Our entire focus is on design for and with nature.
While others may emphasise a specific design field, we focus our landscape, architecture, strategic, communication, product, and interaction design skills on nature-based experiences, engagement and strategies.
And because we all need to be engaged in caring for nature we follow social enterprise values so we can better support the more limited resources many trusts, iwi projects and community groups may have.
Our passion for design with nature drives what we do. But we’re just one part of the many awesome nature-positive initiatives going on across Aotearoa. We’d love to learn from you, share ideas, and support each other. So, let’s connect! Whether it’s over a coffee or a virtual kōrero, reach out—we’d love to chat.
WildLab has grown out of the design programmes at University of Otago, Otago Polytechnic and Lincoln University and we have ongoing teaching, research and mentoring, connections with each. It's part of our commitment to fostering Aotearoa’s next generation of nature-positive designers. If you're a senior student or recent graduate exploring how to build a design career that makes a real difference, get in touch — we'd be happy to talk about opportunities to be involved in our projects.
Mick Abbott is Director and founder of WildLab. He trained first as an architect, before working as lead equipment designer for Fairydown and Hallmark Brands. He was director and part-owner of Gondwana Creative Kits that designed, produced and distributed over 1 million kits, throughout NZ, Australia and beyond. Mid-career, he returned to University to study, research and teach landscape architecture. A former head of Lincoln University’s School of Landscape Architecture, he recently took early retirement to focus his efforts on WildLab. Mick is Emeritus Professor at Lincoln University, and currently a member of the NZ Conservation Authority, the NZ Geographic Board, and Federated Mountain Clubs Executive. Mick has had a lifelong connection with the outdoors including completing a 130 day solo traverse of the South Island that criss-crossed the main divide. For the past 30 years he and Carli Richter have been restoring a 45 hectare farm above Otago Harbour back into native forest.
Riley Smith is an honours graduate from Otago Polytechnic’s Communication Design Programme. He spent his final year working with WildLab, with his major design project producing Southern Faces - An Introduction to Rock Climbing in Ōtepoti Dunedin. Recently published by WildLab you can check it out . Climbing and being in the outdoors (both local and backcountry) drive Riley’s connections with nature.
Luke Gilbert is a graduate landscape architect who worked as a Lincoln University student on several landscape scale design projects. Now based in Ōtepoti Dunedin, Luke has joined the WildLab team , and in his spare time immerses himself in coastal Otago’s many surf beaches.
WILDLAB’S EXTENDED TEAM
We have a range of design experts with skills
across all design, planning, ecology and
research fields that can get involved in
specific projects where those skills will bring
depth and value to a specific project. Our
alumni and recent collaborators and include:
