The design of the pavilion was inspired by the world-first legal status accorded to the Whanganui River, which was legally recognised as a living entity in 2017. Under the Te Awa Tupua (Whanganui River Claims Settlement) Act, the river has been conferred with the same legal rights as a person. This innovative legislation marks generations of effort by the Whanganui iwi Te Āti Haunui-a-Pāpārangi to protect the river’s wellbeing. It acknowledges the inextricable connection between the river and its people, and the understanding that when the river thrives, the people thrive. It also obligates the government, local authorities, and all communities of the river to work together to care for and protect the river.

The Whanganui River, Te Awa Tupua, was represented physically and metaphorically in the pavilion design. As a unifying storytelling element, it was key to helping visitors understand the concept of kaitiakitanga.

When approaching the New Zealand Pavilion, visitors first encountered a rippling, water-like façade hovering over a low entry and heard a heartbeat, or pulse, emanating from the building. The façade moved in time with this low-frequency sound, which represented the mauri, or life-force of the river.

Upon entering the pavilion, visitors were guided through an internal walkway, where an immersive digital representation of the river coursed alongside the walls. Triggered by sophisticated movement tracing technologies, visitors were able to interact with, and disrupt the flow of the river by marking their presence within the flow of light surrounding them.

The River Room is where pavilion visitors were introduced to the physical representation of Te Awa Tupua for the first time. In this darkened space, sheets of water fell nine metres from the ceiling to the floor, creating a space for contemplation of the whakataukī ​‘Ko te awa te mātāpuna o te ora, He wai toiora, mātūtūai te tangata | The river is our essence, When it is healed, we are healed’.

At the centre of the room was a mauri toka (stone) brought from the upper reaches of Mount Tongariro, where the main stem of the Whanganui River rises. Gifted by Ngāti Hikairo ki Rotoaira, it was this stone that formed the origin of the aural pulse emanating from the inside to the exterior of the pavilion. Next, a Film Room featured a state-of-the-art audio-visual experience transporting visitors as they learned how New Zealand is innovating to Care for People and Place.

In addition to providing the lead design services, Jasmax also devised the pavilion’s wayfinding and signage, including a discrete set of brand patterns and an interior colour palette reflecting Aotearoa New Zealand.