Recognition at the 2022 NZILA Awards

The New Zealand Institute of Landscape Architects Tuia Pito Ora celebrated projects, publications and people at the 2022 NZILA Firth Conference.

Te Karanga o te Tui Supreme Award winner – and winner of the Transport category – was Kaikōura Earthquake Response: The recovery of the Kaikōura Transport Corridor and Landscape.

Named on the award entry were North Canterbury Transport Infrastructure Recovery (NCTIR), Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency, KiwiRail, Aurecon, Tonkin & Taylor, WSP and Boffa Miskell, Te Rūnanga o Kaikōura and Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu.

Peter Whiting was part of the project team, and says, “Immediately following the devastating 2016 Kaikoura earthquake, Boffa Miskell was engaged by Waka Kotahi to prepare a Landscape Assessment, Planting Strategies and the Urban Design Landscape Framework (ULDF). These documents were required to get the Kaikoura road and rail recovery project started under urgency.”

The UDLF set the design direction of the final built outcome and the Boffa Miskell team was a small part of the NCTIR alliance to deliver the project.

“We took the direction from the UDLF and prepared the Developed Design drawings and documents before handing over the project for WSP to carry through to delivery on site,” says Peter.

“Additionally, our intrepid ecologists worked tirelessly to support the landscape team and the physical works and played a vital role in the success of the project,” he continues. “It’s won a couple of engineering industry awards; so having the design aspect acknowledged by the Institute is very satisfying.”

The judges said, “Kaikōura Earthquake Response: The recovery of the Kaikōura Transport Corridor and Landscape is a worthy winner of Te Karanga o te Tui supreme award. It is a transformative project at a scale not often provided for landscape intervention. It opens up access and offers experience of the beautiful coastline and the unique stories of the place. But it also represents an outstanding example of co-design with Te Rūnanga o Kaikōura.”

Te Raekura Redcliffs School was a joint winner in the Play & Education category. The project was submitted by then-Canopy Design.

The judges said, “Te Raekura Redcliffs School is a rich and energising setting for education providing three-dimensional complexity and a stimulating setting for children. Its design demonstrates excellent resolution of complex levels with flow between the place sequences… It is as much a place of learning as a habitat for adventure, creative expression and growth.”

In the same category, Te Āhuru Mōwai Playground was recognised with an Award of Excellence. Joining the Boffa Miskell team at the Awards Dinner were Lucy Skou of the Marton Development Group, along with Chief Executive Peter Beggs and Mayor Andy Taylor from Rangitikei District Council.

Joint winners in the Research & Communication category were Te Tangi a Te Manu: Aotearoa New Zealand Landscape Assessment Guidelines and Kia Whakanuia te Whenua. Rachel de Lambert and Sarah Collins, respectively, had a lead role in bringing those publications to fruition; while many landscape architects and landscape planners from Boffa Miskell contributed to both books.

Te Tangi a Te Manu: Aotearoa New Zealand Landscape Assessment Guidelines was described by the judges as “…a labour of love for its authors. The result of this long and detailed collaboration provides much more than was expected, laying down a challenge to the profession to move forward with purpose and deliver a distinctive Aotearoa New Zealand approach to landscape assessment.”

The judges said of Kia Whakanuia te Whenua: “… [the book] is a game changer… the book promotes kaitiakitanga by embedding the principles of environmental mauri throughout the writings. Praise for the work has come in from far and wide, recognising the book as a kind of wayfaring device, a richly woven approach to the exploration of whenua from multiple perspectives.”

Earlier in the week, the 2022 President’s Awards were an opportunity for the Institute to celebrate some of the heroes and unsung heroes of the profession. Boyden Evans was recognised for his contribution to the profession of Landscape Architecture – in the field of Landscape Planning.