A Maori architect says as more Waitangi Treaty grievances are settled some iwi are investing compensation money in bricks and mortar.
Design Tribe Architects director Rau Hoskins is speaking at the indigenous workshop at the International Federation of Landscape Architects World Council conference in Auckland on Thursday.
Mr Hoskins is also a member of the Nga Aho network of Maori design professionals and says iwi are looking at constructive ways of using their settlement money to reflect tribal identity.
He says it's indicative of where some iwi are heading as they move into the post settlement era.
Mr Hoskins says there will be more and more groups who for the first time are able to say they have development aspirations either for themselves or for other cultural or commercial activities.
But he says some iwi are mindful of not spending too much of their money on construction projects, while for others it is a priority to house themselves well and build something that reflects their tribal identity.
