3. The front mahau has been supersized. The porch in whare Māori is unique and not evidenced in other buildings of Te Moananui, such as fale, fare and hale (Samoa, Tahiti and Hawai’i). The mahau, a transitional space between indoors and out, emerged as a practical response to keeping the entry area dry and as a sheltered space to remain connected to the broader activities of the marae ātea and kāinga. In some contemporary wharenui, the mahau is evolving to be a covered exterior space capable of accommodating activities in its own right. At a recent Vā Moana symposium, Hoskins spoke of The Pā mahau as fulfilling core traditional hui and wānanga functions and being transformed through the interconnections and ‘co-location’ with other tertiary functions. At The Pā, the mahau is now 10m — perhaps the deepest in the country. Designed to facilitate whakatau (informal welcomes), hui and teaching activities, this dimension recognises the inclement Hamilton weather and the Waikato-Tainui kawa of holding pōwhiri and important hui outdoors. 4. The wharenui has an active rear elevation and a double-ended mahau. The back of the whare is now an architectural focus. The rear mahau is, however, not accessible to the interior and thus maintains the tikanga (protocol) of the whare. The rear mahau instead acts as a stage and activates a generous central atrium, incorporating food retailers, breakout spaces and a student hub that extends, via a 6m-wide bleacher stair, to the Faculty of Māori and Indigenous Studies. The back of the whare is, suddenly, a whole lot more interesting. 5. The whare has evolved into a multi-sided building. Hoskins cites the relevance of the cruciform whare wānanga Te Miringa Te Kakara at Waimiha (1887), built in the shape of a cross. It had four entrances and four mahau. This whare provides an historical precedent for the contemporary Pā. Distributed along one length of the wharenui is the Vice-Chancellor’s Office and senior leadership co-located with the University executive, symbolising a Treaty-based relationship. Along the other length is a north-facing loggia that connects to the existing library. 6. The interior light was made cultural. As Te Ari Prendergast has written,⁶ Māori architecture engages with narrative and often employs pūrākau to tell stories with underlying meaning. The Pā includes a narrative of ‘whare as light’. Whilst activated on all four sides, no side or rear windows exist. Whilst the wharenui can be deep and dark, interior light was culturated, with poupou not lit by halogens but illuminated from within, creating a sense of māramatanga or enlightenment. 7. The whakaruruhau is formed from a single gesture: heke emanate from the wharenui to unite four ‘buildings’ under one (mega-butterfly) roof. The whakaruruhau connects the wharenui to the east, the University’s executive wing to the south, a central student hub, and the refurbished Faculty of Māori and Indigenous Studies to the west. The proximity of the office of the Vice-Chancellor to the wharenui is startling. Between Māori and Pākehā, adjacency creates agency. So, how was such innovation made possible? The role played by the mana whenua, Waikato- Tainui, and their relationship with the University was crucial. As long as Waikato-Tainui remained present through the design, build and occupancy, then the mana of The Pā would be upheld. Waikato-Tainui owned the whenua, which was returned as part of a Treaty settlement in 1995. Mindful of the vulnerability of the institutional marae client, Tainui established the University as the anchor tenant. This joint venture demonstrates the capabilities of New Zealand architecture when there is confidence in the occupancy of whenua. The architect’s desire for innovation must be balanced by tradition. In advancing Māori Architecture, the role of ‘conservative kaumātua’ remains vital to debate, test and contend with any resistance/acceptance of new ideas. This generation typically carries the mātauranga and needs to be comfortable enacting traditions within new settings to make the experience familiar and safe for all parties. The kotahitanga of the three architectural offices, Architectus, designTRIBE and Jasmax, is: Partnership in (architectural) Practice. In reaching new heights with The Pā, collectively, they produced an international exemplar of indigenous innovation.