Its journey started in the summer of 1972 in Christchurch when according to founding member Neil Aitken, fifteen signatories applied for registration under the Incorporated Societies Act 1908 which would see the NZILA becoming an officially recognised incorporation in January of the following year.

Last month Tuia Pito Ora - He Whakaahua was published to commemorate the NZILA’s 50 years and document the history of the landscape architecture profession in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Celebrations kicked off on 11 October with the 2022 NZILA Firth Conference, held over three days, and culminating in the 2022 Resene New Zealand Institute of Landscape Architecture Awards Gala held at Auckland’s Cordis Hotel.

The theme of the conference this year was Ka Mua, Ka Muri drawing from the whakatauki ‘Kia whakatōmuri te haere whakamua’ (walking backwards into the future with eyes fixed on the past).

11 October: A welcoming

On day one of the conference, a one-day wānanga for landscape architecture students from across the country was held at Te Noho Kotahitanga marae at Unitec in Auckland.

An Auckland waterfront field trip was arranged by Ethan Reid of LandLAB with supporting speakers from Isthmus, Jasmax and Wraight Associates covering eight key projects encompassing some of the best examples of landscape architecture in the country including Amey Daldy Park, Tiramarama Way, Jellicoe Street, Tank Park, Quay Street, Te Wānanga, Te Ngau o Horotiu Ferry, and the recently completed Te Komitihanga square.

Later that day a welcome function was held at Cordis Hotel’s Grand Room, where life memberships, fellowships, 2021 registration certificates, and President’s Awards were presented. The NZILA says the awards provide the opportunity to recognise members, other design disciplines and organisations which contribute to the development and promotion of landscape architecture.

A new award was also presented on the night. The Tū Kahikatea Tohu Award was given to Dr. Haare Williams in recognition of outstanding and enduring commitment to kaupapa Māori, and, in particular for the gifting of the name Tuia Pito Ora for the Institute.

12 October: A 50-year history

On day two of the conference, a formal whakatau welcome was performed by hosts Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei followed by a welcoming address by President Henry Crothers.

In accordance with the theme of acknowledging the past before looking ahead to the future, a historical review of the past five decades of the NZILA was given by founding member Dr Frank Boffa, and a presentation by Dr. Diane Menzies gave a talk on the impacts of colonisation.

Later, a panel discussion with presenters Simon Swaffield (Chair), Julia Williams, Sarah Collins, Stephen Brown, Shannon Bray, Dr Frank Boffa, and Diane Menzies allowed for a dialogue between keynote speakers and attendees.

A socio-political undercurrent to talks continued with Hannah Hopewell presenting a talk entitled ‘Unsettling Settling - Why Landscape Architecture needs to think about the politics of design’ and Sara Zwart and Karen Wilson’s presentation of ‘Te Whakaoranga o te Puhinui: Tino Rangatiratanga in Action’, a strategy to regenerate the whakapapa of a deeply degraded catchment in South Auckland.

Boffa Miskell’s William Hatton commented “It’s really great to see where we’ve come in the past 50 years and a lot of the korero is all about culture, you know, moving forward. So seeing that hononga, that connection there, was really great.”

Presentions by Emily Lane on the problem of flooding, Richard J. Weller on biodiversity and urbanism and David Irwin on a new Aotearoa, delivered a cross-section of some of the most pressing issues affecting landscape architects today.

This was followed by presentations by well-known industry academics Jacky Bowring, Matthew Bradbury, and Peter Connolly, with Bowring encouraging the movement (also seen in architectural practice), of treading more lightly on the land, Bradbury on the part landscape architecture can play in lessening the impact of climate disasters in Tāmaki Makaurau, and Connolly on viewing landscape architecture through a lens of recent neuroscience.

Dr Jacky Bowring, 2022 Resene New Zealand Institute of Landscape Architecture Awards Judges Panel Chair summarised the day’s presentations well “Some pretty shocking ones in terms of sea level rise, in terms of the challenge of our cultural competency, all these things that we do have to juggle. Decarbonisation, decolonisation, we have a lot that we need to be paying attention to, and this was a really great focus for that.”

13 October: Contemplating the future

On the third day of the conference, the focus turned to the future of the practice of landscape architecture in Aotearoa. Asking questions such as what will be the relevance, nature, and shape of Tuia Pito Ora in the future?

This saw presentions by Alayna Pakinui Rā on Aotearoa’s evolving bicultural context, followed by a talk by Gavin Lister, Rachel de Lambert and Alan Titchner on Te Tangi a te Manu (the new landscape assessment guidelines published this year), and David Kirkpatrick (a Chief Environmental Court Judge) on resource management reform.

Further talks from Gary Marshall (an award-winning landscape architect and permaculture advocate), focussed on green infrastructure for Manukau, and Di Lucas presented a case for assessing the landscape through its natural ecologies and habitats.

The day concluded with a spotlight on the landscape architecture of Auckland’s upgraded waterfront public spaces, and talks by Craig Pocock and Martin O’Dea, followed by Kongjian Yu surrounding the necessary reduction of carbon emissions stemming from the built environment and the impacts of climate change.

2022 Resene New Zealand Institute of Landscape Architecture Awards Gala

As part of the 50-year celebrations, the 2022 Resene New Zealand Institute of Landscape Architecture Awards Gala was held on the 13th of October at the Cordis Hotel in Tāmaki Makaurau, Auckland — the first awards dinner held since 2019.

The Awards programme is about celebrating the creativity, technical capability and diversity of skills that landscape architects provide as integrators of landscape, people and place in Aotearoa.

The night’s three Supreme Awards went to the project teams behind Te Wānanga, Te Whakaoranga o Te Puhinui: Te Rautaki, and the Kaikōura Earthquake Response transport corridor and landscape.

The awards gala was a time to reflect on the learnings of the conference and to celebrate the achievements and advances of the practice of landscape architecture in Aotearoa.

As newly named Fellow member Catherine Hamilton wrote after the event: “The highlight had to have been the awards evening. What a sea change for our profession to have so many projects delivered through an authentic co-design process with Māori. To see the various Iwi /Hapu up on stage and to hear Te Reo spoken consistently was fantastic.”

Chair of the Judges panel Dr Jacky Bowring agreed and said on the night that a cultural shift, a “sea change” was palpable throughout the whole awards process as a genuine partnership with mana whenua was celebrated.

For organiser, NZILA Chief Operating Officer Vicki Clague, it was an extremely important event. “Having around half our membership gather in Tāmaki Makaurau to take part in the Institute’s 50th celebrations was a milestone in itself.

“After a covid enforced hiatus, it was fantastic to celebrate our people and profession in the one place. To our sponsors, thank you, the Institute is forever grateful for your continued support allowing us to come together, learn, enjoy and celebrate,” she says.

Looking ahead, the three-day conference serves as a reminder of the challenges landscape architects have to face to ensure the future well-being of New Zealand’s landscapes and tangata — not only environmentally and socially — but also culturally and politically.

For more information go to Tuia Pito Ora New Zealand Institute of Landscape Architects website.