Regenerative Design
& Development
Workshops & events to create a thriving city
Whakaora is a growing community of people who are waking up to the possibilities of regenerative design as a way to tackle the climate crisis.
Regenerative design is based on the principles of living systems thinking that puts nature and people in the driving seat.
It’s motivating, it’s challenging, it’s fresh. It will inspire you to create change.
Join us and be part of the transformation.
Regenerative Design
Māori: mauri ora / verb
is a process-oriented whole systems approach to design. The term “regenerative” describes processes that restore, renew or revitalise their own sources of energy and materials. Regenerative design uses whole systems thinking to create resilient and equitable systems that integrate the needs of society with the integrity of nature.
Systems Thinking
Māori: pūnaha pēnei / verb
is a way of making sense of the complexity of the world by looking at it in terms of wholes and relationships rather than by splitting it down into its parts. It has been used as a way of exploring and developing effective action in complex contexts.
Tools of a Systems Thinker
Whaka-ora Kāinga - Living Cities
Tihei mauri mate! Karanga te pō, karanga te ao.
Tihei mauri ora! He mea hanga, he mea whakarite, he mea hononga, kia aro ki te takoto, piritahi ki ngā kōrero o tua, ki nga kōrero o tenei ao.
Kia kaha rā tātou. Kia piki te mauri ora o ngā kāinga katoa, kia āta whakārotahi, kia kōrerotahi, kia huihuitahi, kia mahitahi tātou katoa.
Mai i te rangi ki te whenua. Rere ki uta, rere ki tai. Mā te mauri ō te rangi hei whakaruru hou. Mā te mauri ō te whenua hei whakaora. Mā te mauri ō te pukengawai, hei whakatapu. Mā te mauri ō te ngāhere, hei whakaruruhou. Mā te mauri ō ngā hapori hei whakahonohono. Mā te mauri ō ngā kāinga tātou, hei manaaki, hei tiaki, hei poipoi.
He karanga tēnei ki a tatou kia whakarangatira ai enei wawata enei moemoeā kia piki ake ai i tēnei āhuatanga ko te kāinga, kia tū mauri ora ai.
Tihei mauri ora!
This is a time when the mauri of te Ao, our living planet, is in decline.
Mauri is the reality of life’s interconnectivity – we live always in relation with te Ao, the living world. Mauri ora is the vitality, the thriving, of this “life-field”.
At this time we need to take action, whaka-ora, to improve the mauri of living systems.
Working together we can grow living cities that host climate-resilient and regenerative ecological systems that build the mauri of city communities.
Thinking and acting for mauri ora we can change our urban systems, moving from linear and extractive to circular, regenerative and living systems.
Together as Tiriti partners we can support collective aspirations for integrated wellbeing from sky to earth, from mountains to sea. We can support mana whenua aspirations for the wellbeing of the whenua, roto, awa, moana, ngahere that Māori whakapapa to.
Together we can regenerate the mauri of our cities, of whenua, our rivers, our buildings, of the earth, sky, forests, rivers and all those that dwell within them.
This is the call of this time – to honour a collective ethics and aspiration for wellbeing.
WHAKA-ORA is a platform for community-led regenerative system change.
Join us in taking action for mauri ora.
“Whakaora is an opportunity to be inspired by Tāmaki Makaurau, to grow our thinking and work with Aotearoa’s leading regenerative, sustainable, and green building professionals. The audience will turbocharge their practice and our city’s wellbeing.”
Jerome Partington
Co-curator
“The transformative opportunity now, is to focus on social, cultural and ecological wellbeing in Tāmaki Makaurau so we have resilience and can thrive. Māuri Ora!”
Amanda Yates
Co-curator
