Victoria University

Today we visited two of Victoria University’s campuses. We met with Andrew Wilks, the director of Sustainability, and learned about some of the things the University is doing and working towards in order to be sustainable. We also met with two of his colleagues to learn more about specific projects and topics that had to do with sustainability. My favorite thing I learned today was about an ongoing project the college is doing: The Living Pā. This project is basically a new building designed to be entirely self-sufficient and designed with sustainability in mind. This project stuck out to me because this building will be dedicated to and is intended to be used as a marae, a meeting ground, for Maori people. The building will be used as a hang-out space, meeting space, and a place where other people can learn about Maori people and their culture. The building aims to be 100% sustainable and self-sufficient by implementing smart architecture such as the use of solar panels, windows, and open space. This is a really cool thing that the university is doing. It captures two of the big topics we have been learning about this trip: sustainability and Maori culture. It was really fun to learn about and see how these two topics can come together.