Respecting and reinforcing cultural values and the social and environmental context of a design project.
Aotearoa-New Zealand is a bi-cultural nation with a unique history and heritage. It is important to reflect Te Ao Māori in our built environment. This can be expressed through design, language, signage, and providing spaces and places that enable cultural protocols to occur.
Being able to clearly see our tangible and lived culture in the built environment helps to foster a sense of place, and can help to normalises the use of both of our national languages in everyday life.
The Te Aranga Māori design principles offer a framework for enacting culturally appropriate and human-centred design.
It is important to recognise that Auckland's population is increasingly culturally and socially diverse, and that this diversity offers Auckland a strength and richness. Over 39% of Auckland’s population were born overseas, and English is not everyone’s first language.
Providing different ways of communicating information is important, so that all people can participate in city life. Having signage translated into multiple languages in places that are ethnically diverse, and the use of graphics and widely recognised symbols for important wayfinding or emergency signage helps to ensure everyone understands important messages.