He Awa Ora is a unique exhibition of ancient and new taonga (treasures) that tell the story of Te Awa Tupua, the Whanganui River and its people. The Awa and iwi feature in a narrative supported by taonga Maori, encompassing the past, the present and the future.

 He Awa Ora brings together ancient and contemporary taonga to tell the story of Te Awa Tupua, the Whanganui River, and the stories of it’s people. The narrative has been told using the voice of the river.

The exhibition contains over 70 taonga, as well as photographs, archives, video and audio. Each of the Taonga have kaitiaki/trustees that have been consulted with and given permission for their use. We are grateful for their generous gift of time and knowledge given in support of this project, as well as the Whanganui River Enhancement Trust and Ngā Tāngata Tiaki o Whanganui, the project main supporters. The realization of this project has been made possible by the mahi of all those involved.

Design elements include a typeface designed for use as the exhibition and section titles, based on carving on poupou: a carved post from a wharepuni featured in the exhibition; Borders created by Cliff Whiting and students from Palmerston North Teachers College, adapted from older patterns and in a colour based on the kōwhaiwhai, painted on the tāhuhu (ridgepole) of Te Waiherehere, a wharepuni that stands at Koriniti Marae; and Carpet installation design based on a design that was created for the pare (bodice) and tātua (belt) of local kapa haka (performing arts group), Te Matapihi. The paint colours on the walls and joinery have been selected to show the changing colours of the Awa as it flows from it’s head waters to the ocean.

The hope for this exhibition is that people will learn about the ways in which Te Awa Tupua has sustained it’s people over many generations, both physically and spiritually. That people will also come to understand that Te Awa Tupua is an entire river system, consisting of several networks and arteries, some of which have been blocked and weakened, as a result of colonisation. And that however, it’s people have always maintained their connection and relationship to the river and fought hard over many years for a legal framework that now recognises the river as an innate whole.

He Awa Ora – Living River was the recipient of the Community Impact Award at the 13th annual Architecture NZ Interior Awards and a Te Kāhui Whaihanga NZIA 2024 Western Architecture award in small project architecture.