Story Worlds | Indigenising Place

Te Whakataketake i te Tauwāhi

How do we shape environments in ways that honour Indigenous ways of knowing, being, and making? What does it mean to Indigenise public space—not only through built forms, but through story, protocol, ecology, and whakapapa?

This panel brings together four Indigenous cultural leaders from across the globe, each offering unique insights into place-based practice. WharehokaSmith (Te Atiawa, Ngā Ruahine) speaks from a deep commitment to kaitiakitanga and Toi Māori sovereignty within institutional relationships. Architect and changemaker Elisapeta Heta (Ngāti Wai, Waikato Tainui) brings an intergenerational design lens grounded in Te Tiriti and Mana Whenua collaboration. From Australia, Clarence Slockee (Cudgenburra, Bundjalung) shares how cultural ecology can reshape urban space and reconnect people with Country.

Together, they will explore how Indigenous placemaking can foster relational, regenerative futures—where space is shaped not just by structures, but by story, responsibility, and deep connection to land.

Speaker Bios

In 2022 WharehokaSmith (Taranaki, Te Atiawa, Ngā Ruahine) achieved an MOU (Memorandum of Understanding) based upon "Te Tiriti o Waitangi" with New Plymouth District Council (NPDC). Appropriately, it hangs at the entrance to his exhibition, Nekenekehia Tukua asserting his enduring Kaitiakitanga with the Toi and NPDC Kaipupuri Status (Responsibility to protect and preserve). Seen as a game changing template for institutional relationships with Toi Māori Practitioners.

Clarence Slockee, a Salt-Water Cudgenburra/Bundjalung man and Founding Director of Jiwah, integrates traditional knowledge into environmental and cultural design. Through global collaboration, performance, and education, he reconnects people with Country, showcasing First Nations wisdom in ecology, balance, and sustainability—vital for today’s world.

Photo credit: Jiwah

Architect, mentor, and cultural leader Elisapeta Heta is Principal at Waka Māia, guiding Jasmax toward bicultural design. With whakapapa and design thinking deeply connected, her work reflects integrity, generosity, and place. She champions indigenous voices, mentors future designers, and drives intergenerational change through architecture, governance, and strategic cultural advocacy.

Photo credit: Jasmax

ABOUT THE STORY WORLDS FESTIVAL

Story Worlds is a new festival that invites audiences to experience storytelling as a rich, interconnected practice—through the written word, material culture, and oral traditions. Explore the programme, which stretches across Puke Ariki Museum, Libraries, and the Govett-Brewster Art Gallery | Len Lye Centre for four days of sessions that celebrate storytelling in all its forms and honour the ways stories help us make sense of ourselves, each other, and the world we share.

The Gallery is set over a number of levels, which are connected by ramps, stairs and an elevator. All spaces and facilities are mobility-friendly. We have manual wheelchairs available for use while at the Gallery, and mobility spaces available in the Len Lye Centre Cinema.

For more information on Gallery accessibility please visit Accessibility | Govett-Brewster Art Gallery | Len Lye Centre

This event will be held in the Govett-Brewster Art Gallery Cinema.