Postgraduate Students

NUWAO has been very lucky to have several postgraduate students work with us or alongside us. Some are supported by NUWAO scholarships and some have just been supervised by people in the NUWAO team. We are very appreciative of the insights provided by these young people.

Māia-te-oho Holman-Wharehoka

Te Āti Awa, Ngāruahine, Ngāti Moeahu, Ngāti Haupoto, Te Arawa, Ngāti Whakaue, Ngāti Tunohopu
Master of Architectural Science, Bachelor of Building Science, Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington
NUWAO Masters Scholarship Student 2022.
Investigating The Relationship Between The Built Environment And Climate Change From A Te Ao Māori Perspective. Using Pūrākau As A Methodology With The Case Study Of Waiwhetū Awa

Supervisors: Maibritt Pedersen Zari (AUT) and Mike Donn (VUW)

Kia Ora, I am working towards a Masters in Architectural Science majoring in sustainable engineering systems at Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington. My goals and aspirations involve encouraging and being involved in the evolvement of sustainable papakainga. My passion lies with my people and the land from which I come from, which has made falling into this project exciting.

Kahurangi Yakas

Ngāti Kaharau, Ngāti Hau
Master of Architecture (professional), Bachelor of Architectural Studies Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington
NUWAO Masters Scholarship Student 2023.
Reconnecting through Marae Papakāinga: Kaumātua housing as a catalyst for a vibrant Marae and healthy Taiao

Supervisors: Derek Kawiti (VUW) and Maibritt Pedersen Zari (AUT)

Kia Ora, my name is Kahurangi. I’m a small-town boy from the far north. I grew up in Kaikohe and made the move to Wellington to pursue a career in Architecture. I love my culture, outdoors, whānau and my people. I am currently in the final year of my masters in architecture. I plan to base my research around a self-sustaining papakāinga particularly in Ōmanaia where I am from. I am ambitious and keen to make a change to the world we live in through architecture.

Kirata Tekiera

I-Kiribati
Bachelor of Science, Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington
NUWAO Masters Scholarship Student 2022.
Began study towards a Master of Climate Change Science and Policy, VUW.

Just a typical Kiribati guy who lives happy, love to share jokes and to have fun despite living with the adverse impact of climate change on a daily basis. I am working at the Office of Te Beretitenti (President) in Kiribati as a National Climate Change Coordinator. Experiencing the impact of climate change first hand motivates and even given me the courage to stand alongside my countryman and fight to be resilient and to adapt. All, just to live happy, to be able to laugh and to share jokes with friends and families.

Willy Missack

Ni-Vanuatu
Bachelor of Sciences, Technologies, Health, Specialising in the Life, Earth and Environmental Sciences and Master of Sciences, Technologies, Health, Majoring in Environmental Sciences, Specialising in Integrated Environmental Management
NUWAO PhD Scholarship Student 2022 – 2024,
Studying towards a PhD, VUW.
Supervisors: Victoria Chanse, Maibritt Pedersen Zari and Luke Kiddle

Willy Missack is working towards his PhD at Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington. He was the Vanuatu Climate Action Network (VCAN) coordinator and Pacific Climate Change Collaboration Influence Learning (PACCCIL) Project Coordinator at Oxfam, Vanuatu and Vanuatu’s Negotiator on Adaptation and Loss and Damage since COP23. He is engaged in much climate change work in Vanuatu; and was the first awarded youth of Vanuatu by Queen Elizabeth II in 2015 with a Queen Young Leaders’ Award for his service to the Vanuatu community. At the regional level, he serves as the Oceania Regional Coordinator for Conference Of Youth (COY16) and the One Young World (OYW) Coordinating Ambassador of the Pacific.

Jovaan Mataroa

Cook Island Māori, Ngāti Kahungunu
Master of Architecture (Prof), Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington School of Architecture, Aotearoa New Zealand.
Toward Te Aorangi; A Kuki Airani Framework for Design in Rarotonga, 2023
Supervisors: Maibritt Pedersen Zari and Hannah Hopewell

My name is Jovaan Tumungaro Mataroa and I am of Cook Island Māori descent. Ngāti Kahungunu is my iwi and our Hapū is Heretaunga. My father’s whanau are from Rarotonga and our village is Arorangi.

I am a fifth-year student at Victoria University, studying towards a Master of Architecture. My passion lies within sustainability and the communities that occupy these spaces. My studies in 2022 will explore how indigenous knowledge can enable socially and ecologically resilient architecture in the Cook Islands. I am excited to learn more about our cultural heritage throughout the process and work alongside NUWAO on this journey.

