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Whakamoe tai, whakamoe ahiahi, whakamoe te ingoa Atkinson Building ki tua, ki tua e hai!
Nau mai te ao awatea, whakahō taku takapou a Ngāmotu House ki te whai ao, ki te ao mārama.
Tihei mouri ora.
For over nine months the old Atkinson Building on Devon Street West has been under wraps while building strengthening and a complete refurbishment takes place.
This morning (21 March 2023) Te Kotahitanga o Te Atiawa and representatives from Ngāti Te Whiti hapū announced Ngāmotu House as the building’s new name and also revealing its new exterior design.
The new name is in recognition of an old hapū, which resided in the area which preceded Ngāti Te Whiti of today. It is also the name of the culturally significant Ngā Motu Islands, and is a name now more widely used for New Plymouth.
The exterior façade represents a korowai of high status that wraps around the building. Each pattern on the design has a story integrated within it. Boon Architects have worked alongside Te Atiawa and Ngāti Te Whiti to weave a Te Atiawa cultural narrative throughout the refurbishment.
Liana Poutu, Chair of Te Kotahitanga o Te Atiawa, is grateful to Ngāti Te Whiti for their support of this project and is looking forward to the many other residential and commercial developments already in the pipeline.
“This development is another step towards our long-term strategy of balancing our commercial, cultural, social and environmental aspirations,” says Liana. “Last week we shared upcoming opportunities with our Te Atiawa uri on our plans for home ownership and affordable rental pathways, and this week we are unveiling the name and design for one of our commercial buildings.”
The six-storey 4,000m2 commercial building will be completed by the end of this year and will become a central hub for Taranaki and Māori businesses of all sizes.
The building wrap will be safely taken down in June to physically unveil the new façade. Clelands Construction are the lead contractors and Egmont Dixon are project managing the refurbishment.
