Since 2007, this community-led initiative has been working to restore and protect the unique dune ecosystems along Whanganui’s Castlecliff coastline – a part of Aotearoa’s longest unbroken dune system. Through the extensive planting of native species, the group helps combat erosion, enhances biodiversity, and fosters environmental stewardship.

Their hands-on approach strengthens both the land and the people who care for it, bringing together schools, disability organisations, local businesses, and volunteers for planting, seed collection, and dune maintenance. To date they’ve added approximately 40,000 plants back into the dune environment.

How and why did you first get involved with Castlecliff Coast Care?

We’d moved to Castlecliff because it had a beach we liked, on earlier visits to Whanganui. We were enjoying listening to the waves, walking the dog on the beach and, during summer, swimming and body boarding. We therefore thought it would be nice to give back to the beach and dunes.

We went down to the rear dunes, to join Ted Frost and others in a working party. This was early in the formation of Castlecliff Coast Care.

What makes the Castlecliff dune system so ecologically significant?

It is one of only a few accreting (gaining sand) beaches in New Zealand, and part of New Zealand’s largest sand dune system; one that stretches from Paraparaumu to Taranaki and includes the old dunes that our city is built on. By planting native sand binding plants (i.e. Spinifex and Pingao) on the foredunes, the accreting sand is stabilised and coastal infrastructure is protected from sand inundation.

Castlecliff Coast Care volunteers, supported financially by Whanganui District Council, Horizons Regional Council and The Gift Trust, have stabilised the large blow-out north of Morgan Street by planting 40,000 plants.

Dune planting / 📸 Castlecliff Coastcare 

How do you engage the wider Whanganui community in your work, and what impact have you seen from this involvement?

Castlecliff Coast Care utilises a range of ways to advertise activities.  We hold community planting events during winter and are willing to work with other groups looking for a way to contribute to their local environment.

The impact [is in the] excitement when people return and see how last year’s plants have established and grown. And the many casual conversations with our volunteers about dune ecology.

What are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced in restoring and protecting the dunes?

People riding horses, motorbikes and other vehicles through planted areas, even when they are obviously newly planted and signs have been erected asking people to stay off the plants.

How do you balance environmental restoration with public access and recreation at Castlecliff Beach?

Access tracks have been left through the foredune planted areas. Where any future planting is near car parks, access walkways will be created.

Can you share a memorable moment or success story that captures the spirit of the group’s work?

Magic Moments:  A mother helper telling her daughter, “Now we’ve planted here you’ll need to tell your cuzzy-bro that he can’t ride his motorbike down here!”. And no one has ever ridden a motorbike down there since.

Hearing a young girl down on the back dunes telling her cousin – one “who doesn’t live around here”, she later told us – about how things live under the logs on the back dunes. “Carefully roll the log, then look see to what’s there. Then you must put the log back where it was, as that’s the roof of their home. If a giant looked into your house, you’d want him to put the roof back carefully, wouldn’t you?”

She was repeating the exact words Lyn had used when talking to her school group about the creatures that live on the rear dunes and need our respect.

If anyone wants to help, what’s the best way to get involved?

• Visit the Castlecliff Coast Care website: www.castlecliffcoastcare.co.nz
• Check out future activities on the Castlecliff Coastcare Facebook page, or contact the group at ccadmin@castlecliffcoastcare.co.nz
• Come to the monthly Friends of Castlecliff Coast Care working bees. These take place on the first Monday of the month; we meet at 9.30am on the domain opposite 17 Seafront Road. For further details, contact Jan on 027 276 6697.

This is an important idea which we try to convey in words, but sometimes it’s just easier to demonstrate. So we’re walking the talk and converting our front lawn into a wildflower garden!

So far, we’ve cut and removed a large area of concrete (reusing some sections to form a new path), levelled out the existing lawn, covered it with a thick layer of brown cardboard (while being very diligent about removing plastic stickers and tape which won’t naturally break down in the ground), and covered the cardboard with soil. The next step is to spread a few big buckets of wildflower seed, and – fingers crossed – wait for nature to do the rest!

