model yacht racing auckland

New Zealand Radio Yachting Association Inc.

The home of Radio Sailing in New Zealand

Canterbury J Class

The Canterbury J is a project that lets existing or newcomers to the sport of radio sailing, get started quickly with a good handling model yacht that is easy to build and cost effective. Additionally it has ease of transport and a good resale potential. The Canterbury J is a 1.22 metre (48″) yacht with a main and foresail rigged to a 1.6 metre mast. 350 hulls have been sold and they are to be found in all areas of New Zealand and some as far afield as the USA, Canada and the UK. It is a one-design yacht and all hulls come from official molds approved by the Canterbury J Owners Association. Each hull has a unique identification number molded into the hull.

The Canterbury J is registered with the NZ Radio Yachting Association as a nationally recognised class.

It is not uncommon to see groups of Canterbury J’s approaching the finish line together, particularly in calm conditions, when their ability to sail in the lightest of airs poses a challenge to other classes of yachts. A great Canterbury J attribute is the ability to negotiate weed and shallows because of the integrated keel / rudder profile; and it is this characteristic that has boosted our membership, making Canterbury J’s the predominant class of yacht sailed in Christchurch.

Another benefit is that within the basic parameters of the rules there is a great deal of freedom for the average builder to reflect ingenuity and skill, with the rigging, hatches, internal layout of components and deck layouts and composition.

The Canterbury J class history

In 1998 weed was the scourge of the Christchurch Model Yacht Club at Lake Victoria, making sailing long fin boats almost impossible. At this time Dave Heanly had purchased a commercial glass fibre hull of a traditional long keel yacht. This model, 48″ long was based on a MAP plan of the famous J Class Ranger, the last of the pre W.W.II defenders of the Cup, designed by Olin Stephens. Dave discussed with Hugh Hobden ideas for developing a rig for the boat with the idea of retaining some of the traditional form with model practicality. The resulting rig worked well and with two smaller ones for higher winds, it coped with a wide range of weather. The possibilities of this design seemed ideal for Lake Victoria

Peter Vincent and Hugh Hobden, after some protracted negotiations, purchased hulls and built up boats. With three boats sailing, others saw the potential and the rest is history – and an active Owners’ Association has been formed, a set of class rules drawn up and Championships sailed.

The basic philosophy was to have an easily sailed and economically built RC yacht based on a one design principles to provide good resale value, and with racing dependant more on the skipper rather than designer/builder skill. These objects have been attained and the Class has attracted many first time sailors, mostly from the retired ranks who share the common creed, “it sure beats gardening!”

The boat can be transported easily in the average car or station wagon usually fully rigged. Many boats have features of the original J Class in the form of deck layouts, hatches and names like Shamrock (No 1), Thistle, Endeavour etc.

In Christchurch it is not unusual to see “The Wednesday Windlers” muster fleets of 25 plus for their around-the-lake sailing on Lake Victoria.

A rapidly growing fleet also meet at various venues and days in the Bay of Plenty area thanks to the Tauranga Radio Sailing Club.

Why not visit the venues?    Members turn out, except in the most atrocious weather, and are usually pleased to “turn over the controls” to interested spectators.

• J Class Contacts
• J Class News
• J Class Rules
• J Class Videos and Photos

Visit our website here: https://canterbury-j-class.nz

© The Canterbury “J” Class (One Design) Owners Association Incorporated.

