Gold Medal Quotation
Professor Deidre Brown
In 2019, Deidre Brown’s appointment as Head of Te Pare College of Structure and Planning on the College of Auckland made her the primary Indigenous girl on the planet to carry such a place. It additionally marked 30 years since Deidre (Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Kahu) started finding out structure on the faculty, the place — in her first crit — she was instructed to ‘go away Māori structure on the marae the place it belonged’. Her response was to do the reverse.
In persevering with to problem quite a few strictures of considering and observe, Deidre Brown PhD has made an astounding contribution to structure in Aotearoa New Zealand. The breadth of her work is spectacular, encompassing structure and artwork, historical past and housing, tradition and craft. By instructing, analysis, writing, artwork curation, management and mentoring, Deidre has touched the lives of many. Her sphere of affect is so far-reaching that it’s inconceivable to outline.
For Te Kāhui Whaihanga, embracing the introduction of a broader standards for awarding the Gold Medal — the Institute’s highest honour — is a watershed second. As a occupation, there’s a lot to have fun in recognising the extremely influential profession of this wahine toa.
Deidre is a Fellow of the Institute and the Royal Society of New Zealand Te Apārangi. All through her profession, a yr has not handed with out the appointment of a fellowship, scholarship or new educational position, the receipt of an award, the publication of a e book or paper, the curation of an exhibition, or her steering in influencing architects and concrete planners within the making. In academia alone, Deidre has taught lots of of scholars and mentored dozens.
Importantly, Deidre’s affect has not been confined to the tutorial world however made accessible by means of a number of avenues, together with literature. Her seminal e book, Māori Structure (2009), was a landmark achievement in our historical past and continues to be an influential pressure. The e book traces an architectural evolution from pre-European to modern occasions, telling the story of an ever-changing individuals. It is only one piece of Deidre’s work that’s related and important to the event of Aotearoa’s distinctive identification.
By regularly asking what a contribution to structure ought to appear like, Deidre has answered her personal questions. As a self-discipline, it’s about working with individuals to boost their hauora (well-being). It’s about creating culturally responsive and accountable structure. Final yr, the various paths of Deidre’s profession led her to ascertain MĀPIHI Māori and Pacific Housing Analysis Centre. The organisation, which she co-directs with former pupil Dr Karamia Müller, is geared toward supporting Māori and Pacific whānau to stay in wholesome, inexpensive and sustainable houses.
This initiative considerably transforms the position of educational considering into the sensible decision of a prevalent downside — housing. By taking educational abilities and making use of them to a basic societal problem, the extremely gifted and gifted amongst us grow to be much more related.
Awarding this Gold Medal honours the complete extent of how structure is recognised and understood. It additionally pays homage to a profoundly influential particular person and profession that embodies and promotes the spirit of Te Tiriti o Waitangi, of partnership between Māori and Pākehā. At a time of transformation in our nation and tradition, this award is well timed.
—Te Kāhui Whaihanga New Zealand Institute of Architects
The March 2024 version of Structure NZ journal options an in-depth interview with Deidre Brown, this challenge might be out there from the thirteenth March 2024.
