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Tainui te waka.
Ko Waikato te awa.
Ko Pootatau te tangata.
Ko Te Mānukanuka ō Hoturoa, Te Kei ō Tainui, te rohe i whakatupua ahau.
Saul Roberts (Waikato-Tainui, Waiohua) – Pou Kaiwhare, Architectural Designer and Tikanga Māori Advisor in COX’s Auckland studio. His pepeha above – a traditional expression of identity – anchors his practice to the Waikato River, the Tainui ancestral waka and Te Mānukanuka ō Hoturoa (Manukau Harbour), reflecting the cultural foundations that shape his worldview. Bi‑lingual and deeply connected to his iwi (tribal community), Saul brings an indigenous paradigm to architecture, weaving whakapapa (lineage), mātauranga Māori (Indigenous knowledge) and tikanga Māori (customs) into environments guided by kaitiakitanga (guardianship) and environmental harmony.
Saul joined COX in 2026 after nearly a decade with TOA Architects, where he led high‑profile projects with iwi, hapū and marae across Aotearoa. A native speaker of te reo Māori, he was instrumental in embedding tikanga Māori into daily practice. His portfolio includes significant iwi, kura kaupapa Māori and hauora (health) projects, notably Te Maataapuna ō Te Ora in Taumarunui, Taranaki Visitors Centre in New Plymouth, Te Kauri Marae in Te Rāhui Pōkeka and Te Kura Kaupapa ō Te Koutu in Rotorua. Saul’s work is shaped by a quiet humility – letting community, culture and place speak through the spaces he helps create.
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