Ranking Regatta

Event Location

Anzac Bay - Waiheke Island Radio Yacht Club

Awatea Lake, Paraparaumu - Kapiti Radio Yacht Club

Best Island - Nelson Radio Sailing Club Inc

Kai Iwi Lakes

Lake Dunstan - Cromwell Radio Yacht Squadron

Lake Manuwai - Kerikeri Radio Yacht Squadron

Lake Pegasus - Pegasus Radio Sailing Club

Lake Rotomanu - New Plymouth Radio Control Yacht Club

Lake Rotoroa, Hamilton - Waikato Radio Yacht Club

Lake Rua, Harewood - Christchurch Model Yacht Club

Lake Taurikura - Tauranga Radio Sailing Club

Orakei Basin - Oarakei Yacht Club

Quarry Lake - North Shore Radio Yacht Squadron

Regency Lake - Gulf Harbour Radio Yacht Club

Southern Reservoir - Otago Radio Yacht Club

St Mary's Bay, Westhaven, Auckland

Vauxhall Yacht Club

Victoria Lake, Hagley Park - Christchurch Model Yacht Club

Wattle Farm - Northern Marine Model Society

Whitby Lower Lakes - Wellington Radio Yacht Club

Winstones Lake, Otaki - Kapiti Radio Yacht Club

Event Organizer

Christchurch Model Yacht Club

Cromwell Radio Yacht Squadron

Gulf Harbour Radio Yacht Club

Kapiti Radio Yacht Club

Kerikeri Radio Yacht Squadron

Nelson Radio Sailing Club

New Plymouth Radio Control Yacht Club

North Shore Radio Yacht Squadron

Orakei Yacht Club

Otago Radio Yacht Club

Pegasus Radio Sailing Club

Tauranga Radio Sailing Club

Waiheke Island Radio Yacht Club

Waikato Radio Yacht Club

Wellington Radio Yacht Club

Westhaven Radio Sailing

Past and Future Events

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Electron Owners Association of New Zealand

The Electron - a Des Townson one design radio controlled model yacht

Electrons new zealand.

The Electron radio controlled yacht is an authentic sailing model yacht.  It is suitable for beginners to sail as well as producing exciting and challenging racing for the most experienced yachtsman. The Electron is not a toy boat, but a miniature version of a real yacht. Designed by well-known New Zealand yacht designer, Des Townson, every Electron is hand crafted in fibreglass from one mould with almost 100 individual pieces making up a complete boat package. To date almost 1000 boats have been built.

Electron Supporters

Model yacht racing competitive

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There's nothing like sailing the seas with the wind in your hair ... but racing a model yacht up a stormwater pond can be loads of fun too. Royal Palm Beach Yacht Club secretary/treasurer Graham Brook says people will be surprised how complicated, as well as competitive, it can be to race the little boats

Graham Brook built a boat in his 20s, sold it for a deposit on a house and hasn't been able to look at another yacht since.

It took nearly 40 boatless years for Mr Brook to bring himself to finally own another.

But this one is smaller - much smaller.

Upon retirement, the friendly Papamoa resident invested in a radio-controlled model yacht designed by the late Des Townson MNZM of Auckland. He joined the Royal Palm Beach Yacht Club and became entrenched in the competitive, but always fun, sport of model yacht racing. He took to it like a duck to water.

When he was a young sailor, his homemade 32ft timber boat was perfect to take out cruising. He named it Because.

"Why? Because when you're out sailing in gale-force winds ... you ask yourself 'why do I do this?' Just because."

But his pride and joy had to be sold to make way for his new pride and joy - wife Valerie.

"When you put your heart and soul into building something yourself, it can be really difficult to sell it," he says. "I couldn't look at another boat for a long time."

The model yacht was also named Because ... just because.

Mr Brook joined the model yacht club five years ago and became secretary/treasurer. It's a great sport, good for older people, he says. And it comes with the bonus of being able to "pick the boat up and carry it" rather than mess about with trailers.

A wide range of ages race the boats, the club's oldest member is 83 and the youngest is in his 20s.

Mr Brook says model yacht racing has all the elements required of regular sailing.

"You have to know how a boat handles, you still have to trim the sails, turn the rudder and make other various adjustments."

While sailing a model yacht can be reasonably simple, racing a model yacht is a different kettle of fish.

"You can't wander along chatting, you have to concentrate the entire time. But there is a certain amount of luck involved."

The club meets at Montego Drive summer and winter, twice a week.

They used to get together regularly with a club from Gisborne for fierce regattas but will now be up against the big guns from Auckland's five model yacht clubs in November.

When he's not out at Montego Drive stormwater pond trying to catch that perfect wind, Mr Brook makes sails for model boats for club members. Or Mr and Mrs Brook head out in their beloved motorhome We'll Meet Again.

