Giving a community wharekai a special kind of kaupapa.

The Woolstore is a property management group that create unique spaces for creative businesses. One of their properties; a commercial site in Porirua, Pōneke, Wellington was a vast warehouse which was underutilised, aside from some commercial tenants such as a brewery and cycle repair business.

Kai Tahi was a project born out of the inspiration of our client, who cleverly converts spaces from the utilitarian to the inspired. The idea is that Kai Tahi will become a destination, with a wide variety of bespoke eateries and eclectic retail.

The large atrium designed to take people from the street to the harbour is designed with strong triangular forms, which in turn become a repeating motif in the design assets.

The inspiration for the name was the idea of people coming together to share kai (food); kai tahi literally means to 'eat as one'.

The Porirua basin is host to a population of long-fin eels, or 'tuna'. They are considered to be a taonga, especially as their population is in decline. This became the kaupapa behind the mark – three tuna swirling, combining, and feeding together. They appear to writhe around, but in fact are in concert with one another, unified as a single form.

We designed the core identity mark, brand signature and visual assets, typographic system and concepts for external expression. The system needed to be flexible enough to use in marketing materials, to potential tenancy leasers, or to be used in external marketing to future visitors.

When it fully opens, Kai Tahi will be home to permanent local businesses that will support and encourage even more visitors to the city.