Keeping it natural: Natural Habitats
With a history spanning 45 years, Natural Habitats has carved out a reputation for creating and maintaining award winning landscapes, green walls and green roofs from Whangarei all the way down to Invercargill.
At last month’s Landscapes of Distinction Awards 2022, the company received the most awards (21) across all categories, including construction, horticulture
and maintenance.
Natural Habitats South Island Regional Manager, Ashley Shadbolt is thrilled by the multiple award wins.
“Our clients put a great deal of trust in us to create beautiful landscapes and it’s rewarding to know that work is of a premier standard. Commercial landscapes have their own unique challenges,” says Shadbolt.
“While our residential and commercial clients share similar sentiments on budgets and timelines, commercial projects require significantly more planning.”
The company’s construction for St John’s picturesque Cromwell Garden won gold in the commercial section. The garden is a peaceful haven, incorporating natives and exotics typical for the region including iconic stone fruit trees.
“St John was a fantastic client, and the location was stunning. To be able to deliver a landscape for ambulance drivers who we all rely on and who help save lives was incredibly rewarding.”
Natural Habitats’ work on stage two of the Southern Motorway scored silver in the Commercial Horticulture category. Ashley Shadbolt says the award recognises the amount of planning and work involved in such a big project.
“We encountered many hurdles. It’s not as easy as just putting plants in the ground. There’s a lot of organisation behind the scenes to deliver projects of this scale.”
Silver and bronze were awarded for the company’s work on the Arrowtown Lifestyle Village. Their work at Ryman Healthcare’s Kevin Hickman Village in Christchurch also won bronze.
“We bend over backwards to create landscapes our clients will love so it’s really great to have our team’s hard work recognised at a national level.”
