Whānau Ātea Pukapuka

Storytelling, Place and Play at Whānau Ātea

Exploring how play can be used as a tool for storytelling and how parks can carry local narratives, support te reo Māori and create everyday opportunities for connection.

Bringing Pūrākau to Life

Nicole Tune and Zak Kelland created a pukapuka tamariki (children's book) to serve as a taonga (treasure), allowing the rich pūrākau (narratives) brought to life in Boffa Miskell's work to be highlighted and shared.

We work alongside iwi and rōpū to bring pūrākau and traditions to life through our projects. This pukapuka carries those stories beyond the project, helping share this knowledge with the wider community.

Whānau Ātea is more than a playground, it's a place grounded in mātauranga and layered with pūrākau beyond what is first seen.

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Our Process

We revisited Whānau Ātea and spoke with those who held knowledge of the project, particularly the Tūpuna Maunga Authority and Harko Brown. Through workshops and kōrero, we explored the stories behind the built outcome and what should be brought to life through the pukapuka.

From there, we shaped how these stories could become something accessible and engaging - developing the narrative, illustrations, colours, and visual cues inspired by Whānau Ātea.

We then began writing, translating, and illustrating the story.

Ko Moko Tēnei

Te Kaitiaki o Te Pukapuka me te Māra Hūpara

We landed on Moko as the hero of the story and the guardian of the playground. At Whānau Ātea, moko can be found living beneath the trees, and we wanted tamariki to make that connection as they follow the story through the playspace in real life.

Pukapuka Tamariki Whānau Ātea DRAFT5.jpg

Extending Beyond the Book

What started as Boffa Miskell funded research project became a way of testing how te reo Māori could be used more in everyday practice.

We discovered how that could carry into wider project work, office culture, and community engagement.

The biggest takeaway was that this was never just about one book or one site; it was about building a practical way to make te reo more visible in the work we do.

Image: Playground People

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Next Steps

Taking the pukapuka into the community through schools, kura, and local groups, helping keep the stories of Whānau Ātea active and connected to place.

We hope this becomes a model for future community-led storytelling and learning.