That kind of philosophy resonates with us, and Black Pine has worked with Sam on various projects; most recently he planned the garden spaces at The Avenue Hotel / Glasshouse restaurant, and his early guidance was essential to the success of our wildflower garden.

Conversations with Sam tend to leave you feeling enlightened and/or inspired, so we’re very grateful that he agreed to stop in for a chat and record some thoughts around our two respective worlds — the intersection of landscape design and architecture — and how they work together (or, perhaps, don’t…).

Enjoy!

Note: Responses have been lightly edited for flow.

1. A design approach we love at Black Pine is around the idea that “buildings don’t stop at the walls.” From a landscape designer’s perspective, where does architecture end and the garden begin—or is that the wrong way to think about it?

Maybe it is the wrong way to think about it! I recently spoke to someone who said they were thinking of buildings in terms of terrain. This approach then lends itself to things like green roofs and vertical gardens, not just your stereotypical landscaping zones. These spaces can be interspersed with plants, because plants will grow anywhere. You can have vertical or horizontal spaces with very little of what we would recognise as soil and yet plants will grow there. Apart from the polar extremes — something will grow in any situation.

A great example is the vertical garden in the Durie Hill Elevator [pictured below], where you’ve got a hundred metre long tunnel under a hill and there are still plants growing there. That’s probably as close to pure architecture as you can get while still having plants amongst it. So, if you’re looking at landscape design being inherently connected to plants, there’s really no limit to where one should stop and another should start.

“Plants will grow anywhere.” Case in point: the depths of the Durie Hill Elevator tunnel.

2. Many homeowners treat the garden as something to tackle after the build is complete. What are the missed opportunities in not considering landscape design from the very beginning?

In many ways gardens are inherently connected to time, so thinking about a garden after you’ve built the building is basically a huge loss of time. If you can plant something at the same time as you get builders on site — it might not be the plantings in and around the house, but maybe it’s boundary plantings or shelter in a bare paddock — then you might gain 18 months or two years’ worth of growth, depending on how long the build takes.

There’s also this thing of people forgetting about gardens and the budget that’s required. Often a garden is an afterthought and has a budget to match. Yet when you drive up to your home, what’s the first thing most people see? It’s very often the landscaping. Even if it’s largely unnoticed, the lead-up from the driveway or path to the front door usually includes plants in some way.

The other thing that’s really important during a build is soil. Often people begin a build by digging out the foundations and so the topsoil gets scraped off and taken off site. Then, to put the gardens in place later, they’ll bring in new topsoil. If we relate that back to lost time, good topsoil can take up to 50 years or more to form. So, if you take that existing 50 years’ worth of topsoil off site and expect to replace it with something else, you’re probably mistaken and you’ve probably created some amount of unnecessary work. It’s time that you’ve undermined when there’s already a huge resource that you’ve got on your property from the outset.

3. Construction can be tough on a site, particularly in terms of soil health and structure. How can early landscape planning help protect or enhance these natural systems?

Helen Elks-Smith in the UK wrote a while ago about protecting the soils to the extent where areas [of a construction site] are marked off and people are not allowed to go — you can’t park vans there, you can’t dump rubbish there, it’s basically just cordoned off for the whole of the build in order to protect the soil.

The soil is so often forgotten about because it’s just under people’s feet and not seen, but there’s a huge amount of life there; mycelium networks, micro bacteria, whole living entities that tend to get scraped off to put in foundations, or just thrown out.

And when you have things like concrete runoff, or people washing out paint buckets or plaster, that’s damaging the soil and your potential ability to grow healthy plants. Damaged soil takes a long time to recover, and it means you’re not only trying to grow a garden, but also doing remediation work to improve the soil that you’ve, potentially, needlessly disrupted or destroyed.

“The landscape project, unlike the architectural project, is never really finished”

4. A building can be completed in months, but a garden can take years to fully mature. How should that difference in timeframe influence the way clients and designers approach a project?

If you’re looking at it just being a landscaping project, it’s worth bearing in mind that it’s probably never going to be finished!

A garden is not like a building. You might plant a whole bunch of trees and then under-plant them and, in the first five years, everything will be fine. But all the time the canopy is increasing, which affects the amount of water and sunlight available to that understorey. So, you might then have to go in and change your planting underneath the trees to be more shade tolerant. And you might have to do that again because after 15 or 20 years the tree might die or get damaged in a storm and you’re left with a big open space where light floods in and all those shade-loving plants can no longer survive!