Why Rewilding Matters

Rewilding, even on a small scale, can have outsized benefits for the environment. By replacing a manicured, regularly mowed lawn with wildflowers, we’re creating a micro-habitat that supports biodiversity and resilience. Here’s what this type of transformation can bring:

• Increased Biomass: Lawns may look nice and clean, but they’re ecological deserts. Wildflowers, by contrast, offer varied root structures, foliage, and seasonal growth that contribute to richer soil and greater biomass.
• Pollinator Paradise: Bees, butterflies, and other insects thrive in wildflower environments. These pollinators are essential to food systems and ecosystems, and they’re in decline globally. We’d like our garden to become a small sanctuary.
• Carbon Sequestration: ‘Wild’ plants often have deeper root systems than turf grass, helping to store carbon and improve soil health.
• Stormwater Management: Wild lawns, with their deeper and more complex root systems, absorb rainwater more effectively than concrete or compacted turf. This helps reduce runoff and can recharge groundwater.
• Community Connection: The Black Pine studio is located on a busy suburban road near local shops, so we hope our wild lawn will invite curiosity, conversation, and joy. We see it as a living artwork that will change with the seasons!

The Living Building Challenge Connection

Our wild lawn project aligns with the principles of the Living Building Challenge (LBC), a rigorous performance standard for sustainable buildings that we actively encourage our clients to consider throughout their projects.

The LBC uses seven performance categories called ‘Petals’, each representing a key aspect of sustainable design. In this case, a wild lawn supports the ‘Place’ petal. The Place petal encourages projects to integrate with their ecological context, regenerate the environment, and honour the uniqueness of the site. In our situation, by removing concrete, rehabilitating the soil and planting wildflowers, we are:

• Restoring ecological function to a previously degraded site.
• Creating habitat for insects and birds.
• Celebrating native flora and seasonal cycles.
• Engaging the community through visible, accessible green space.

More broadly, the Place petal encourages thinking beyond buildings and to consider how, even on our small patch, we can help heal the land and inspire stewardship. For us, the wild lawn isn’t just a cosmetic change. It’s a small – but meaningful – act of ecological restoration and a gesture of generosity to our community.

We can’t wait to see what blooms this summer!

Responses were received from Whanganui candidates Hayden Potaka, Geoffrey Hipango, and Kiritahi Firmin, and Elijah Pue for Horizons (Raki Māori). Responses have been lightly edited for clarity and format.

1. How will your approach to future development uphold the mauri of our natural environment — including whenua, awa, and ngahere — and ensure intergenerational kaitiakitanga?

Elijah Pue: Future development must uphold the mauri of our natural environment by embedding principles of kaitiakitanga into planning and decision-making. This means protecting and restoring the vitality of whenua, awa, and ngahere through sustainable practices, community-led stewardship, and long-term ecological monitoring.

By involving hapū and iwi in governance and ensuring that development aligns with mātauranga Māori, Tupua Te Kawa and other kaupapa, we safeguard the spiritual and physical wellbeing of our ecosystems for future generations.

Hayden Potaka: For me, Tupua te Kawa — the intrinsic values of Te Awa Tupua — provides a guiding compass. It reminds us that all decisions we make about development, housing, and our built environment must first respect the mana and mauri of our taiao, and that people and place are inseparable.

Tupua te Kawa calls us to honour the mana of our environment and to act as kaitiaki. My approach is to ensure council development is guided by these principles, alongside Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

That means investing in infrastructure that safeguards our awa and whenua, strengthening stormwater and wastewater systems, and planning roads and pathways that are safer and more sustainable. It also means supporting papakāinga developments that restore whenua while meeting housing needs. Intergenerational kaitiakitanga means leaving our mokopuna a healthier, more resilient environment than we inherited.

Geoffrey Hipango: By bringing Iwi leadership and collaboration we are already seeing projects like Mouri Turoa where, through Awa Tupua legislation, we have seen a collaboration with DOC [Department of Conservation] that has led 259,894 native plants as part of riparian approach to protect waterways, 74.3 kms of fencing, and 143 hectares of weed control.

Kokohuia / Titoki wetlands, next to the port, where a whole collaborative community and agency approach is making transformational change in an industrial area that is also factoring in Balgownie dump site.

WDC [Whanganui District Council], Horizons, and DOC are committed to awa restorative approach through strategic framework of Heke Ngahuru as part of Awa Tupua Settlement.

I raise these as examples of the value that Māori Ward and tribal collaboration is able to set better ways of working and leveraging the efforts of this relationship. Within the above examples are the community who have an integral role to play in this.

