INTERWOVEN: An exhibition in the making
Front row, left to right: Allessandra Kitley (BLA), Jodi Choi (BLA), Devika Harshan (MLA), Becky Griffin (BLA), Yash Sharma (not doing Major Design); Back row, left to right: Lucy Rennie (BLA), Steven Stewart (MLA), Hamish Paice (BLA), Keinyo White (not doing Major Design), George Esson (BLA).
The opening date of 3 November for INTERWOVEN - the 2026 Lincoln University Landscape Architecture graduating MLA and BLA (Hons) exhibition - is fast approaching.
To promote interest in the exhibition, students in this year's cohort who have undertaken Major Design projects have supplied some brief introductions to themselves and their projects below.
Allessandra Kitley: I grew up between Banks Peninsula and Christchurch and was drawn to landscape architecture through my love of art and Te Taiao. My Major Design project, ‘Forged by Fire and Time: A Resilient Whakapapa’, explores landscape dynamism within Tongariro National Park, re-envisioning Whakapapa Village as a resilient and culturally grounded alpine destination that honours its intergenerational, cultural and ecological origins. I was fortunate to be shortlisted for the 2026 NZILA Awards for my project ‘Whakaraupō: Interwoven Rhythms, A Chorus of Life’. Outside landscape architecture, I enjoy creativity, culture and the outdoors, and I am excited for the next step in my career.
Jodi Choi: After finishing high school in Christchurch, I started out in Health related studies at the University of Otago, driven by a desire to help people. However, I soon realised I was missing a creative outlet. After being introduced to landscape architecture by my dad, I was drawn to its focus on sustainability, nature and the future. Throughout my studies, I’ve explored concepts including Ki Uta Ki Tai, mahinga kai, interpretive landscapes and naturebased solutions for multiple species. My final year project brings these ideas to South Dunedin’s flooding challenges, proposing a large-scale wetland alongside strategic densification of drier land.
Devika Harshan: Growing up in Kerala, a little state in southern India fondly known as “God’s Own Country”, meant being surrounded by nature from an early age. After completing my Bachelor of Architecture, a chance to work on a landscape project while practising architecture sparked a deeper curiosity about nature and how we design with it. My Major Design explores Dallington’s post-earthquake red zone, imagining a landscape that evolves with natural processes while keeping traces of collective memory alive. One of my biggest learnings has been seeing landscapes as something constantly changing rather than fixed. Outside design, I love photography, travelling, painting and pottery.
Becky Griffin: My mother and grandmother, both adventurous, creative women, inspired my passion for gardening, horse riding, skiing, design and painting. They encouraged me to achieve the Mavis Atkinson Prize for Best Painting of New Zealand Flora and work as counsellor/ riding instructor for Camp America. I found Landscape Architecture combined my interests in ecology, artistic thinking and human society. Lake Ōhau’s dramatic topography and climate are stunning and dangerous, which forms my and many others' relationship with this land. I aim to create a cohesive village that protects against wildfires, restores habitat, connects people and places, highlighting the site's unique experiences.
Lucy Rennie: I'm lucky to call two beautiful coastal towns home: Hahei on the Coromandel's east coast, and Raglan on Waikato's west coast. Growing up in landscapes that are both beautiful and dynamic, with very real impacts on their communities. I love being outdoors surfing, running and tramping, and getting messy with pottery, painting and drawing. Landscape Architecture is the perfect blend of it all - it sits at the crossroads of art and the natural environment, and my desire to make impactful change. My Major Design Project is based in Whāingaroa, Raglan: A design focused on strengthening and future-proofing the township's unique character while supporting a vibrant, growing community. Eager to see what lies ahead in my journey!
Steven Stewart: Born in Australia and growing up in Christchurch, New Zealand, I consider myself Antipodean at heart. Having travelled and lived overseas for some years and returning last year to study, I have renewed appreciation for the wide-open spaces and peaceful, green life that New Zealand offers. I’ve always had a passion for the preservation and restoration of our environment and returning to study landscape architecture is really the fulfilment of that dream. For me landscape architecture is the interface of the social and environmental dimensions of human experience. To have the chance to design within this space is both a humbling responsibility and an exciting opportunity. My major design site is Prebbleton, Canterbury and the vision is to provide an alternative model for subdivision design, one that connects people to place and each other. I aim to achieve this via an incorporation of shared spaces and circulation, retention of productive agricultural land, and a mixed use, new urbanist style edge to facilitate a relocalisation of the economy.
Hamish Paice: I grew up on the Kāpiti Coast and in central Wellington, I spent my early career in first response in Christchurch. COVID led me to landscaping, which eventually inspired me to pursue Landscape Architecture at Lincoln University. I'm drawn to large-scale resilience and revegetation - currently focusing my Major Design project on the Motueka River flood plain. I’ve always had a massive love for the outdoors, so you can usually find me leaving the city early on Fridays to head out to the forest or the mountains.
George Esson: I’m lucky to have grown up in Taupō, surrounded by an incredible landscape. Whether mountain biking, water skiing, or simply spending time outdoors, I have had a strong connection to the environment. My passion for the outdoors and design led me to study Landscape Architecture at Lincoln University. I also have a genuine passion for people and for exploring how thoughtful design can improve outcomes for people. My Major Design project is based in Tūrangi, a place close to home. Responding to the town’s challenging history and ongoing underinvestment, the project strengthens key destinations, improves connectivity, and celebrates Tūrangi’s cultural identity to support long-term community and economic renewal.
Yash Sharma and Keinyo White are part of the exhibition organising team and will complete their projects in 2027.
The INTERWOVEN exhibition will run from 3-November - the same week as the Firth NZILA Wānanga 2026 - and will be staged in the Pūmanawa room in the Arts Centre, Te Matatiki Toi Ora.
Updates from the exhibition team can be followed on LinkedIn and Instagram.
