Outstanding landscape architecture: New Zealand Institute of Landscape Architects awards

by Metropol | October 28, 2026 8:33 am

Three Christchurch landscape architecture projects have been shortlisted for the national Resene New Zealand Institute of Landscape Architects awards.

Three sites in Ōtautahi have made it onto a nationwide shortlist of outstanding landscape architecture.

They are the Dallington Bridge Ōtākaro Avon River Corridor, Te Kuru wetland, and stages 1 and 2 of Te Hurihanga ō Rangatahi – Youth Hub Christchurch.

Ralph Johns, President of Tuia Pito Ora New Zealand Institute of Landscape Architects (NZILA), says the countdown is now on for the announcement of final awards at the biannual
Resene NZILA Awards Gala to be held at the One New Zealand Stadium in Ōtautahi on Thursday 5 November.

“Having 47 contenders for higher honours from across our 14 award categories is a sign of the scope, vitality, depth and breadth of the work performed by landscape architects on projects of every scale. This is a dedicated profession that applies its expertise to ensuring that the towns, cities and communities we all call home are made more liveable, and that landscape architecture makes our environments better than we find them,” says Ralph.

Ōtākaro Avon River Corridor (ŌARC), a 600-hectare residential red-zone area transformed into an open-space and ecological network following the Christchurch earthquakes.

The Dallington Bridge Ōtākaro Avon River Corridor, a project with landscape architecture by Isthmus Group for the Christchurch City Council, is in the running for a He Iti Pounamu award for small projects. Other contenders in this category include the Karanga Jump Platform in Auckland (LandLAB) and Heke Rua Archives in Wellington (Boffa Miskell).

Christchurch City Council entered its own landscape architecture team for Te Kuru, under the Parks, Open Spaces and Recreation category.

The combined work of three locally based Christchurch companies has been put forward for the Landscapes of Care category in the 2026 Resene NZILA Awards, for the design of the outdoor spaces at Te Hurihanga ō Rangatahi – Youth Hub Christchurch. The jointly entered Christchurch companies are Botanic Landscape Architects, Wood Landscape Architecture and Field Studio of Architecture + Urbanism. For more information, nzila.co.nz/awards/2026-shortlist

Te Kuru park and wetland complex in lower Cashmere is a major new greenspace offering 14km of cycling and walking paths.

Source URL: https://metropol.co.nz/outstanding-landscape-architecture-new-zealand-institute-of-landscape-architects-awards/