The landscape project, unlike the architectural project, is never really finished, and I think that’s a very pertinent point to remember — landscape design starts once the garden has been planted.

5. In your experience, how can thoughtful planting design—particularly the use of natives or layered planting—reduce long-term maintenance while still delivering a rich, engaging landscape?

They’re inseparable, really. A lot of the problems you see around public gardens and commercial spaces — and this often feeds into residential gardens — is that gardens are underplanted, so their maintenance often gets reduced to chemicals and machinery. There isn’t enough relying on plants to do the work for you, when they’ve spent millennia evolving to fit that purpose. You can use hierarchical layering – let’s say some ground cover, grasses and perennials, then shrubs above that, then your trees above that – to create an environment that basically prevents weeds. A friend of mine says that a lot of weeds are only there for the sun, so as soon as you take that away they’re not going to want to grow.

A lot of weeds are just there to protect their food source, which is the soil, so once you have that covered, they’ll die back. Mulch is great for that, but why would you just want to look at bark when you can look at layers of plants and flowers and have colour?

“Why would you just want to look at bark when you can look at layers of plants and flowers and have colour?”

6. What are some simple but impactful ways architecture and landscape can work together to improve everyday living—things people might not notice immediately, but would definitely feel over time?

I think one thing that would make a big difference over time would be the creation of shade. And that’s not just shade to sit under, because when you have bigger plants and bigger trees, they’ll actually lower the surrounding ambient temperature. Without getting into the technical stuff, when it’s hot plants essentially sweat a little bit and that water vapour helps reduce the ambient temperature. Having bigger plants also helps protect from wind. These are positive long-term benefits they can make to your quality of life.

You know, people go and visit established gardens because they like to be in amongst plants. I find it quite strange when people buy a section, especially big lifestyle blocks, and they’ll build a lovely house but leave it at that. It kind of looks to me like a pimple on a hill, because it doesn’t have any context around it, there’s nowhere for it to hide, there’s no landscape for it to nestle into.

I feel like, given where we are in history and the state of the planet, if you have a bit of land, even if it’s a small residential garden, you have an obligation to plant a tree or some shrubs. I feel a bit brutal saying it, but there is a long-term benefit there!

7. For homeowners at the very start of their journey, what’s one shift in thinking that would lead to better integration between their house design and their outdoor spaces?

Designing them in tandem is pretty much the long and short of it! If people want true indoor-outdoor flow, you need to be designing the garden at the same time as the house, and vice versa.

There’s all those benefits we’ve discussed about soil health and not wasting the resources you already have on your property, but that can extend further. Like, if you’re doing a renovation, think about reusing things like bricks and concrete blocks in the garden. Sure, there might be a little bit of labour involved in tidying up some of those materials, but when you compare it to the cost and the energy that’s spent producing new materials for new builds, it’s significant.

As I said before, what we recognize as soil isn’t the only place plants will grow. A lot of research and practice is being done into different substrates at the moment. More and more crushed concrete is being specified for garden use. So get yourself a contractor with access to a concrete crusher and make use of that old livestock yard or shed pad.

Garden planning should be done hand in hand [with building design] and not treated as an afterthought. The reality is the plants you put in will probably outlive the house, so don’t overlook their impact!

Follow Sam on Instagram at @sammooregardendesign

This has been a massive project in every sense, so we’re grateful for the opportunity to share some of the design thinking that went into the rebuild.

To view the full feature, visit the River City Press print archive (July 9, 2026 edition, pg 12). The below transcripts have been republished with permission. 

Designing Whanganui’s Newest Dining Destination

When The Avenue Hotel set out to bring Glasshouse to life, its owners could have spent the budget on a generic building that housed a restaurant. Instead, they chose to invest in good design — and that decision is something you feel the moment you walk in.

The first thing you notice — apart, perhaps, from all the curved timber — may be something you don’t notice at all: you can hold a conversation over dinner without raising your voice.

According to Duncan Sinclair, whose team at Black Pine Architects led the redesign, that’s a deliberate decision.

“The overall design approach was about trying to create a positive hospitality experience by promoting things like natural light, fresh air, sustainable materials, and creating comfortable, inclusive spaces for guests and staff,” he says.

