The LAA Newswire: Events aplenty

LAA has been a fly-on-the-wall at several events lately, providing fodder for thought and future stories! This included attending two talks by touring Dutch professor Dr. Marco te Brömmelstroet on transforming streets for people, and an NZIA City Talk in Wellington on Cohousing, called ‘Living Together and Apart’.

A further call out for “roving reporters’: If you’re at any event related to landscape architecture or urban design that you think should be given attention by a wider audience, why not take a photo (off your camera) and write up a little caption story? This only needs to be a brief commentary on the insights you gained from the event along with details of the when, who and where. Having your ‘event report’ published in LAA Newswire is as simple as sending words and photo/s - taken with permission as needed - to laaotearoa@nzila.co.nz The more the merrier.

Landscape and Visual Representation

An engrossing one-day symposium focused on exploring how visual representation shapes the way we understand and design landscapes is set to take place at Lincoln University on Friday 4 September.

If you can’t be there in person the cost to join a virtual livestream is just $10 - just click on the REGISTER button.

This event brings together scholars, practitioners, and researchers to explore a variety of topics. Five presentations will be delivered, all in the morning. These are:

  • Visual representation and generative AI for concept development and consenting -
    Jillian Walliss, The University of Melbourne

  • Visual representation on printed paper and digital devices for working on-site - Hamish Clark, Trimble

  • Visual representations & bicultural ways of seeing for inclusiveness and reciprocity in community projects - Kris Tong, University of Canterbury

  • Visual representation in virtual worlds and digital twins for monitoring and evaluation by government agencies - Kelly Henderson, Wellington City Council

  • Visual representation for court proceedings - Brad Coombs and Alan England, Isthmus

In addition, for participants on the ground there is a related, optional opportunity to visit HIT Lab at the University of Canterbury on Saturday 5 December for a hands-on exposure to immersive technologies and current projects, including:

  • Regenerative Tourism

  • Immersive Ocean Literacy

  • VR for Firefighters

  • Multi-sensory Training Simulator for Air Attack Firefighting

  • Pedestrian AR

  • Immersive Tour Creator for Tangata Whenua

  • Participatory Modelling for Community Resilience Planning

  • Multi-Sensory VR

Coming Soon: The Aotearoa Festival of Architecture

This annual celebration of architecture is back for 2026 from next week!

Also happening during September is in:situ + Commonwealth Association of Architects General Assembly - a combination billed as being the largest architecture event ever held in Aotearoa.

The Urban Group International Speaker Series

The Tuia Pito Ora New Zealand Institute of Landscape Architects (NZILA) has resumed its International Speaker Series, made possible with the support of new sponsors Urban Group and with the latest speaker presenting a fascinating webinar all the way from Sweden.

The presenter, Jake Ford of White Arkitekter, delivered his talk - titled ‘Beyond Winning: Navigating the Complexities of Competition’ - on the evening (NZ time) of Wednesday 19 August. Jake was responsible for White Arkitekter’s contribution to the 2023 Venice Architecture Biennale and has contributed to the research project 'Nordic Liveable Cities' with Roskilde University, exploring forms and consequences of liveability agendas within urban planning and architecture.

The first speaker in the current series was Australian landscape architect Deb Robbins, currently a national director in KPMG’s Planning and Design Team where she helps shape strategy, guide teams and support the delivery of complex projects across a range of contexts and scales. Deb is a member of the B2032 Working Group, contributing as the Tourism, Precincts, Arts and Environment Lead ahead of Brisbane hosting the 2032 Olympics.

Editor’s note: LAA will be bringing readers more about the ground covered by Deb and Jake in coming weeks. (If you’re an NZILA member you have access to videos and CPD points from this series via the Member dashboard at nzila.co.nz).

Christchurch Conversations: Urban Heat

The latest Christchurch Conversation, the first for 2026, took place on Tuesday 18 August. The topic was Urban Heat, which given the extreme heatwaves and out-of-control fires that have been plaguing Nothern hemisphere countries it could not have been more timely.

Facilitated by former Mayor, Lianne Dalziel, the panel for the event consisted of: Dr Rebecca Peer, Associate Head of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Canterbury; Toby Chapman, Urban Forest Manager at Christchurch City Council and Bridget Robilliard, Senior Landscape Architect and Kaiārahi, Kamo Marsh. A livestream video of the Urban Heat conversation can be viewed here.

For further reading on this topic of LAA recommends the Heat issue of Landscape Review from 2025.

Newsbriefs, #Around-the-motuStephen Olsen