pukapuka rātaka - journal

What we’ve have been up to lately..

Hangi Roof Shout

As a thanks to our lovely clients and a wonderful building crew we put down a late autumn, roof-shout hangi on-site for the team. The house is slowly but surely taking shape - watch this space. Though there was a little glitch at one point, all enjoyed some good food and conversation. A great way to celebrate reaching the roof milestone.

Group of people gathered outdoors on a hillside, some standing and some sitting, during cloudy weather. Children and adults are engaged in activities around the hangi site, with trees and a cloudy sky in the background.

Matamata Open Stadium

It was an honour for Keni-Duke to work with the whanau of Ngāti Hinerangi, Ngāti Hauā and Raukawa to tell their pūrākau through design within the new Matamata Open Country Stadium. A dawn blessing took place on February 2nd 2026 for the new stadium, named Te Whare Hui Ora, meaning wellness through connection.

Image of iwi representatives at opening day inside new stadium with kowhaiwhai patterning design by architectural designer Keni-Duke Hetet in background

London Quay Revitalisation..

Waka Group were privileged to work alongside Te Ātiawa on this great project. The welcoming of a kōhatu, or sacred stone, marked the official reopening of Picton’s London Quay after its revitalisation, (Jan, 2026) - read article here..

A large carved stone boulder with a carved face resembling a whale, displayed outdoors with trees and cloudy sky in the background, labeled 'Te Punga Toitū - The Enduring Anchor' situated in London Quay in Picton

Group of people associated with the redevelopment of London Quay including architectural designer Keni-Duke Hetet standing around a large carved stone boulder on a pedestal outdoors, with palm trees, a body of water, and hills in the background.

Te Āwhina Papakāinga..

The papakāinga development at Te Āwhina Marae in Motueka. Read about this project, featured in Architecture Now, here or listen to the digital story below. The development was recently acknowledged in Architecture Now as an example of large-scale project waste reduction - Scott Construction and Waka Group Architecture achieved a 48 per cent land-fill diversion rate across 20 new homes through strategic design decisions.

People touring new papakāinga houses - walking on concrete path surrounded by landscaped area with new planting.

ADNZ DefignTalks - What role does, or should, architecture take in forming healthy communities?

Pete Bossley (Architect and Director, Bossley Architects), Keni-Duke Hetet (Director of Waka Group Architecture) and Bill McKay, (Senior Lecturer at the School of Architecture and Design, Auckland University) talk to host Glenn Murdoch (Theca Architecture) about the role architecture takes, or should take, in forming healthy communities. Listen to the podcast on Spotify here.