Most people see a column as something that holds up the roof. In Aotearoa, a Pou can carry whakapapa, memory, identity, and the stories of our places.

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That is what I wanted to explore through three very different projects shaped by people who really cared about what their spaces should speak to.

At One New Zealand in Westfield Manukau, the team used Cleanstone to wrap the entry column, turning old fishing nets and plastic bags into something the public interacts with every day.

Maruata Rikoriko in Viaduct Harbour, Amy Hawke and Graham Tipene, created something much deeper, using Pou to reflect the site’s history as a place where moana kai were cleaned, shared, and traded.

At Hawke’s Bay Private Hospital, Matua Jacob Scott and Te Ara Hihiko brought identity, history into a healthcare setting in a way that felt human and grounded.

What I love about these projects is that the material is only one part of the story. The real work sits with the architects, artists, carvers, and cultural leaders who knew how to make these spaces feel like they belonged.

They show that a vertical element does not need to be empty or purely functional. It can hold meaning too.

For me, that is the lesson. When you are designing a space, it is worth asking what stories your columns, walls, and surfaces could carry, and whose story they are helping to carry forward.