The pair were hugely influential, much imitated and, when all is said and done, unambiguously the best modern architects New Zealand has produced.

Maurice was known for his quiet, calm, determined demeanour, exceptional drawing ability, his Citroen DS, attention to detail, unfailing modesty and Shenandoah beard (not pictured). He was a family man, ceramicist, carpenter, designer and Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit (ONZM). But above all he was an architect, responsible for producing many of New Zealand’s best 20th century buildings – a fact he would politely deflect, shrug his shoulders and change the subject.

Our sympathies to the Mahoney family, Maurice’s colleagues and to his friend, Sir Miles, who says in his autobiography, “Maurice was much better organised and practical than I – a born maker. I initiated most of the early designs, but Maurice led the making of them; the one process cannot be divided from the other. We were a true partnership.”

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Left: F. Miles Warren; Right: M E Mahoney

M E Mahoney House plans 1966

Thanks to Melissa for the tip.

Here’s the story from Duval, it’s a good one:

Tile Kiln Studios was featured in the Cement & Concrete Association’s magazine in 1982. It wrote:

“One of the points that the New Zealand architect Peter Beaven has made so well in this group of studio houses in Highgate is how effectively white-painted blockwork can achieve a sharp and satisfying clarity of modelling. The white blockwork, repeated inside and out, is built up into a series of intersecting vertical planes capped by gables and variously pitched roofs… The effect – appropriate enough for studio houses – approaches an abstract composition of black and white sculpture. This is obviously a technique that the architect fully understands: he has used it before in New Zealand, notably in the Chateau Commodore Hotel and the 1974 Commonwealth Games Stadia, both in Christchurch. It is an attractive architectural medium and one that fits many contexts in Britain.

“There are, of course, other interesting ideas behind this housing as well. It is… a co-operative venture built by six people who bought the plots in the approved scheme and worked on the finishing themselves. Not the least interesting aspect is the architect himself. Peter Beaven is an individualist with a sense of humour and perspective. He must be, otherwise how could he have made the break with his own country New Zealand, where he was one of the best-known architects in South Island, together with Miles Warren with whom he was a student. This housing scheme in Highgate… would seem to be a reflection of a strongly held personal ideology, rather than of conformity to any fashionable mainstream of architectural thought. The simplicity and clarity of form displayed in these studio houses no doubt reflects to some extent the architect’s preferred lifestyle. The gables, variously pitched roofs and strong vertical rhythms are very much in the grain of local domestic building, although the site is in fact one of those where no special architectural character was dictated.”

In 1959 I was having an evening meal at the Coffee Pot on New Regent Street with Miles. During the course of the meal I informed Miles that I had decided to build a small house on a section of my property at Halswell because I was ‘sick of living in a town flat without any area of garden’. His large eyebrows shot up to the top of his forehead and I was fixed with what can only described as a baleful stare. ‘Who, might I enquire, is designing this establishment for you?’ he enquired. When I produced with some reluctance a piece of graph paper on which I had inscribed my ideas, he contemplated it for a few seconds, folded it and put it in his pocket. ‘Gould’ he said, ‘I will not have you living in a builder’s bungalow and I will send you a drawing in a week’s time.’

The plan duly arrived a few days later, and it was so obviously superior in every respect that I could only agree to proceed. It differed from the normal small bungalows of those days with innovative features like insulated concrete-slab flooring, exposed beams supporting the roof, open areas of ceiling extending to kitchen via glass panelling, exposed concrete-block walls, and doors of vertical wooden strips. When built the effect was of a much larger and airier house than the small bungalow that was the reality.

The pleasure which I derived from living in it arose from a combination of practical and aesthetic features: the good insulation arising from the slab and the linings of the walls and roof; the validity of the structure and its materials, which were all visible; and the sheer practicality of the basic design of a minimalist house. Today all this appears quite normal and ordinary, but in 1957 it should be remembered that, due to the war and the Depression, virtually nothing had been built since about 1928, and most of the concepts, particularly relating to the use of concrete, were new.

When some years later my wife and I built a larger house on the adjoining site we incorporated the same basic ideas — perhaps the only major improvement being covered ceilings which I think give a more pleasing balance to the rooms.

Christchurch Art Gallery B.156

In the early 70s Nicholas set up his own practice and attracted adventurous clients looking for an alternative to the established firms. The results are important, but little-known buildings, including a handful of houses, the Christchurch Working Mens Club and the community of commercial studios at 75 Peterborough St for developer Tom Kain.

Maurice Mahoney wrote in the 1977 CSA News,

Nicholas Kennedy was for five years a most valuable member of the Council of the Canterbury Society of Arts. He continued the good tradition of architect members of the council by serving on the building committee and giving most helpful advice on the gallery and its furnishings
He designed our beautiful pottery and display stands. He was an expert in the hanging of exhibitions and helped with some of the CSA’s best shows His advice and judgment in aesthetic matters was most respected But Nicholas Kennedy was above all an architect and one of the very best of his generation. Four years ago he started in private practice, and in a number of excellent designs, especially houses, demonstrated his creative ability.
For many years Nicholas suffered from an illness that became progressively worse. Despite this severe disability he was always cheerful and confident. In so short a time it is astounding how much he achieved of such a high quality.

Amongst the Scandinavian-loving Christchurch architects of the 1960s, Holger Henning Hansen had the enviable advantage of being the real deal – a proper Dane. He ultimately went into partnership with Stewart Minson and enjoyed a long friendship with fellow architect Guy Sellars.

Notably, Holger Henning Hansen designed the NZIA award winning CSA Gallery, the Christchurch Transport Board building and furniture for Paul Pascoe’s Christchurch Airport.

He turned down a partnership with Minson (later accepted by Holger Henning-Hansen) and started his own practice – D A Cowey. Initially he subsisted on “rats and mice” form Minson and Paul Pascoe until he established himself and formed subsequent partnerships Cowey McGregor and Cowey Mills. Don differed in his approach to many of his prominent contemporaries, considering himself a “servant” to the client.

St James Church, Spreydon (1968).

The many commercial and public buildings he worked on include shopping malls at Merivale, Brighton, Timaru, Barrington and Ilam. He also designed ANZ Bank buildings throughout Christchurch, Riccarton Borough and Paparua County Councils’ offices, Post and Telegraph Workshops and Surf Life-Saving Clubs. He was also a City Councillor. His firm survives today as Griffiths, Moffatt and Partners