I have worked on projects in the health sector for a long time, but this was the first time a mental health facility had crossed my desk. A hugely important and very complex project for the community of Palmerston North (Te Papaioea). I began working on the revised concept in 2020 together with my colleagues at CCM and a healthcare architecture team from Jacobs in Queensland. Collaborating with our client Te Whatu Ora, the many stakeholders, local iwi and contractors, it was a wonderful challenge. It was also the first time I really felt like there was a piece missing in my knowledge in order to really do the project the justice it deserved. Why? Together with other consultants I had pushed to achieve an environmentally considerate building and we had some great success which has even made it through to construction. But, it was those who I wasn’t seeing as part of the design team, that were integral to its success; the people who might use it. This led me to something new and eye opening.
I was told at one stage early in the design stage, that the vast majority of patients at the previous facility (or ‘whānau whai ora’ as was the then accepted term) were of Māori descent. A statistic that was so troubling that I could not let it rest. My whole life I have been working in a very western world, never really realising opportunity to share in the local Māori culture to an extent that I can truly begin to understand what has led to such eye-watering truths in our health system. And without that understanding, how could I design appropriately? I had to learn more. And as such, this project was the catalyst for me to dive deeply into the Māori language, culture and practices; to learn some of the real truths versus the media spins and how I might be able to help improve the lives of a part of our community that desperately needs it.
As I write this, the project is undergoing construction, and I am encouraged and hopeful that it provides a place and space which can support people at a vulnerable time in their lives.
To keep updated, here is a link to Te Whatu Ora’s construction page.