Speaking up at Adaptation Futures 2025
The voices of Aotearoa-based landscape architects, and those from allied communities of practice, made a notable contribution throughout the multi-layered levels of activity associated with the Adaptation Futures 2025 conference held in Ōtautahi Christchurch across 12-17 October.
Those voices included Mapihi Martin-Paul, Kaiarataki Te Hīhiri - Strategic Advisor Māori at Boffa Miskell, who, along with colleague Gabe Ross spoke on the topic of ‘Restoring Rangatiratanga: Indigenous-Led Approaches to Climate Resilience and Floodplain Management New Zealand’ - a prevailing and overarching theme of the conference.
Left photo: Mapihi Martin-Paul and Gabe Ross of Boffa Miskell; Right photo: Dave Little, Manager Residential Red Zone - Christchurch City Council, delivered a presentation at Adaptation Futures 2025 titled ‘Retreat isn’t the End - It’s the Start of Smarter Land use. Lessons from the Ōtākaro Avon River Corridor’.
Cutting Our Own Track: A presentation featuring representatives from Isthmus, Buller District Council, Resilient Westport and Buller High School.
Representatives from Isthmus were front-and-centre for a standout panel on day one that addressed the vexed topic of managed retreat under the title heading of ‘Cutting our own Track. Adaptation Action in Westport is Leading Aotearoa. If not now, Then When? If not Us, Then who?’.
This genuinely frank and emotive discussion featured Isthmus founder David Irwin and principal Helen Kerr, alongside former Buller District Council Mayor Jamie Cleine, BDC’s Growth and Development Manager Paul Zaanen, Resilient Westport’s Stephanie Newburry and two Buller High students: Toroa Charteris and Zabeel Scanlan.
At other sessions and workshops WSP New Zealand was represented in a range of cross-disciplinary presentations, including ‘Te Wāhi Pūtahi: Many Waters, One River’ delivered by Dr Alayna Rā, Indigenous Design Director and Dr Rowan Dixon, Associate Director - Strategic Advisory - Climate Change, Resilience and Sustainability.
Alayna Rā and Rowan Dixon of WSP New Zealand.
Editorial Note:
Wearing an accredited media lanyard, LAA raced between an approximate total of 50 presentations during the four days of Adaptation Futures 2025. A small series of articles based off this landmark event will appear into November, to begin with a ‘curated’ replay of the synchronised Christchurch Conversations event on Urban Climate Adaptation staged by the Te Pūtahi Centre for Architecture and City Making on Wednesday 15 October - at which Helen Kerr, Principal at Isthmus, was one of five panel members.