Matakohe Architecture and Urbanism

What Matakohe Architecture and Urbanism does

Matakohe Architecture and Urbanism is a kaupapa Māori design studio founded by Jade Kake in July 2018 and headquartered in Whangārei, Northland, New Zealand. The firm provides architectural, urban design, and cultural design services to Māori communities (iwi, hapū, whānau, and mana whenua groups), government agencies, education institutions, and commercial Māori organisations. Core service streams include full-lifecycle architectural work for papakāinga, marae, and whenua development projects; specialist kaupapa Māori design services integrating cultural narratives, tikanga, and mātauranga Māori into the built environment; and urban design services covering masterplanning, urban design assessments, and hapū/mana whenua consultation. Project work ranges from multi-unit public housing (e.g., 8-unit Vinegar Hill Kāinga Ora development achieving 6 Homestar certification) to large civic infrastructure (NZ$48M Whangārei Civic Centre), commercial fitouts (Te Ākau Roa Restaurant for Ngātiwai Holdings), education facilities, and long-horizon Māori land-use planning (Te Rewarewa 64-hectare, 100-year masterplan).

The firm's underlying technology is a culturally-led design methodology rather than a software platform: co-design wānanga facilitation, cultural mapping, site strategy and narrative documentation, and full project delivery from feasibility through resource and building consents to contract administration. The studio uses standard architectural CAD/BIM and GIS tooling, supplemented by the spatial and research capabilities of its in-house team. The Auckland (Tāmaki Makaurau) office, opened in 2022 and co-shared with The Urban Advisory, extends geographic reach beyond the Te Tai Tokerau home market.

Matakohe earns revenue through professional services fees on a project-by-project basis, with no publicly disclosed pricing or subscription model. The go-to-market is sales-led and relationship-driven, operating at the invitation of mana whenua and through direct engagement with hapū, iwi organisations, government clients (Kāinga Ora, Waka Kotahi, local councils), and commercial entities. Customer concentration is spread across government, Māori trusts/land organisations, nonprofits, education, and commercial end-markets, with no single dominant anchor client evidenced. The firm has received three Callaghan Innovation R&D grants (totalling ~NZ$32,600) between 2020 and 2023, providing modest non-dilutive funding for capability development but not constituting material revenue.

Name

Matakohe Architecture and Urbanism

Legal name

Matakohe Architecture and Urbanism Ltd

Website

https://matakohe.co.nz

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Matakohe Architecture and Urbanism is a kaupapa Māori design studio founded in 2018 in Whangārei, New Zealand, delivering architectural, urban design, and cultural narrative services to iwi, hapū, whānau, government, and Māori organisations across Te Tai Tokerau and Tāmaki Makaurau.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architectural and Urban Design Services

NAICS

Architectural Services (54131)

SIC

Land Subdividers & Developers (No Cemeteries) (6552)

akta.pro primary industry

Regional & Land Use Planning (BPAHAKAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Community Engagement & Participatory Planning (BPAHAKAO), Landscape Architecture & Site Design (BPAHAKAC)

Keywords

• Kaupapa Māori architecture
• Cultural design services
• Papakāinga housing design
• Urban masterplanning
• Community-led co-design

Headquarters

HQ city

Whangarei

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Architectural Services: Professional architectural services for Māori communities and organisations including project planning, design, resource and building consent preparation, contract administration, and project completion sign-off.
2. Kaupapa Māori Design Services: Cultural design services working alongside hapū/mana whenua groups to integrate cultural narratives into architectural and urban design projects.
3. Urban Design Services: Masterplanning, urban design assessments, policy development, and hapū/mana whenua consultation processes for urban development projects.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Matakohe Architecture and Urbanism is a kaupapa Māori design practice offering architectural design, specialist cultural design, and urban design services for Māori communities, iwi/hapū/whānau organisations, government agencies, and educational institutions. The firm delivers full project lifecycles — from whānau visioning and cultural mapping through resource and building consent, contract administration, and final sign-off — for projects spanning papakāinga housing, marae redevelopment, civic buildings, commercial fitouts, and long-term land use masterplans across Te Tai Tokerau and Auckland.