Kiritahi Firmin: I work with our rangatahi and whanau on our papakainga on our Awa Tupua. We are a social service, and as a botanist and eco-therapist, kaitiakitanga at the heart is our rule of thumb. I’m born and raised Kaiwhaiki Marae. My kuia taught me everything I know about caring for our taiao and I do this on a daily basis.

2. In what ways will you support built environment initiatives that contribute to long-term economic wellbeing, such as reducing energy hardship and improving whānau ōhanga?

EP: Supporting built environment initiatives that enhance long-term economic wellbeing involves investing in housing and infrastructure that reduce energy hardship and empower whānau. This includes designing warm, energy-efficient homes, enabling intergenerational living, and improving access to transport, education, and employment. When communities are involved in shaping these solutions, they become more resilient, economically stable, and better equipped to thrive. Whānau Ora as an overall approach must be taken, whereby whānau are empowered to make decisions for themselves.

HP: Our whānau deserve warm, dry, affordable homes. I support energy-efficient standards, solar uptake, and insulation programmes that reduce energy hardship and allow whānau to redirect their pūtea into wellbeing. By applying Tupua te Kawa, we can design developments that strengthen both people and place. This also aligns with my campaign goal of growing local business and iwi-led enterprise — encouraging innovation, supporting Māori businesses, and developing whenua-based opportunities that create intergenerational economic wellbeing right here in Whanganui.

GH: Port Development does come to mind and requires a whole community approach, which is what Awa Tupua and strategic framework has. Having been involved with all parties it has been at times difficult but has saved considerable costs, which has been formally acknowledged. Being a trustee to Nga Tangata Tiaki has given me insight into relationships though, in my opinion, was seriously underfunded and monies that could have been put to more sustainable use by WDC.

Nga Tangata Tiaki has invested in a collaboration with Griffith University and with latest LIDAR mapping technology to scope the entirety of the Whanganui River catchment – this data will inform where best bang for buck investment should be concentrated on to reduce negative impacts of sediment. It would then be able to secure from this data further collaboration with Horizons, Ministry Environment, DOC and, where appropriate, WDC. As Māori Ward, my efforts would be to ensure advocacy and monitoring that this relationship is occurring and what are the measurables.

Forums involving the above, community and hapu are occurring. It’s a slow process but it is gradually reaping buy-in.

KF: We are resource consented and all-go to place a marae and eight whare on our whenua before the end of the year.

3. How will your policies promote the use of healthy building materials and systems that enhance the hauora of our tamariki, rangatahi, and kaumātua?

EP: Promoting healthy building materials and systems is essential for the hauora of tamariki, rangatahi, and kaumātua. This means using non-toxic, breathable materials and incorporating design features that support physical, mental, and cultural wellbeing — such as natural light, ventilation, and spaces for connection.

I learnt lots about this during the development of social housing on my time on the Ruapehu District Council. Buildings should reflect the values and needs of those who use them, creating environments that nurture health and dignity across all stages of life — and not used as political posturing, but wellbeing at heart.

HP: Healthy buildings mean healthy communities. I will advocate for the use of non-toxic, durable, and locally sourced materials that protect the hauora of tamariki, rangatahi, and kaumātua.

This aligns with Tupua te Kawa, recognising the interconnectedness of people and the environment. By encouraging innovation in design and building systems, we can reduce long-term costs, improve wellbeing, and create new opportunities for local businesses. This is part of my broader commitment to resilient infrastructure, thriving communities, and a sustainable local economy.

GH: [With respect to] “healthy building materials”, if you are referring to affordable homes that meet requirements for healthy living, I would be supportive if WDC has identified this as a need to increase access to housing.

My question would be: is the housing trust they are putting together for WDC only housing initiatives, or is this a trust that speeds process for private sector commercial development? Again, WDC should be the enabler for this, and I would be supportive of reducing inefficiencies within WDC bureaucracy – faster building consent and review of district plan that inhibits and does not reflect the housing needs of today.

There are a number of housing initiatives that are being planned and have been advanced by private sector organisations. A preference, if affordable, is for local building industry and tradies that in turn supports economic growth, but this needs to follow responsible housing planning, access to green space, and proximity for services. WDC needs to be able to secure crown infrastructure funding. I’m not overly in favour of WDC building homes – that to me is not the core role. The detail is in the proposed housing trust.

Please also note that marae and Iwi have identified and have advanced housing initiatives for Whanganui community. Access to prime land should also feature and have advanced this planning, inclusive of tiny home development, housing for the elderly, and transitional homes.

