Building by the Water - Kai Tahi, Porirua

As part of the 2025 Wellington Heritage Festival, Kai Tahi presents a visual exhibition in celebration of Porirua’s unique harbourside heritage.

Building by the Water brings together archival images courtesy of the Alexander Turnbull Library Collection and recent photographic works by Jason Mann. Seen collectively, this visual record aims to place the Kai Tahi development into the wider history of construction along Te Awarua-o-Porirua Harbour.

The exhibition traces a history of harbourside settlement from Māori pa sites, to whaling stations, early settler communities, harbour reclamation, big box retail and now, in 2025, the next community-focused iteration of harbourside settlement, as exemplified by Kai Tahi and the reuse of existing industrial forms.

Kai Tahi has a simple but powerful mission: to transform the traditional idea of a food-court into a cultural and creative harbourside hub for the Porirua Community.

Historic images on display include aerial photographs from Whites Aviation, 19th century engravings and 20th century paintings.