Do you know a senior citizen who stands out in some way? Please email [email protected]

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THE GREAT SPRINT

Experience the adrenalin rush of being one of many yachts on the start line, at the same time.

Enjoy the spectacle of the sails and colours on Auckland Harbour.

Get amongst the atmosphere of a sailing village.

Be part of history (one day) - Guiness Book of World Records anyone!

It's a festival, a spectacle, a race

Bought to you by the organisers of the legendary coastal classic.

Get an overview of this one-of-a-kind race based on the Barcolana Regatta that now holds the Guinness World Record as the largest regatta in the world. 

It's a festival, a spectacle and a race.  

Take a look at the course where all boats start on the same starting line at the same time!

THE ORGANISING CLUB

All yachts are invited, but this race is

 c/0 the New Zealand Multihull Yacht Club. 

Foiling GC32 wins PIC Harbour Classic in record time

PIC Harbour Classic unleashes nautical spectacle with over 50 yachts on Waitematā Harbour

Smooth sailing ahead with an entry fee of $30

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125 years of model yachting

The Christchurch Model Yacht Club celebrated sailing on Lake Victoria in the central city’s Hagley Park for 125 years with an Open Day and regatta on the exact anniversary, June 17th.

Claiming to be the second-oldest model yacht club in the world, in continuous operation since 1898, the club has been part of Christchurch’s cultural make-up throughout that time.

Club Patron, Mayor Phil Mauger, congratulated the club and unveiled a plaque on the occasion.

An impressive display of historic model boats lined up against state-of-the-art modern RC yachts.

The Founders Trophy race was the highlight of the day, the racing started using a replica cannon. About 60 boats managed three heats in very calm conditions. Winner, Bruce Edgar, took first place with the same boat and set-up he used in the same race in 1998!

Members were busy helping visitors ‘Try Sailing’.

Heavy rain in the afternoon did not deter the skippers and having so many boats on the lake made for an impressive event.

Commodore Ron Bedyn said, “The event showed the strength of the club, and the evolving popularity of the sport. CMYC has almost 100 members, and a long history of innovation and competitive sailing. The success of the day gives us confidence we have many years of great sailing ahead of us.”

A celebratory dinner was held in the evening, where Mayor Mauger again confirmed his support for the club and announced three new life members.

www.christchurchmodelyachting.org.nz 

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Racing Sparrow Plans

Check out these plans and resources, ranging from a 375mm boat to a 1500mm yacht. Pair these with our eBook guide for a fast, easy, and affordable home build RC yacht.

RS-RG65 - 650mm plans, measures to international RG65 rules

A full forward hull and a straight stern. This boat has proven to be a very fast and competitive racer.

Free Book Sample - PDF

A few pages from the eBook absolutely free

Racing Sparrow 750 plans

The plans that come with the eBook.

Racing Sparrow 1000 plans

A one metre version, scaled up lines. Bulkhead only plans. Look at the 750 for full schematics.

Racing Sparrow 1500 plans - A scaled up Racing Sparrow

A larger size model yacht. I haven't seen many of these surface. It's a good challenge to build.

Racing Sparrow 375 plans - The smallest sparrow

A miniature RacingSparrow. A great introduction to building with balsa.

RacingSparrow Footy plans

A double diagonal design footy from RacingSparrow.

Logos & Sticker Sheet

Downloadable logos and an EPS file to be sent to a printer and printed out on navy blue cutout vinyl.

Common questions about the plans

What tools do i need to build a racingsparrow.

1. Chisel 2. Craft-knife 3. Drill Bit - 2mm (5/64in)bit 4. Drill Bit - 5mm (3/16in) bit 5. Electric Drill 6. Felt Marker 7. File 8. Hacksaw 9. Hammer 10. Hole Punch 11. Lighter 12. Pen 13. Pencil 14. Pins 15. Pliers 16. Ruler (steel) 17. Sanding Block 18. Scissors 19. Screwdriver 20. Spirit Level (optional) 21. Sponge Brush (several) 22. Vice Grips

Do I need the eBook to build this cool rc sailboat?