It is imperative that we have essential services within our communities. WDC is an enabler for this to occur. As a former practitioner, manager and governance for 35 years in the health and social service industry, the housing crisis which impacts on health is a multisystemic focus that WDC resource consenting and planning – trades, building industry, private development and community with Govt support – must address.

Iwi have also recognised this and have built a tribal economy that is only going to strengthen; refer to the recently released Nga Tangata Tiaki Annual Accounts 2025. Therefore, partnership with Iwi is critical going forward as investment will be localised.

Te Oranganui Trust – with 200 staff, GP services, community nurses, and working with vulnerable communities – are in process of a long-term lease with old St George School buildings. This is a good example of tribal investment taking over from a building that WDC would have had to carry the financial burden and providing much needed health and social services to the community.

Maori Wards add value to WDC and the community we all live in because we recognise the impact that our tribal organisations have but are seldom acknowledged – [they are] invisible.

KF: Our people building whare need to have access to all technology, information, etc, that discuss and showcase healthy building materials. Materials that don’t cost an arm and a leg. Materials that we can test. Materials that we can understand and see the benefits, financially and for our hauora.

Building our papakainga and working with civil and construction contractors, these discussions don’t come into play. Sadly, we’ve not had the luxury of having these discussions beforehand.

Note: Responses have been lightly edited for clarity and format.

1. As a UNESCO City of Design, what will you do to improve the integration of housing, transport, and public services (e.g. parks, schools, hospitals) to make Whanganui a more liveable city?

Josh Chandulal-Mackay: During the next term of council a key piece of work will be the development of a spatial plan for Whanganui. This will sit over the top of key regulatory plans like Whanganui’s district plan and will consider how to achieve sustainable growth over the next several decades.

Central to this is making sure that growth takes into consideration proximity to green space, access to recreational activities, housing density, flood mitigation, and land availability across agricultural, industrial, commercial and residential development. It will consider access to public transport, cycleways, footpaths, parking and the other aspects of what makes a liveable community.

The role of the mayor will be to act as a champion for the process, and to lead the conversation with the community.

Peter Oskam: UNESCO City of Design is a defining feature for Whanganui. It gives us license to start with a clean slate in everything we do. To become more human-centred in our designs, this encompasses software, policies, processes, products and, architecturally, I feel this could play a big role in progressing Whanganui’s CBD.

I am not overly precious over some of our heritage buildings and good new design of building and city living with the interaction of visitors can be seen as our new heritage.

Andrew Tripe: Cut the red tape: make building consents faster, cheaper and easier, enabling much-needed housing for our community. Deliver more housing: set up a housing trust to build 1,000 houses over the next decade at no cost to the ratepayer. Plus make infill housing easier, and enable smaller blocks on peri-urban land as well as second-storey apartments on Victoria Ave.

2. How important to you is it that the council’s new housing entity eliminates fuel poverty and improves a sense of community for its residents?

JCM: It is essential that the new housing entity considers the needs of the tenants who’ll be the people most affected by new affordable housing developments. The two foremost priorities are security of tenancy and affordable rents, alongside access to social services, well-being support and broader community connection. Loneliness is a major cause of death for older people and it’s imperative that the new housing entity prioritises human-centred design to combat loneliness.

AT: Incredibly important. I have spoken to those people who live in social and community housing, and public transport and walking distance to shops and libraries is vital to their wellbeing. [As is] mixed tenancy: number of bedrooms, age of tenants, etc.

3. What is one architectural initiative you would champion as mayor that could leave a lasting legacy for Whanganui?

JCM: My policy platform is split into five key strands, one of them being ‘Whanganui as a Centre of Design & Culture’. As part of this strand, I am proposing to begin preliminary discussion with iwi about the development of a Te Awa Tupua Cultural Centre for Whanganui.

This is a long-term aspirational project that will require a long lead-in time and a Herculean fundraising effort, however it can build on the eco-cultural hub feasibility study already completed by the Regional Māori Tourism Organisation. The centre would celebrate Te Awa Tupua and would explore 600+ years of indigenous settlement along the banks of the Awa and how that history has woven and intermingled with colonial settlement post-1840.

AT: I have three!

