Urban Adaptations – Te Hau Kapua Mō Apōpō / Devonport Tomorrow

About the Exhibition:

How might the village of Devonport, with its wonderful natural setting and heritage main street, be adapted and enhanced into an invigorated and sustainable town centre that addresses the future needs of locals for more housing, workplaces and amenities, a stronger local economy, and better connection between Takarunga and the harbour?

This collaborative project shares creative propositions for future development of Devonport Village, from an overall masterplan and individual sites worked up in models and visualisations.

The exhibition, led by local Devonport architects Julie Stout and Ken Davis, features the work of eighteen Architecture Masters students from the University of Auckland School of Architecture and Planning.

Public Programmes

Panel Discussion – Provoking Architecture Devonport

Saturday 19 July, 4:30-6:30pm
Devonport RSA, Level 1 Devonia House, 61 Victoria Rd, Devonport

A thought-provoking evening exploring the evolving character and future of Te Hau Kapua – Devonport as village, suburb, and living ecosystem informed by both exhibitions Urban Adaptations – Te Hau Kapua Mō Apōpō / Devonport Tomorrow and Building (Under the Volcano). Each panellist will be asked to talk for about 5 minutes to each or one of the propositions:

• How can the future development of Devonport Village be a model of sustainable intensification while reflecting the mana of our bi-cultural and built heritage? 
• Why so beige? are the aesthetics of our built environment homogenising our vision of community? Is a normative use of ‘natural’ paint reflecting that ‘home’ and ‘community’ have been reduced to an economics of ownership, of purchase and resale? If the future is anything it will be diverse – how can aesthetics in our built environment make room for everyone?

The panel will be chaired by author, satirist, public speaker, broadcaster and Devonport local David Slack. 

The panel includes: Jade Kake: Architect, Writer, Housing advocate, Teacher/AUT, Ngāpuhi (Ngāti Hau me Te Parawhau), Te Whakatōhea, Te Arawa; Rau Hoskins: Director Design Tribe, Teacher/Unitec, Ngāti Hau, Ngāpuhi, BArch, MArch(Hons), Pae Matua Ngā Aho; Duncan Ecob: Urban Designer at Auckland Council and Devonport local; Mike Thomas: Landscape Architect and Devonport local; Joanna Theodore: Heritage Architect and Devonport local; Kate Linzey: Graduate Architect, Independent Researcher, architectural advocate, Wellington Architectural Centre and former Devonport local; Mike Sweetman: Development Manager, Precinct Properties and Devonport local.

Provoking Architecture Devonport

Saturday 19 July, 4:30-6:30pm

Devonport RSA, Level 1 Devonia House, 61 Victoria Rd, Devonport.

A thought-provoking evening exploring the evolving character and future of Te Hau Kapua – Devonport as village, suburb, and living ecosystem.

Get Tickets

Lectures:

George Street Upgrade , Dunedin – lessons for Devonport	Wednesday 23 July, 7pm	Harmony Hall, 4 Wynyard Street, Devonport	Devonport Landscape Architect Mike Thomas talks about the recently completed urban upgrade of the public spaces along Dunedin’s George Street, when he led the project team at Jasmax and the lessons and opportunities this project might reveal for Devonport.
Heritage and Adaptive Re-Use	Saturday 26 July, 10am	Harmony Hall, 4 Wynyard Street, Devonport	Architectural Historian Julia Gatley of Auckland University and Heritage Architect Joanna Theodore, both from Devonport will talk about built heritage and adaptive re-use
Density and Liveability: What this means and how to deliver it	Wednesday 13 August, 7pm (tbc)	Harmony Hall, 4 Wynyard Street, Devonport	Density, in terms of New Zealand’s built environment, is often perceived as the antithesis to the Kiwi Dream. But what about places, both overseas and in New Zealand, that use density to increase quality of life? Join planner and urban designer George Weeks for a world tour of best practice. Learn what dense liveability means and what is needed to make it happen consistently.

Movies:

Citizen Jane  – Battle for the City	Thursday 17 July, 8pm	The Vic Theatre, 48 Victoria Rd, Devonport.	This fascinating documentary about urban planning considers the continuing relevance of the showdown, half a century ago, between the activist Jane Jacobs and the Trumpian Robert Moses: a fight for the future of New York. Jane Jacobs, a housewife and activist, challenged modern city planning and rebuilding, advocating for the importance of people in cities.	Get Tickets
Maurice and I	Monday 21 July, 8pm	The Vic Theatre, 48 Victoria Rd, Devonport	“Maurice and I” is a New Zealand, feature-length documentary that celebrates the transformative architectural partnership of Sir Miles Warren and Maurice Mahoney, whose innovative brutalist; designs redefined Christchurch in the 1960s and 70s, enhancing the community’s cultural and social fabric. Their work, including the iconic Christchurch Town Hall, was nearly erased by the 2011 earthquakes. Through rare archival footage and exclusive interviews, including their final conversation together, the film reflects on their remarkable legacy, the community impact of their bold architectural vision, and the enduring importance of architecture in shaping and enriching our lives	Get Tickets

About the Artists:

Ken Davis

Ken Davis BA BArch(Hons) FNZIA, a registered architect and Director of Ken Davis Architects, is a Devonport-based practicing architect and a former Principal Architect at Kāinga Ora, (New Zealand’s government public housing agency). Davis is also a visiting university teacher and for over 35 has been an outspoken advocate and activist for architecture. He served as President of the Wellington Architectural Centre from 1991 to 1993.

Davis has been involved in several significant award-winning projects, including the Wellington Public Library and Civic Centre redevelopment during his time at Athfield Architects, and as lead architect for the Navy Museum in Devonport and Newmarket Railway Station. A founding Board member of the Devonport Business Association BID and initiator of GLOW Light, Open Street / Friday After 5 events, and International PARKing Days in Devonport from 2016 to 2020.

Recognised for his commitment to the profession, Davis is a Fellow of Te Kāhui Whaihanga New Zealand Institute of Architects and received Te Kāhui Whaihanga NZ Institute of Architects Presidents Award in 2023 for built advocacy heritage advocacy and advancing public housing in Aotearoa.

Julie Stout

Julie Stout, architect, urbanist and an academic, has taken an active role in the promotion of better urban design of our city. Her involvement includes the first Mayoral Task Force on Urban Design in 2005 and campaigns over the last 10 years to stop Ports of Auckland further expansion into the Waitemata Harbour. Stout was the first woman to be awarded the Te Kahui Whaihanga/ NZIA Gold Medal for Architecture in recognition of her work. She has lived and worked in Devonport for the last 20 years.

Auckland University Architecture Master Students

The students featured in this exhibition are currently in their first year of the Master of Architecture (Prof) programme at the University of Auckland Waipapa Taumata Rau’s School of Architecture and Planning. The work presented is the result of a ten-week Design Studio investigating in this case Devonport’s future. Among the cohort are three international exchange students from Hamburg, Hong Kong, and India.

Anushka Abeykoon	Erina Legasto
Logan Butler	Christy Lo
Joshua Andre Dalay	Charlotte McKeon
Tresor Gill-Goldsbrough	Katharina Moeller
Thomas Gordon	Zeba Sarwari
Maya Haydock	Rahi Shah
Ariana Heslop-Riddell	Stella Stanley-Hunt
Cheuk Tin Constantine Kwan	Eden Vaatstra
Hyewon Lee	Xiaolin Zhong

Urban Adaptations – Devonport Tomorrow is supported by the University of Auckland.