No you don't. The book is designed for the newcomer to model yacht building. The book does make it a much simpler process with every detail figured out and covered in the book. Seasoned builders can simply have a go with the free plans.

Are the plans really free?

Yes all the plans are free to download and use as you see fit. The most comprehensive plans are the RS750 A1 full size.

Are there CAD files or 3D files?

Yes there is a 3D dxf file inside a zip file that you can download for free and use how you want. Some people use this in CAD programs or in 3D modelling programmes to great effect. Look under Racing Sparrow 750 plans on this page. An STL file for 3D printing is in the pipelines. Email me if you want a copy.

While we think 3D printing is great, we believe old-skool strip planking balsa is a wonderfully simple way to make a very lightweight boat with excellent longitudinal strength and beauty.

Builders eBook

Dive into the world of boat building with our eBook. Discover the craft of hull planking, fibreglass strengthening, and lead keel ballast casting.

Master the art of electrics installation, spray painting, sail making, and tuning of sails. Download a sample today and embark on a rewarding journey of boat construction.

What the builders and sailors say:

Being a complete novice, I purchased your book a couple of years ago and built two racing sparrows. Building on this experience I then went on to build, from scratch, an IOM (Triple Crown design). I've since joined a local club and sail virtually every weekend. I would just like to thank you for your endeavours which have allowed me to enter a world I never thought was in my reach.

John Sterland, Australia

Coming upon your book, "Build your own Radio Controlled Yacht" in the Napier Public Library, I am hugely impressed. The combination of your superb photos and illustrations with your easy writing style make it a standout publication and I hope it does well for you.

Richard Spence, New Zealand

Thanks for an excellent design in your RG65. I trialled her again today in a solid 20 knots gusting higher. Even so in a steep chop and fingers off the rudder she drove upwind remarkably well, balanced perfectly. Very impressed that a model boat can handle that with a large rig. I found the book excellent. Ive built several big boats, plus a few skiffs and without that resource building such a good boat would have been impossible.

Mike Bennett

Look at all these cool boats folk have made at home

There is also a full gallery with a boat load of photos of Racing Sparrow's

Graham Long , Auckland, New Zealand

Dec 17, 2009

Little RS375

Mar 9, 2006

Kevins stunning RG65 , New Zealand

Aug 1, 2013

Peter Hill - RS750 , Henderson, Auckland

Dec 1, 2023

Apr 1, 2013

Hi all, Just finished an RG65 racing Sparrow. (I made an 80% size one a while ago, it's in the gallery). Standard hull with 1 layer of 50g glass and epoxy. Deck is 1.5mm balsa with veneer strips on top. Single hatch with rubber seals and 3 hold down screws.as I fitted the rudder servo into the recessed rear deck. Corona servos DS339HV digital for the sails and CS939 analogue for the rudder, I fitted a greased cork gasket under the rudder servo arm to waterproof the servo. Battery is a 2S 1000mAh lipo with a regulator for the Rx and rudder servo. Radio is Flysky CT6B. laminated ply fin with 2 layers of 50g glass, rudder from balsa with 1 layer of glass. Ballast and fin is 680g. Mast is slightly taller at 1050 so the sails are slightly different to fit within the 2250cm max. All up weight is 1150g. I'll get sailing pix very soon.

Jerry Cashman's RS750 , Canberra, Australia

Nov 26, 2022

Hello! Here a couple of pix of my Sparrow. She’s been finished for a year or so now but the lockdowns has kept her out of the water largely.

She’s a beaut. Sails beautifully on just the lightest air. Thanks for the design! 

Bryn's fibreglass Racing Sparrow , Wellington, New Zealand

Sep 2, 2008

This red boat is the latest racing sparrow that we've built and put to the test. It has been built for wellington conditions. It has the maximum 1.3kg lead bulb. It has a basic deck structure, no plywood, 1 layer of balsa with a coat of resin-only to save on weight and budget. It uses the more basic hatch construction of plastic sheet taped on with ducktape, very effective and waterproof. The sails are maxed out, being cut very close to the plans, maybe a little bigger, there are no rules about max sail area in the class rules! Another difference on this boat is the mast has been painted black for a different look.