• Retaining heritage and mixing heritage with modern.
• Floating River Amphitheatre: A performance and events stage that literally floats on the Whanganui River, linking culture and community with the awa.
• The Light of Whanganui: An iconic lighthouse-like structure at the river mouth, powered by renewable energy, symbolising guidance, resilience, and progress.

You can read more about each candidate and their policies on their campaign websites: 

• Josh Chandulal-Mackay – www.joshformayor.co.nz
• Peter Oskam – www.oskamformayor.org
• Andrew Tripe – www.andrewtripeformayor.nz

What materials can you use? Is it more expensive? How much energy does it save? A lot of important, basic questions get thrown our way, so we’ve popped some of them into a super-quick FAQ post to help get you thinking…

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What is the Passivhaus standard?
Passivhaus is a performance standard for buildings that prioritises energy efficiency, comfort, and low environmental impact, requiring very little energy for heating or cooling.

What materials do Passivhaus builds use?
Anything. The Passivhaus standard is measured by performance – not what the building is made of. Using natural and sustainable materials is the gold standard (and is what we prefer), but in practice any building material can be used.

Are Passivhaus standards only for houses?
No. Passivhaus design criteria can be applied to all building types; schools, offices, apartment blocks – you name it.

Does a Passvhaus build have to be certified?
No. Certification is an official third-party endorsement that recognises your building meets the absolute highest standards of energy efficiency. There’s no obligation to get certified, but if you’ve gone to the effort of building to Passivhaus standards, why wouldn’t you?!

Is building to the Passivhaus standard more expensive?
It depends on the project. Initial construction costs may be higher (e.g. you might add more insulation compared to a non-Passivhaus build), but long-term savings from reduced energy bills can offset the investment. And that’s not to mention the potential long-term health benefits of living in a home with an even temperature and improved air quality.

Do all Passivhaus standard builds have the same ‘look’?
No. A Passivhaus project can be designed to look how you want. However, it’s important to remember that performance and efficiency is a key part of the design mix, alongside functionality and aesthetics.

Does a Passivhaus building require additional heating?
Usually not, but there are exceptions that flow from performance-based calculations made during the design process. For example, if a single person is living in a Passivhaus designed for four people, that person will be giving off less residual “body warmth” and perhaps using fewer appliances (like ovens) which would otherwise help heat the internal space. In this scenario, the sole occupant may want to add some extra warmth via a heater but, in general, additional heating is not required. Ditto for fans and cooling systems.

Can existing buildings be retrofitted to Passivhaus standards?
Absolutely. Retrofitting to Passivhaus standards is an excellent way to improve the comfort and energy efficiency of older buildings. This can be done with a whole project view, but some people choose to do it in stages, improving one part of a building at a time to make the process more manageable.

How much energy does Passivhaus save?
A lot! Compared to a typical building, Passivhaus standards use up to 90% less spatial heating and cooling energy versus a traditional build, and up to 75% compared with new builds. You can dig into some of the numbers here.

Do Passivhaus certified buildings need renewable energy?
No. There’s no requirement for Passivhaus buildings to use renewables to meet standards. However, as part of the wider ethos of minimising the long-term environmental footprint, from our perspective it makes sense to pursue renewables – including net-zero or energy-positive buildings – wherever possible.

Are Passivhaus certified buildings suitable in any climate?
Definitely! A Passivhaus design will make the most of the natural conditions, including topography and orientation, and can be adapted for all climates, from cold or alpine environments to hotter, more humid zones.

Got a Passivhaus question? Get in touch.

The competition, organised by Te Kāhui Whaihanga New Zealand Institute of Architects, is held annually as a series of regional events celebrating the best new architecture across the country. It includes projects of all shapes and sizes, from commercial and public spaces to education, housing, and heritage.

The local award came in the Housing category for Martins Farmhouse, an off-grid sustainable project in Fordell, just outside Whanganui, for which we were able to use our Passivhaus certification and experience to collaborate in a contract administration, observation and site supervision role to help guide and manage the project on the ground. Overall design credit for this project goes to the lovely team at Energy Architecture.

The farmhouse was designed and certified to Passivhaus standards, meaning it must meet strict criteria around energy efficiency and comfort. This building is constructed with natural materials including straw, clay, and sustainably grown timber to create an airtight, low-carbon dwelling that is modern and comfortable.

It was really neat seeing this little rural project up in lights against some of the biggest and most high-profile architectural projects in our region, and we’d like to give a HUGE shout-out to the clients for having the bravery and belief to commit to a truly sustainable project, as well as the builders and other collaborators who helped bring the project to life.