“So when you talk about good acoustics, that’s not an accident. It’s a result of the care that went into designing the panelling woven into the walls and ceilings, so the room feels calm no matter how full it gets.”

That depth of thinking has been applied across the space, where floor-to-ceiling glazing and skylights draw light in from every side, planters bring greenery into the joinery itself, and that curved timber detailing softens the structure into something that feels less dining hall and more living room.

Much of the design, though, is work you never see: insulation that keeps all seating areas warm; even daylight that means less glare and fewer lights on; fresh air constantly being drawn in.

Says Duncan, “As architects, our role is to be across all the little details while keeping hold of the bigger vision. Having guided this rebuild from the beginning, it’s hard to overstate the amount of thought and effort that’s gone into it.”

To implement the design, Duncan credits the skill of Whanganui’s local trades and contractors.

“A project of this scale needed an army of highly skilled tradies, and they did a wonderful job. Some of the mahi may be more visible than others, but the end result belongs to everyone.

“We’re proud to have played our part, and really excited about what Glasshouse adds to Whanganui’s hospitality scene.”

Good Design Leaves a Lasting Legacy

Reshma Cherian and Duncan Sinclair of Black Pine Architects

When people talk about good design, the conversation often focuses on appearance. But the true value of design runs deeper than aesthetics.

Good design creates places people want to spend time in. It supports businesses, strengthens communities, improves wellbeing, and ultimately creates more valuable assets.

According to Duncan Sinclair of Black Pine Architects, that’s why smart leaders see investing in design as an intelligent business decision.

“The most successful projects are the ones that think carefully about how a building will perform, how people will experience it, and how it will age over the next 20, 50, or 100 years,” he says.

For decades, sustainable and environmentally conscious design was often viewed as being at odds with commercial outcomes. Today, that thinking has moved on.

Frameworks like the Living Building Challenge encourage designers to consider not only how buildings minimise their environmental impact, but how they contribute positively to the health of people and ecosystems. Duncan believes these principles enhance the potential for commercial success.

“There’s a misconception that sustainability or healthy-building principles come at the expense of commercial returns,” he says. “In reality, they’re closely linked. Buildings that are nicer to be in, more efficient to operate, and more connected to their environment are more desirable places to live, work, visit, and invest in.”

The same thinking sits behind biophilic design, which recognises the benefits of connecting people with nature through light, planting, fresh air and natural materials. An example of these regenerative principles can be seen in the gardens at the Glasshouse precinct; while newly established, they will mature into an important green space within a busy part of the city.

For Black Pine, that long-term view is captured in the practice’s commitment to being “good ancestors” and kaitiaki.

“We try to think beyond immediate outcomes,” says Duncan. “The question isn’t just whether a project works on opening day. It’s whether it will still be adding value to the community decades from now.”

With Whanganui being New Zealand’s only UNESCO City of Design, and in a year that will see it host the inaugural Festival of Design, that mindset feels especially relevant. As Duncan sees it, investing in thoughtful design is ultimately an investment in Whanganui itself.

“Good design creates places people remember. It creates stronger businesses, more resilient communities, and buildings that hold their value over time. That’s why design matters.”

Recertification happens every three years — and the criteria is arguably more rigorous than ever — which means there’s no chance to slack off! To keep B Corp status, all those standards of social and environmental performance, transparency, accountability, and more, need to be baked into every little business decision. It’s a total cliche, but you’ve got to live the values every day.

That in mind, we were delighted to be approached by Caroline Thalund from sustainability/ESG management consultancy s360 Solutions who was launching a new ‘B Inspired‘ series sharing good news stories about New Zealand B Corps doing positive things in their part of the world. Our wildflower garden had proven a hit with the community, so she invited us to share a bit of background on the re-wilding project alongside some wider thoughts on Black Pine’s route to B Corp-ness.

You can check out the feature here, or just hit the image link below. We’re really grateful for the opportunity to be involved!

It’s a jaw-dropping location, the owners had an amazing vision, and we worked with some wonderful and highly skilled people to bring this project to life, so we’re stoked to have the chance to chat about the design and see the home getting some extra recognition.

“It’s hard to describe just how good this house feels to be in,” Duncan says of the Otago oasis. “The alpine environment is incredibly harsh – the snow in winter, the brutally hot summers – but as soon as you step inside, it’s t-shirt and shorts weather, no matter the season. That’s the assurance of comfort you get from Passivhaus-informed design.”

You can read the full feature here.

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