Mathew Vanderhorst , Australia

Aug 1, 2011

Rod Patterson , Christchurch, New Zealand

May 4, 2012

Photo courtesy of Mike Boyd Clark

Do you want to join the fleet click here for more information on ownership/share options, who and what we do, the mrx fleet in auckland is made up of  of 11 identical 10.3m bruce farr designed, nz made purpose-built racing yachts. they are used for national and international match racing, fleet racing and club racing., available for charter, these yachts give the thrill of racing and a chance for everyone to race like dean barker and russell coutts on the sparkling waters of waitemata harbour..

The fleet has been a key element in the development of NZ's vast talent of young sailors to national and international elite keelboat sailing culminating for many in successful America's Cup careers.

Upcoming events

Rnzys mrx sprint series 3rd, 17th, 31st oct 14th, 28th nov 12th dec 20th feb 5th, 19th march 2nd april rnzys ladies series 5th , 19th oct 2nd, 16th, 30th nov 14th dec 8th, 22nd feb 7th march 4th april ponsonby cruising club women's  series 10th, 24th oct 7th, 21st nov 5th, 19th dec rnzys wednesday night series 11th, 25th oct 8th, 22nd nov 6th dec 31st jan 14th, 28th feb 13th, 27th march ryc wednesday night series 4th, 18th oct 1st, 15th, 29th nov 13th dec 24th jan 21st feb 6th, 20th mar rnzys havana club rum race each friday.   ponsonby thursday rum race.        .

Major Regattas in 2023/2024

Mrx championships 18th feb women's keelboat nationals   new zealand keelboat national championships                        , mrx ltd 2018.

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By SuperyachtNews 22 Sep 2023

Superyacht racing returns to New Zealand

The new zealand millennium cup announces a number of new entries set to join the 2024 edition….

One of the world's most iconic, and southern, superyacht sailing regattas is returning with new entrants in 2024. Brand new to the racing is 60 metre Perini Navi, Perseus^3, with race watchers excited to see her unique features - including the tallest carbon fibre mast built and extensive sail area - put to use on the Auckland race course.

“Perseus^3 was built to race specification and we’ve enjoyed building her reputation on the course across the world’s great superyacht regattas. With a race crew which has become known for its spirit and camaraderie, we’re looking forward to bringing Perseus^3 to New Zealand’s waters and letting her show her ability during the New Zealand Millennium Cup,” says Burger van der Walt, captain of Perseus^3.

It will join other early entries to the race including Royal Huisman’s Sassafras, the crew of which is competing after the regatta’s two-year hiatus.

“The team on Sassafras is excited at the prospect of racing in the New Zealand Millennium Cup after a two-year hiatus. The Waitemata Harbour and Hauraki Gulf offer a world-class sailing venue, with the backdrop of the City of Sails, home of the holder of the America’s Cup. We look forward to competing with visiting yachts and crews, to make the New Zealand Millennium Cup 2024 the best yet,” says Matt Lovett, captain of S/Y Sassafras.  

Joining the race for the first time will be a fleet of multihulls. With a resurgence of cruising activity in the South Pacific, and growing numbers of the superyacht fleet forecast to arrive in the next seasons, this multihull class is set to offer a new aspect to the regatta’s racing with strong interest from Kiwi owners.

The regatta will take place from 23 to 26 February 2024 and will be raced on Auckland’s waters for the first time since 2013. It will form part of 2024’s inaugural Moana Auckland Festival; a celebration of the integral role of the sea in Auckland’s cultural and economic life.

The entry form and notice of race are available online now at millenniumcup.com. The regatta is comprised of New Zealand Millennium Cup, Multihull, and Corinthian divisions, with the role of principal race officer filled by Harold Bennett.