For the wider 2025 NZIA awards, Black Pine was privileged to have had four projects shortlisted in three different regions. In addition to the Martins Farmhouse, we were also shortlisted for a home extension in Whanganui East, a certified PHI low energy home in Hawkes Bay, and a low energy alpine retreat in Cromwell.

It’s extremely exciting, stimulating and challenging for us as architects to work on such a variety of projects in very different environments, and we thank all our clients deeply for the opportunities. These are the people living and working in these spaces, so to have them tell us they love their homes more and more every day makes us very proud of the work we’ve contributed. Any award is just a bonus.

You can view the award winners on the NZIA website.

Martins Farmhouse Open Day

The homeowners of the Martins Farmhouse are hosting open days on July 19-20, 2025. This is an opportunity to come and experience firsthand the benefits of Passivhaus, see how a modern home can be made with straw, clay, and other natural building materials, and ask questions of the architects, builders and homeowners.

The open days will be free, but bookings are required: email martinsfarmhouse@fastmail.com.

📸 Image credit: Andy Spain

Over time, these buildings have become the centres of coastal communities, the hubs for generations of recreation, education, and social gatherings. Many have been there so long that they’re now viewed as iconic pieces of architecture – even if that was never the intention.

Waimarama Surf Life Saving Club / 📸 NZIA

Because they’re often the only significant manmade structure in sight, surf clubs are a reassuring presence. The red and yellow flags in summer. Lifeguards zipping about in their bright orange inflatables. The prospect of a bathroom when your kids really need to go. They’re familiar to the point that these places are just there, and it’s strange to imagine how a beach might look, or feel, without them.

But beaches are brutal environments for buildings. The wind is incessant. Sand blasts and salt corrodes. Rain drives in at impossible angles. Over time, that takes its toll. Many of the historic clubs dotted around the country were originally built in the 1950s and 1960s, and they’re now approaching a crossroads.

Designed for a different era – and often by volunteers with limited resources – these older buildings are thickly coated with nostalgia but can struggle to meet the changing operational demands and safety standards of modern surf lifesaving.

New Brighton Surf Lifesaving Club / 📸 DINZ

In recent years, clubs up and down the country have been undertaking major refurbishment projects and, from an architectural perspective, these present especially exciting and interesting (not to mention challenging) opportunities.

Examples across New Zealand – and indeed Australia where surf club culture is even more deeply embedded –  over the last decade or so demonstrate there’s no one right way to design (or redesign) a surf club. Just as every beach is different, so is the building erected to watch over it. Some favour function over form. Others have a deeper architectural narrative that tries to match the local mood; golden sand to light timbers; iron sand to darker driftwood and charred finishes. Encouraging use of natural and sustainable materials is obvious, but each approach, method and material will have its merits, based on the specific needs of the club and the environment in which it sits.

Considerations must also be made for climate resilience, whether it be bigger storms and rising tides, advancing or receding dunes, or wildlife and nature restoration efforts. And budgets are inevitably constrained; while often assisted by the national surf lifesaving body and councils, individual surf clubs tend to rely heavily on volunteers, local fundraising, and corporate sponsorship to make up the (often significant) shortfall.

Lyall Bay Surf Club / 📸 Andy Spain

Then there’s visual beauty. This is a hard concept to define, but the Living Building Challenge provides a helpful guide in the idea of “beauty” in design being focused on elements that enhance the public realm – think public art and other visual features that celebrate the culture and spirit of a place.

Good design can thread all these needles, but you could argue it’s that underlying goodwill and community involvement that can have an outsized influence in the success of such projects. The more a community is engaged, the more involved it becomes, the more the project is loved, and the better the outcome can be.

After all, beaches remain one of our most egalitarian spaces. Anyone, of any age, from any walk of life, is free to go there. The surf clubs that dot those beaches may be run by, and for, members, but they serve everyone: if you’re in trouble, someone will emerge, as if by magic, from one of these iconic structures to rescue you. That’s a truly wonderful thing.

So, these projects aren’t simply about replacing outdated facilities; they’re also a chance to re-imagine the role these clubs can have within our communities. As the next chapter of New Zealand’s surf lifesaving story is written, architecture will hopefully be a feature in helping form deeper community connections and ensuring these vital institutions continue to thrive for generations to come.