On Thursday 24 February, IPWEA NZ hosted the Asset Management Excellence Awards, Virtual Edition. The Awards ceremony culminated in the inaugural presentation of Kōmata o Te Rangi, IPWEA NZ’s Supreme Asset Management Award. The precious Taonga was presented to the Piritahi House Removal Programme as the Supreme Asset Management Excellence Award winner at the conclusion of an online celebration of the very best in asset management.

Piritahi is an alliance responsible for delivering land and infrastructure for new homes and spaces in masterplanned redevelopments across Auckland, led by Kāinga Ora – Homes and Communities, one of six entities in the alliance and its sole client.

Congratulations to Piritahi who also won the Excellence in Environmental & Sustainability Award Category for its commitment to communities in Tāmaki Makaurau, including Kāinga Ora transitional housing initiatives and charitable trust Ara. Importantly, Piritahi is paving the way in environmental and innovative practices by minimising construction waste across their sites.

“The inaugural Supreme Asset Management Award is an important development in elevating the standing of our Asset Management profession and helping the public to see and understand the importance of asset management in our communities. Kōmata O Te Rangi is presented to the project that stands out as an exemplar of asset management at its very best and we are delighted to celebrate this accolade with Piritahi and Kāinga Ora“, says Murray Pugh, CE of IPWEA NZ

With construction and demolition waste contributing to nearly 50% of New Zealand’s landfill waste, Piritahi has shifted away from the historical practice of state home demolition (where 100% of waste has gone to landfill) to a new methodology of house removal. For Piritahi, the first choice is to relocate a home, with the second choice being a ‘reuse and recycle’ deconstruction approach.

“Piritahi is honoured to be named the winner of IPWEA NZ’s Supreme Asset Management Award, and we are equally thrilled to win in our category, says Mat Tucker, General Manager, Piritahi.

“The House Removal Programme is a shining example of alliancing at its best, as we work collaboratively with our client and partner, Kāinga Ora, to achieve sustainable, environmental, and innovative outcomes across the programme.

“We love coming to work every day to enable more warm, dry homes in Tāmaki Makaurau, but we’re just as passionate about adding value to our communities and protecting the environment while we do this important work.

“We are proud to share this accolade with Kāinga Ora and all of our alliance partners today.”

Mark Fraser, General Manager Urban Development Delivery, Kāinga Ora says the award recognises the strengths of an alliance model in meeting the significant challenge of removing 7000 older homes in Tāmaki Makaurau.

“When we set up the Piritahi alliance, we wanted to change the way that civil construction work is done and encourage collaboration and innovation. The Piritahi House Removal Programme is an excellent example of an innovative approach to environmental and social sustainability within the Kāinga Ora large scale projects and we are thrilled Piritahi has been recognised with this award.

The Piritahi House Removal Programme aims to remove existing homes from large scale project areas, whilst working collaboratively to apply industry leading waste minimisation practices. This critical work enables significantly increased intensification and sustainable housing outcomes for Kāinga Ora. The approach also results in more than 1,000 tonnes of construction waste being diverted from landfill each month.

As part of the Kāinga Ora commitment to improved sustainability, Piritahi is championing a more sustainable approach for house removal. The initial sustainability approach focused on better environmental outcomes; however, the project has also resulted in positive social outcomes.

Piritahi also provided a relocatable home to Ara, a charitable trust that uses the buildings to train young apprentices and secondary school students in gateway projects.

Another positive social outcome has been the Kāinga Ora relocation of 19 homes used transitional housing. Recognising the need to support and nurture the community, Kāinga Ora and Piritahi have worked collaboratively to deliver additional tangible benefits for the community. Further investigations are underway to provide appropriate, relocatable houses to iwi and urban Māori groups, non-governmental organisations and community groups.

About Piritahi

Piritahi is an alliance of companies formed to expediate the supply of build-ready land in Kāinga Ora’s large-scale urban developments. One of its main commitments is to lead innovation in the environment and sustainability sector through the minimisation of construction-waste entering landfills, and by implementing sustainable on-site waste management practices; all the while meeting the stringent cost-efficient delivery requirements of the House Removal Programme. Owner-Participant of the alliance is Kāinga Ora – Homes and Communities, both partner and client. Non-Owner Participants include Dempsey Wood, Harrison Grierson, Hick Bros Group, Tonkin + Taylor and Woods.

Kōmata o Te Rangi

The development of Kōmata o Te Rangi by Maori artist Bronson Baker, began in July 2021. Bronson was inspired by the passion that the IPWEA NZ team had for the Asset Management Excellence Award entries and the team’s commitment to the improvements that projects like these can make to our day to day lives. Kōmata o Te Rangi, a taurapa is IPWEA NZ's Supreme Award, and is a symbol of the elite, a representation of a pinnacle, or the zenith.

He mea tīmata te whakairo nei a Te Kōmata o Te Rangi e Bronson Baker i te Hūrae 2021. He kaiwhakairo a Bronson nō roto mai o Ngā Puhi me Te Arawa. Ka whakaohoohotia a Bronson e te kaingākautanga o te kapa IPWEA o Aotearoa ki ngā kuhunga mō ngā-Tuku Taonga Whakahaere Rawa Kairangi me te tōngakingakitanga o te kapa nei ki ngā whakapaipaitanga ake i ngā hinonga nei e whai wāhi ai ki o tātou oranga i ia rā. Ko Kōmata o Te Rangi te taonga Nui Whakahirahira o IPWEA Aotearoa, ā, he tohu o te hunga kairangi, he whakaahuahanga o te poutūmārōtanga anō hoki.

Kōmata o Te Rangi is Bronson's first taurapa, the carving of which requires great skill, ritual and technical expertise. A taurapa is the stern of a highly prized waka taua (war canoe) that would take the highly regarded and strongest warriors into battle. The taurapa has spiritual significance when carrying warriors to war, recognising the connection between te ira atua (the sacred realm) and te ira tangata (the human realm). The taurapa, as well as the tauihu (the prow), are the most highly prized parts of the waka.

Ko Kōmata o Te Rangi te taurapa tuatahi nā Bronso i whakairo, ā, me whai pūkenga rawa, me ringarehe tonu te kaiwhakairo, ka mutu, me mōhio hoki ki ngā tikanga whakairo. Ko te taurapa tērā te wāhi kei te kei o te waka tauā, māna e kawe ake ngā tino toa ki te pakanga. He tohu wairua anō tō te taurapa ina kawe atu nei ngā toa ki te pakanga. Ko tāna he tūhono i te ira atua ki te ira tangata. Ko te taurapa me te tauihu o te waka ngā wāhi tino tapu nei o te waka.

Kōmata o Te Rangi is a symbol of public asset management excellence. This award will be kept and treasured by our Supreme Award Winner until it is passed on to each subsequent winner, starting a tradition that will be continued for many years to come.

He tohu a Kōmata o Te Rangi i te kairangitanga o ngā whakahaere rawa o te tūmatanui. Ka pupuru, ka tiakina tēnei taonga e tō tātou kairiro, ā, ka tuku iho ki te to ate haere ake nei ka wai tikanga ai mō ngā tau kei te haere mai nei.

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