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‘This is our beautiful castle’: the stunning new buildings expressing Māori pride

From facial tattoos to TV stations, young Māori are enthusiastically embracing tribal cultural identity in Aotearoa New Zealand. Now a new wave of Indigenous architects are making their mark

A bright red ribbon of metal buckles out of the ground in suburban Auckland, ramping up at a sharp angle before cranking over in a lopsided arc. It frames a big glass wall, folded in a diagonal crease, whose striped surface is covered in a riot of patterns, with abstract motifs of waves, fish and stars swirling together in a polychromatic frenzy. This is Taumata o Kupe, a new Māori meeting house and education centre for the Mahurehure community, and one of the brightest beacons of Aotearoa New Zealand’s burgeoning contemporary Māori architecture scene.

“It’s quite hard to miss,” says Wayne Wharepapa Asher, an elder member of the community. He recently moved into an apartment in a new terrace next to the building, where the homes open on to a pedestrian mews and a shared deck faces a lush babbling brook. “It feels like a different world here now. It has given us a fabulous place to share our culture with visitors from all walks of life.”

The project is the work of Māori-led practice TOA Architects, who designed it as a dense microcosm of mātauranga, or traditional Māori knowledge. Just like the decorated meeting houses of the past (known as wharenui), whose wooden surfaces were carved and painted with the iconography of ancestral stories, this building’s form and decoration have been designed to tell the tribe’s founding legends.

“This is our beautiful castle,” says tribe member Shannon Wilson. “It celebrates how our ancestors discovered this land.” He is standing inside the hall, having conducted a traditional pōwhiri ceremony of songs and speeches in te reo Māori (the Māori language), to welcome me on to the marae, the tribe’s sacred meeting grounds. It is a lofty space, where the window patterns cast swirling graphic shadows across the floor and walls, giving the impression of intricate Māori carvings. “The images tell the story of the great Kupe ,” says Wilson, “one of the first Polynesian navigators to arrive in New Zealand. His wife gave our country the Māori name Aotearoa, meaning ‘long white cloud’, after seeing the clouds hovering above the island from their waka.”

The sails of the waka (or canoe) were the starting point for the building’s form, with the diagonal crease across the glass facade echoing the stays, while the faceted frame alludes to the shape of a rudder. Such nautical themes are frequently found in the region’s Indigenous architecture: Polynesian shelters were often made from upturned boats, raised on poles, while sails became floor mats and vice versa. This building brings the approach into the 21st century, sculpted with the aerodynamic styling of a modern racing yacht (fitting, given it received funding from the 2021 America’s Cup), and collaging historic references together in a kind of riotous Māori PoMo.

Inside, the spaces unfold as a cosmic diagram. The ground floor represents the terrestrial world, with space for 300 people to gather, while a raised mezzanine is associated with the celestial realm, the ceiling studded with a constellation of lights. The Māori tradition observes a strict separation of tapu (sacred) and noa (profane), so toilets are housed in a building outside, while the mezzanine provides an elevated meeting area for communicating tapu knowledge. While most of the materials are modern, the entrance is lined with timber milled from 3,500-year-old swamp kauri , prehistoric wood unearthed from peat bogs in the north of the country. This ancient timber holds a spiritual importance for Māori, whose tradition tells that the kauri tree created all life. An intricately carved piece of it hangs above the entrance, a pare (lintel) featuring the openwork spiral patterns of a war canoe prow, another reminder of how the tribe’s ancestors arrived here more than 700 years ago.

This colourful pavilion is one of many such projects that have been cropping up across Aotearoa New Zealand in recent years, authored by a new wave of Māori architects keen to make their mark. The country’s Māori population now numbers 17% and rising, and the new generation’s enthusiastic embrace of tribal cultural identity is making their presence more visible than ever.

Many young urban Māori now sport traditional facial tattoos, or moko kanohi , and greet each other with a hongi, gently pressing the nose and forehead together. Te reo Māori is becoming more widely spoken, with a kind of creole emerging as Māori words are sprinkled into English conversation and official documents. There are two dedicated Māori TV channels – one of which recently aired a series on contemporary Māori architecture – and Māori design principles have even been written into urban planning policy.

