'This is where we belong': Waterfront Fale Malae wins near-unanimous support of council

Friday, 9 June 2023

An artist’s impression of the Fale Malae next to Whairepo Lagoon.

A national Fale Malae is one step closer to opening on Wellington’s waterfront, after receiving a near-unanimous vote of approval from the city council.

Chairperson of the Fale Malae Trust, Reserve Bank Governor Adrian Orr was passionate in his advocacy for the building at the meeting on Thursday morning. The trust’s members and experts including Luamanuvao Dame Winnie Laban showed up in support.

“It is a beautiful building, it opens up the waterfront of the capital, and creates a friendly environment for all,” said Orr.

The project would see a large, open-roofed building (Fale) and open lawn (Malae) replace the underground car park building at Frank Kitts Park.

The building would be open to the whole community, with spaces for events, meetings, and a cafe. It was “critically important” and nationally significant for Pasifika people to have a dedicated space in the centre of the capital, Orr said.

Fale Malae Trust chairperson and Reserve Bank Governor Adrian Orr says the building will open up the waterfront and replace the “mess” that is the current Frank Kitts Park.

His own grandfather moved to New Zealand in the 1920s from Atiu in the Cook Islands “so that’s a bit of personal skin in the game, over the many decades of mahi that Pasifika people have put into this nation”.

He hoped that, in future, a view of the capital city from a vaka (canoe) turning into the harbour would include Te Papa, the Wharewaka, the boat club, the Fale Malae, the Chinese Garden, and the playground.

In response to question about opposition to the location of the Fale Malae, which has included legal threats, Orr said: “This is where we belong. We are the people of the Pacific, the moana [ocean] is right there, we are facing our long-time cousins across the lagoon, Te Āti Awa in the Wharewaka. I can’t think of a better position for it to be.”

He said he found it embarrassing and sad that the project had been shunted around, with people suggesting less prominent locations for the Fale.

An artist’s impression of the national Fale Malae at Frank Kitts Park.

In his speech Orr described the current Frank Kitts park as an embarrassment and a mess.

“As exciting as it is for some people to walk their dogs up that concrete hill, formerly known as a car park roof, it’s not used. This will be used, it will create that space going down to the sea level.”

The project was enthusiastically supported by councillors, with all except Diane Calvert voting in favour of approving the project as part of the design for Frank Kitts Park.

Mayor Tory Whanau said the Fale Malae would continue making the waterfront “a true representation of different identities and cultures”.

Councillor Tamatha Paul, chairing the meeting, said it would be a “real taonga [treasure] for Te Whanganui a Tara”.

“This country has been built off the backs of Pacific people, and you deserve to have your identity reflected in the built architecture of the city.”

Councillor Nicola Young had to apologise and withdraw for a comment made during debate on the Fale Malae, where she described the stalled Chinese Garden project – also planned for Frank Kitts Park – as “the Uyghur’s Garden” in a reference to the persecution of Uyghur people in China.

At Paul’s request, Young apologised to the Wellington Chinese Garden Society and the local Chinese community. “I have a lot of time for the local Chinese community and I certainly didn’t mean to offend them.”

Council approval was just the first stage for the trust, which will still need to lease the land from the council and apply for resource consent to begin construction.