Shaping and Learning with Eke Panuku

I have had the opportunity to facilitate collaborative learning environments through my work with Eke Panuku (Auckland Council), supporting undergraduate students on speculative projects that explore diverse creative possibilities over 8 weeks. This initiative brought together small teams from Eke Panuku, lecturers, and students, creating a dynamic and collaborative space. I supervised a student group working on the ‘Origins of Fire’ project, while Simon Nicholl supervised another group focused on ‘Kanohi Kitea’. I guided students through the project lifecycle, which included two work-in-progress sessions for feedback and discussion, culminating in a final presentation to a broader panel of Eke Panuku stakeholders. Many projects resulted in realised conceptual ideas and prototypes, demonstrating the viability of their concepts.

This collaborative learning and teaching approach, embedded within the Bachelor of Media Design, fostered a symbiotic relationship between learners and the local council, enabling practice-led projects to thrive. My role involved designing immersive, multi-sensory experiences using various technologies. The projects followed a structured process, starting with pitch presentations to the council and external industry panels. Throughout the iterative development phase, I facilitated regular meetups, documenting insights, discussions, and feedback to refine concepts and improve prototypes before the final pitch.

I adopted an active, hands-on approach as a lecturer in this dynamic teaching environment. This included troubleshooting technical challenges, participating in ideation sessions with students, and providing ongoing support to ensure the smooth progression of each project. My facilitation skills were key to creating an engaging and productive learning experience, bridging the gap between academic theory and real-world application.

The project I closely supported, ‘Origins of Fire’, was recognised with a Bronze Toitanga Award at the 2022 Designers Institute of New Zealand Best Design Awards.

Additionally, reflections on this collaborative learning experience were presented at the T3 Learning & Teaching Symposium 2021 at Torrens University of Australia.