokoia was created for and the winner of Uxbridge's 10thEstuary Art Awards. The work showed in the subsequent exhibitions at Malcolm Smith Gallery and Fo Guang Shan Temple (Auckland). It is a unique single edition belonging to the Auckland Council.
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During the occupation of Ioela Niki Rauti’s state house, weekly waiata nights were held to foster whanaungatanga. The collective voices could be heard along Taniwha Street on a Thursday evening, travelling easily because of the empty spaces. The redevelopment is physically dismantling Glen Innes, through the removal of houses by truck or demolition (in this video, 69 Taniwha Street). But in their place stands a different form of community – one that is growing ever stronger. On the day of filming (23/03/17), Niki had again been under a direct threat of eviction. She closed Waiata Club with this:
“This has been the hardest day of these last six years. But we’re still here. And we’re still singing.”
Glen Innes was undergoing gentrification through the privatisation and sell off of the area’s state housing. Tāmaki Housing Group was formed to resist the evictions of tenants, and the occupation of Niki’s house was part of this resistance. Niki was forced to move out of her home of 30 years in October 2017, and the house was demolished days later. Waiata Club continued. Ngā mihi Tāmaki Housing Group & Waiata Club.
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Tūrangawaewae: A Place to Stand begins with a pepeha. The maunga: Maungakiekie, Rangitoto, and Maungarei. The awa: the Tāmaki River. The documentary features Yvonne and her whāngai mother, Rangi, as well as whāea Niki and Rose. They talk about housing in te ao Māori, sharing stories from their past, feelings towards the present, and reflecting on the future.
This short documentary was created with Yvonne Dainty for her master's degree.