Weaving Mahinga Kai and Landscape Architecture: Designing with nature through people-ecology interactions

This dissertation investigates in what ways does mahinga kai offer opportunities for the discipline of landscape architecture, both within Aotearoa, New Zealand and potentially beyond. It applies a ‘dwelling perspective’ to the concepts of mahinga kai as a means to expand the discipline’s conceptualisation of landscape. It does this through adapting designoriented tools currently found within landscape architecture research, and grounding them in a case study and a design investigation located within the setting of productive landscapes. The results of this research are four-fold. First, it finds that a culturally encompassing interpretation of mahinga kai, and its concepts, sites and practices, has significant potential to broaden landscape architecture’s conceptualisation of nature and landscape. Second, it finds that a quadrant-based tool has the potential to extend landscape architecture’s current approaches in conceptualising the diverse concepts, sites and practices of mahinga kai. It illustrates mapping as a method of inquiry, in which the reciprocal relationships between site and practice, and the utilisation and protection of resources can be expressed and explored in greater depth. Third, through a design investigation, it finds that concepts of mahinga kai have the potential to extend the scope of landscape architecture beyond its current focus to shape specific sites. It identifies that alternative mahinga kai driven practices – such as reciprocal learning programmes between outsiders and inhabitants – can be designed to materially produce the economic and ecological outcomes of productive landscapes. Finally, it finds a future direction for landscape architecture is to further identify and develop methods that could embrace the cultural complexity of mahinga kai and its concepts. The research illustrates the potential for future research to engage in a greater depth of dialogue in which both landscape architecture and concepts of mahinga kai extend landscape’s role in engaging the positive influence of human activity in designing with nature.

Grantor dc:publisher

Lincoln University

Year dc:date

2019

Author dc:creator

• Lee, Woody

• mahinga kai
• landscape architecture
• design with nature
• kaitiakitanga
• manaakitanga
• ANZSRC::120107 Landscape Architecture

Statement dc:rights

• Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International

Licence

• https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/

Language dc:language

en

Identifier

Q112949189

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:researcharchive.lincoln.ac.nz:10182/10979