DesignwithNature

WildLab is a group of designers and researchers committed to growing a world where people and nature thrive together.

We collaborate with community groups, iwi, farmers, business, and government agencies. Together, we create regenerative landscapes, strategies, experiences, and communication tools that connect them and their partners with te taiao and nature.

Connect with what we do . . .

Our Projects

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Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu Social Housing
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A small urban pocket transforms into a vibrant, native‑plant sanctuary around three homes, offering more than housing. Thoughtfully designed landscapes, with decks oriented toward Aoraki, welcome native birds and foster ecological renewal—turning a modest development into a green, community‑inspired haven.
Antarctica New Zealand’s Scott Base Waste Reduction
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This review identified ways to reduce environmental impact at Scott Base—including comparing air- vs sea-freight emissions, cutting food waste to 20%, improving storage and stock control, optimizing recycling systems, and ensuring unnecessary items are returned efficiently to New Zealand.
Te Whenua Hou: a distributed forest
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A sweeping, distributed native forest of 1.2 million plants springs to life across 20 farms, weaving biodiversity through farmland. Designed with fractal, braided‑river patterns, it creates a 350‑hectare ecological “bird bridge,” connecting the Southern Alps with Banks Peninsula.
Guide Hill Station Outdoor Museum Interpretation Design
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A sequence of interpretation panels weaves stories through tussockland, guiding visitors across Guide Hill Station’s landscape. These panels unfold the history and ecology of merino sheep, mountains, wild Pūkaki, lakes, and restoration efforts—bringing the land’s heritage vividly to life.

Field Notes

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Being Landscape
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This article reimagines landscape not as a static scene to be observed or preserved, but as an active, lived relationship between people and place. Drawing on personal experiences, design research, and fieldwork,a case for more participatory approaches to conservation is made—ones that foster mutual shaping between people and landscape, and enable deeper belonging through embodied practice.
Social Natures
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How do landscapes and people shape each other? From stone walls built after forests were cleared, to regenerating bush reclaiming old farmland, it reveals how places are formed through work, memory, and material. Rather than viewing nature and architecture as separate, it shows them as deeply entwined—built from shared histories, changing relationships, and ongoing conversations.
WildLab Field Guide to Designing Great Storytelling Panels
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For over a decade we’ve been designing storytelling panels that connect people with nature. This guide shares the principles behind our work—how good design and strong stories can inspire, build connection, and help communities bring the values of Te Taiao to life.
New Zealand’s ‘Arc of Influence’: The ‘Clean, Blue, Green’ Country
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New Zealand is often imagined as a handful of islands in the Pacific—but its territory is now mostly ocean. This study explores how mapping can reshape our sense of national identity, proposing a shift from “clean green” to a more expansive “clean, blue, green” vision grounded in conservation and connection.

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Southern Faces
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Southern Faces, the third-ever climbing guidebook for Otepoti Dunedin-arriving after a 25-year wait since the last guidebook. This beautifully designed book by Riley Smith celebrates the last five decades of local climbing and the immense growth of the scene since the previous guide, Dunedin Rock (2000). The 250-page guide provides essential safety insights, historical context, and highlights the unique climbing culture of Dunedin. From beginner-friendly climbs to the region's most intimidating routes, Southern Faces is a must-have for everyone keen to explore what the south has to offer. It's packed with photos, including great shots from the days of lycra through to some of the latest efforts at Lover's Leap. $8.50 shipping across Aotearoa.
$ 50.00 NZD
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WildLab @ 2020-2025