Ana Heremaia is an interior architect, experienced in the community engagement aspect of the design process. Whānau drew Ana back from London and Melbourne to New Zealand and with both of her parents buried in Ngawha, Ana’s heart is most definitely in the far North.
ĀKAU means where the land meets the water – a place of transition. Ana and the two other young women who established ĀKAU in Kaikohe have created a model of ACE that while ticking all the boxes in terms of good practice, is operating in an entirely new context: a professional architectural and interior design studio that provides disengaged young people with a no cost opportunity to learn, using a hands-on approach to design real projects. They also won the ACE Aotearoa Annual Award 2016 for Programme of the Year.