Tackling modern problems with ancient wisdom: Porirua’s Pasefika housing model
Thursday, 25 June 2026
A Pasefika housing development in Wellington shows how design, governance, and cultural identity can be aligned to serve communities, Harvard’s prestigious design school says.
Our Whare Our Fale is a contemporary re-imagination of a Pasefika village in Porirua’s eastern suburbs, one that revolves around community values translated into architectural form.
Central Pacific Collective (CPC), the organisation behind the development, recently gave a presentation on it to Harvard University's Graduate School of Design.
And the verdict from programme director Rachel Weber was that the development was “grounded yet transformative”.
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The presentation made it clear how values of kinship and repair, along with an aligning of design and cultural identity, could guide contemporary housing projects, and serve communities, she said.
Our Whare Our Fale is made up of 18 multi-generational, affordable and sustainable homes on a 3000m² site.
The homes, which welcomed their first owners in December, encircle a communal fale and central malae (community green space) creating shared space for gathering, connection and everyday community life.
But those homes are just the first stage of the development that is led by CPC in partnership with Ngāti Toa Rangatira. The end goal is 300 homes for Pasefika in Porirua, and the second and third stages are now under way.
CPC chief executive Fa'amatuainu Tino Pereira said the collective has always been the centre of Pasefika life, and the design of the development reflected that.
It also stemmed from the cultural principle at its heart, which was “anofale”, he said.
“It’s not so much about the house itself, but the people living in the house, the relationships between them, and how they want to live their lives.
“The community told us they wanted a large communal area, accessible spaces that reflected their needs, and close affiliation with the land, sky and environment. The design translates that.”
Traditionally, the malae was where people gathered, cared for each other, raised children and honoured elders, he said.
“When we put the malae at the centre of Our Whare Our Fale, we weren't making a design statement. We were returning to what we have always known.
“But this is not a relic of the past, it is the way of the future. It allows for multi-generational living, which we are seeing more of, and it addresses issues around liveability, density, affordability, and accessibility.”
Pereira said that at Harvard the school was looking to see what the next big thing was in architectural spatial design, and what the CPC provided them with was ancient wisdom.
“It got quite a reaction, with a lot of the questioning revolving around whether the concept would work for their communities, other communities.
“We explained it’s all about values, and every community has values. You start with the values, and the architectural form follows, so it is flexible for different communities needs, and the rethinking of spaces.”
Our Whare Our Fale was about making use of ancient wisdom to address contemporary housing needs, and that included creating pathways to home ownership for local Pasefika families, he said.
To that end, the CPC priced the two-to-four bedroom homes in the first stage about 25% below the market in the area, with prices ranging from $498,000 to $750,000.
It also offered an equity scheme where it would own 40% of the house, meaning some families could own a brand new, four-bedroom home for as little as $450,000.
Pereira said that funding model was made possible by their partnership with Ngāti Toa Rangatira whereby they built on land leased from the iwi, and it allowed them to offer more affordable options to families interested in homes in the development.
It’s not just Harvard that has been paying attention to Our Whare Our Fale.
Over recent weeks, the development has picked up two awards at the Property Council New Zealand Rider Levett Bucknall Property Industry Awards, and another at the NZIA Wellington Architecture Awards.
The Property Council was impressed by the way it brought together affordable housing, cultural design, financial literacy and local leadership in a way that directly supported broader social outcomes, chief judge Andy Evans said.
For Pereira, the recognition and awards were humbling, but he was also excited to have received significant feedback and interest from other organisations.
From the outset, the model had been designed to be replicated anywhere in the world where communities were searching for a different way home, he said.
“We are providing a particular way of building architectural environments with significant community benefits, and with affordability at the heart of it all.”