Souvenir Tea Towel: Stronger City by Gertrude Ryder Bennett

Images, Canterbury Museum

One white linen tea towel with the poem ‘Stronger City’ by Gertrude Ryder Bennett, 1931, printed in black. This tea towel was produced by Lyttelton retailer 'God Save the Queen' in response to the 22 February earthquake. Rebecca Lovell-Smith owned and operated the vintage shop ‘God Save the Queen’ in Lyttelton. She lost both her home and the sh...

T-shirt: Band Together Concert for Canterbury

Images, Canterbury Museum

One white cotton t-shirt with red printed guitar logo on front and ‘Band / Together / Concert / for / Canterbury // 23rd October / Hagley Park’ in black and red writing, guitar logo and names of performers on the reverse. This concert was a free morale booster following the 4 September 2010 earthquake. The 4 September 2010 earthquake unsettled ...

T-shirt: Seismograph pattern of Christchurch Cathedral

Images, Canterbury Museum

One white cotton t-shirt with black seismograph-like patterns in the shape of ChristChurch Cathedral. Produced to commemorate the 7.1 magnitude earthquake that struck Canterbury at 4.35am on 4 September 2010. This t-shirt was designed and manufactured by Auckland based t-shirt company Mr Vintage in October 2010 to commemorate the 7.1 magnitude ...

"Ko Wai te Ingoa o Tenei Whare?" Architecture and Māori Identity

Research papers, Victoria University of Wellington

The whare whakairo or traditional Māori meeting house plays an important part in Māori society and identity. These whare tell the tale of their origin, and in so doing, the origins of their people. The analysis of the meeting house, the histories expressed in its decorative carvings and structural elements are inextricably linked with and dependent upon the structure of the world created by myth and the Māori worldview. However, due to the deleterious effects of colonisation, the art of wood carving and associated architectural practices - central to Māori identity, suffered decline in many parts of the country, leading to the decline of Māori culture and identity. Sir Apirana Ngata instigated the National Institute of Māori Arts and Crafts to resurrect the dying art of Māori carving and carved houses would be a catalyst for the restoration of Māori culture throughout the country. Ngata saw these whare whakairo as being the heart of Māori communities by establishing a renewed sense of belonging and identification with space for Māori, through the telling of tribal histories and emphasising key geographical features. New threats in the form of global hegemony and urbanisation have further impacted on Māori notions of identity, creating a generation of displaced urban Māori youth. This research proposes to establish an architectural response to capture displaced Māori youth through the resurrection of the Māori carving school and return to them the lost stories of their cultural history and identity. This program will be developed within the complex challenges that exist within post-earthquake Ōtautahi/Christchurch, where many have lost homes and livelihoods, especially Māori youth in the Eastern Suburbs. The building elements of the proposed Māori carving school give reference to the historio-cultural features of the original Ōtautahi/Christchurch landscape that are situated in tribal song and myth. It is envisioned that the development of a Māori carving school will help restore Māori identity and a renewed sense of belonging, and allow for the telling of this generations stories through traditional narratives.