Pieta McAleer-Harding

Master of Architectural (Prof), Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington School of Architecture, Aotearoa New Zealand.
The Demographics of Resiliency: Decolonising Disaster Resilient Architecture, 2022
Supervisor: Maibritt Pedersen Zari

Kia ora, I am a Pākehā, born in Aotearoa. My ancestors are Irish, English, and Scottish and I identify as Tangata Tiriti (a person of the treaty). I grew up in Ōtautahi with my whanau and then moved to Te Whanganui-a-tara to study at Te Herenga Waka in the School of Architecture. My Masters Thesis explored how community resilience could be improved through engaging with decolonisation efforts in both design practice and architecture outcome. It explored how Pākehā and Tauiwi (non-Māori) architects can better approach designing for the resilience of communities in Aotearoa. My major research driver is to ensure a well-designed built environment and the benefits considered architectural design will provide can be accessed by all communities.

Danielle Nawisielski

Studying towards a Master of Architecture (professional), Auckland University of Technology, 2024.

Research question: How can the implementation of regenerative strategies and systems benefit Kiribati in terms of health and well-being?
Supervisors: Sibyl Bloomfield and Maibritt Pedersen Zari

Kia Ora, my name is Danielle. I am currently studying towards my Master of Architecture (professional). I was born and raised in Auckland with my twin sister. Since I was in primary school I always wanted to be an architect as something about buildings and the design of buildings always fascinated me. I am personally interested in the idea of relationships in architecture, whether it is a relationship between the built environment and the natural environment or between humans and the built environment.

Kasia Harris

Studying towards a Master of Architecture (professional), Auckland University of Technology, 2024.

Research question: Adapting South Tarawa to Climate Change: How can Nature-based Solutions and climate adaptation enhance the sovereignty and wellbeing of South Tarawa?
Supervisors: Maibritt Pedersen Zari and Sibyl Bloomfield

The low-lying Atoll of Tarawa, Kiribati is facing several wicked problems. Population density is at a peak which puts strain on food, water and housing alongside the climatic issue of the rising sea. The research and design work being carried out aims to pose a resolution to these issues by implementing Nature-based solutions with an understanding of the culture, environment and isolation of the Tarawa Atoll.

Alfa Lui

Studying towards a Master of Architecture (professional), Auckland University of Technology, 2024/5.

Research question: How can designing housing through a Samoan cultural lens improve the continuation of authentic cultural identity?
Supervisors: Sibyl Bloomfield and Maibritt Pedersen Zari

I am Alfa Lui, an Aotearoa-born Samoan 5^th Year Master of Architecture Student. I have always enjoyed drawing and designing inventions when I was younger, I used to play a lot in my backyard where I had a bunch of bamboo growing, so I was cutting and lashing pieces together with rope which helped strengthen my love for creating things and using my imagination. I feel like my environment moulded who I am today and now I plan to move forward with my Architectural Career using my own experiences to drive the need for contemporary indigenous residential architecture.

This year I am focusing on the impacts that westernised housing solutions have had on the cultural identity of Samoans, and how we can design moving forward taking on authentic Samoan Cultural design strategies and influences. The lifestyles and customs of Samoans are very unique and different compared to those supported by westernised housing solutions and that has led to loss of language and loss of identity. Being an Aotearoa-born Samoan, I want to help my people as much as I can, as I too am going through my own cultural identity journey.

Alex Tepou-Dickson

Studying towards a Master of Architecture (professional), Auckland University of Technology, 2024/25.

Thesis title: Navigating the Waves: Integrating Function and Beauty in Floating Cities for Tuvalu’s Sustainable Urban Resilience
Supervisors: Amanda Yates

Talofa, Malo Ni, I am Alex Tepou-Dickson, a 5th-year Master of Architecture student of Tuvaluan, Tokelauan, and New Zealand European heritage. My passion for architecture Started in primary school, where I would draw and build cardboard houses with my younger siblings. My Pacific culture, Christian upbringing, and family influence have made me who I am whilst presenting challenges and guiding me as I near the completion of my studies.

My thesis explores how to design a floating city in Funafuti Lagoon. It integrates regenerative co-housing and Marine Integrated Regenerative Systems (MIRS) to enhance biodiversity and marine health. I’m using my cultures Vaka (canoe) as a leading design driver in my design to show a Flotilla design language. The project explores duration and how floating modules and sea levels evolve over time, merging Tuvaluan techniques with innovative solutions for climate resilience.