Product overview

Matakohe Architecture and Urbanism is a kaupapa Māori design studio offering three core service streams: Architectural Services for Māori communities covering papakāinga, marae, whenua development and commercial projects; Specialist Kaupapa Māori Design Services for hapū and mana whenua cultural narrative integration in public space, civic, commercial and education projects; and Urban Design Services including masterplanning, urban design assessments, and policy development. The studio operates from offices in Whangārei and Tāmaki Makaurau, delivering projects ranging from multi-unit residential developments (Vinegar Hill Kāinga Ora with 8 units) to civic infrastructure (Whangārei Civic Centre at $48M), commercial fitouts (Te Ākau Roa Restaurant), community facilities (Whangaruru Coastguard), and long-term land use planning (Te Rewarewa Papakāinga masterplan).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Architectural Services Full-service architectural design for Māori communities covering papakāinga, marae, whenua development, and commercial projects. Includes whānau visioning facilitation, funding advice, project planning, resource and building consent applications, contract administration, and final sign-off. Delivered for clients such as Kāinga Ora, Ngātiwai Holdings, Te Rarawa, and Te Rewarewa.
• Specialist Kaupapa Māori Design Services Cultural design services working alongside hapū and mana whenua groups to articulate, interpret, and express cultural values and narratives through physical environment design. Includes cultural narrative documentation, site strategy development, landscape design integration, spatial planning for cultural protocols, signage development, and mana whenua artist briefings. Applied to public space, civic, commercial, and education projects such as Whangārei Boys' High School and Pūtahi Park.
• Urban Design Services Kaupapa Māori urban design services including masterplanning, urban design assessments, urban design policy and design guidelines, and hapū and mana whenua consultation processes. Delivered for projects such as the Donald Rd Housing Development (44 sections) and the Te Rewarewa 100-year masterplan across 64ha.

Quantifiable outcome

• Te Rewarewa papakāinga project planned to deliver 42 dwellings over long-term development on 64ha Māori land block
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• The Urban AdvisorycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-sharing office space in Auckland (Tāmaki Makaurau) with The Urban Advisory team. Collaborative relationship for urban planning and development projects including the Dargaville Racecourse Redevelopment masterplan.
• Ngātiwai Holdings LimitedcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerClient and strategic partner for Te Ākau Roa Restaurant project. Ngātiwai Holdings commissioned the design for a restaurant celebrating Ngātiwai manaakitanga and excellence.
• Te Rewarewa (The Proprietors of Rewarewa D)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-term partnership for the 64ha Te Rewarewa Māori land block development, creating a land use and development plan that integrates social, cultural, economic and environmental land uses.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Studio Pacifica Architecture: Wellington-based NZ architecture practice with comparable size, design-led approach, and portfolio spanning civic, cultural, residential and education projects. Comparable as a mid-sized NZ design studio delivering high-quality architectural work with a focus on cultural and contextual design.
• Wraight Architecture: Whanganui-based NZ architecture practice with comparable size and a portfolio focused on residential, cultural and community projects. Comparable as a regional NZ architecture firm delivering community-led design with cultural sensitivity.
• The Urban Advisory: Auckland-based urban design and planning consultancy co-sharing office space with Matakohe in Tāmaki Makaurau and collaborating on the Dargaville Racecourse Redevelopment masterplan. Comparable as a NZ urban design practice working in cultural and community development, and an active delivery partner.
• Patterson Architects: Auckland-based NZ architecture practice with comparable size and a portfolio spanning residential, education and cultural projects. Comparable as a mid-sized NZ architecture firm with cultural project experience, including education-sector work.

Broad incumbents

• Athfield Architects: Long-established Wellington- and Auckland-based NZ architecture practice delivering residential, civic, cultural and education projects. Comparable as a NZ architecture firm operating at the upper end of design-led cultural commissions, although broader in scope than Matakohe's kaupapa Māori focus.
• Architectus: Trans-Tasman architecture and urban design practice with offices in Auckland and Australia. Comparable as an architecture and urban design firm delivering civic, residential and cultural projects across Australasia, including indigenous engagement work in Australia.
• Warren and Mahoney: One of New Zealand's largest architecture practices, with offices across NZ and Australia. Comparable to Matakohe as a NZ-headquartered architecture firm delivering civic, residential and cultural projects, though Warren and Mahoney operates at significantly larger scale and without Matakohe's kaupapa Māori specialisation.
• Jasmax: Major NZ architecture and design practice (now part of Warren and Mahoney) with deep experience in civic, education, healthcare and cultural projects including Māori cultural design commissions. Comparable as a NZ architecture firm delivering civic projects with cultural integration, though at significantly larger scale.
• Boffa Miskell: NZ-headquartered landscape architecture, urban design, environmental planning and ecology practice. Comparable as a NZ-based professional services firm delivering masterplanning, urban design and landscape work, including projects with cultural and environmental dimensions.

Others

• Te Kāhui Whaihanga New Zealand Institute of Architects (NZIA): NZ's peak body for the architectural profession. Relevant as the industry body Matakohe's architects are registered with and the source of A+W NZ Dulux Awards cited in the company's recognition. Not a commercial peer but the principal industry institution shaping NZ architecture practice standards.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Matakohe Architecture and Urbanism