Te Ao Hurihuri

The Changing World

Tāngata and taiao are inseparable in their existence, in that any human presence on this planet ultimately requires a reliance on the Earth’s natural systems. With Aotearoa being one of the last major landmasses settled on the planet, human impact has been short and abrupt. Kaitakitanga and co-reliance between tāngata and whenua has rapidly morphed to become a relationship of dominance and power over Te Ao Tūroa, our longstanding universe. Those who call Aotearoa home need to consider the health of the whare tūpuna o Papatūāunuku and her māra that we have the privilege to harvest from.

Landscape is a concept with meaning to every one of us. Tangata Whenua have a longstanding genetic relationship to their extended whānau, being those atua of te taiao. As whānau of Papatūānuku, Ranginui and their tamariki, Tangata Whenua have carer responsibilities as kaitiaki. Together with the descendants of more recent settler and immigrant whanau, all those who now call Aotearoa home must recognise the need to work together to protect the landscapes that sustain us.

Tangata Whenua and Tangata Tiriti understand and value landscape according to our different cultures, though many elements of the Aotearoa landscape unite us. We value our unique flora and fauna, coastlines and the everyday, as well as the special aspects of our landscape and the resources we derive from it.

Te Papa Tū Whirinaki - The Landscape Foundation draws attention to landscape change. We are exploring options for managing our landscape using the very best techniques and knowledge.

The NZILA Education Foundation was registered by the New Zealand Institute of Landscape Architects in 1999 as a charitable trust. In 2015 the NZILA Education Foundation was renamed the Landscape Foundation. We are in the process of shifting emphasis to our ingoa Māori - ko Te Papa Tū Whirinaki mātou.

NZILA Education Foundation is registered with the Charities Commission. Our charities commission number is CC31765

Tā Mātou Aronga

Our Purpose

The principal purpose of the Te Papa Tū Whirinaki is:

To raise the awareness of the changes occuring to Papatūanuku, whilst generating conscious responsiveness to pressing environmental issues. Te Papa Tū Whirinaki recognises the critical role that taiao related professions, such as landscape architects, have in educating the public on these issues, as well as drawing attention to the opportunities for designing and delivering better outcomes.

We want to inform and empower you, whether you can be a decision maker, designer, resident, rangatahi or kaumatua. We believe that knowledge can enable change and that the landscapes of Aotearoa urgently require us to act in a way which shows our collective commitment to the next generation through our taiao related mahi. We will work with the landscape architecture profession, Hapū, Iwi, government agencies, education providers and others to increase awareness of the influence and impact of taiao related design and planning professions.