“Things have really changed in recent years,” says Deidre Brown, professor of architecture at the University of Auckland. “When I was a student, I wanted to explore Māori architecture in my project. But my tutors told me to ‘leave it on the marae, where it belongs’.” Last month, Brown was awarded the prestigious gold medal by the New Zealand Institute of Architects, the first Indigenous woman to receive the accolade, for her work in championing Māori architecture. Student projects now regularly explore such themes, like MA graduate Victoria Carran’s design thesis for an architectural educational campus in a former quarry, informed by Māori ideas about repairing the landscape and working in harmony with nature.

The Aranga Māori design principles were adopted by Auckland city council in 2016, but they have had mixed results so far. The seven principles cover everything from using historic Māori placenames to enhancing the natural environment and integrating cultural narratives, but vague wording leaves them open to interpretation. Walking around the city, you see many surfaces adorned with geometric patterns – from tiled facades and coloured brickwork to etched glass canopies and paving slabs – variously referring to Māori tukutuku (woven panelling) or kōwhaiwhai (scroll patterns). But it often looks tokenistic, thin surface decoration stuck on to pre-existing designs.

“The principles can be misused,” says Jade Kake, a young Māori architect whose practice, Matakohe Architecture and Urbanism, often collaborates with larger firms to ensure their projects are culturally appropriate and take into account the needs of Indigenous communities. “But it’s more about the process than the product, ensuring that the consultation and co-design process is meaningful to the mana whenua” – a term that refers to Indigenous people with historic and territorial rights over the land.

Kake is working on several housing projects for Māori iwi (tribes), designing forms of collective dwelling known as papakāinga, where communal facilities are shared in a similar way to co-housing. The homes are designed to be flexible to respond to changing family patterns, where cousins might come to stay for months at a time, or floors might be adapted to accommodate older relatives. The separation of tapu and noa must also be taken into account (the laundry can’t be in the same space as the kitchen, for example), and traditionally Māori wouldn’t sleep above other people, sometimes making multistorey apartment configurations tricky to juggle.

But the biggest hurdles come from wider structural issues and the legacies of colonial injustice, including access to funding and land. “The pieces of land available to the tribes are often not the best bits,” says Kake. “We have to make do with the leftovers.” The site of the Taumata o Kupe used to be the city’s tip, while one of the sites Kake is working on can only be accessed through a swamp.

One tribe that is fiercely battling the country’s intense housing inequality, against historic odds, is the Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei. They once lived on a prime piece of land facing Ōkahu Bay, one of the idyllic natural inlets that fringes the coastline in Auckland, or Tāmaki Makaurau, to use the Māori name. “First, the council put a sewage pipe in our bay,” says tribe member Anahera Rawiri. “That killed our food supply and made our people ill. Then, in 1952, ahead of a visit by the young Queen Elizabeth II, they bulldozed our homes and forced us up on to the hill.”

Some residents were relocated into a handful of council houses on Bastion Point, above the bay, and the rest were dispersed around the region. “But we don’t give up easily,” says Rawiri. She is driving me around the streets up on the hill, where rows of houses are rapidly rising out of the ground – part of a masterplan for a potential 5,000 new homes. “We are prepping for our people to return to their land.”

Following the Waitangi Tribunal, established in the 1970s to settle Māori claims, the tribe received 100 acres and NZ$3m (£1.4m) from the government, which it has since invested to become one of the country’s wealthiest tribes – with land holdings worth NZ$1.4bn (£670m). It has used its funds to build award-winning housing, including Kāinga Tuatahi , by Stevens Lawson architects, and a recent street of low-rise housing for elders , or kaumātua, by Jasmax, where Rawiri now works. The former comprises terraced houses, unified under a long folded roof plane and arranged around shared gardens, with playgrounds, barbecue areas and vegetable plots. We pass a big communal kitchen block, a weaving house, a wood- and stone-carving studio and a gym, while the streets are full of children playing out. The properties are collectively owned by the tribe, in a similar model to a community land trust, keeping the homes affordable in perpetuity.

“This is housing by Māori, for Māori,” says Rawiri. “It is self-sovereignty to the max!”

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