Maori Time

Abstract

This paper investigates how Western notions of space, time and terrestrial reality may affect the perception of building form in other cultures, and have constrained our understanding of the indigenous architecture of the South Pacific. Maori concepts of space and time are explored to add a further dimension to understanding the Meeting House, which is widely considered to be the primary building of Maori architecture. This paper argues that Maori architecture may not conform to the Western model of the three dimensional object in space, and could also be understood as existing in time rather than space.