When I made the move from Wales to Wellington, I arrived in a city that was buzzing. Fast-forward twenty-five years and we have lost a bit of that mojo. Earthquake damage, Covid, broken pipes and government cutbacks have all taken their toll. Te Whanganui-a-Tara has been feeling a bit stagnant, and for the first time I found myself wondering if I should be living somewhere else.

And yet, I love our messy, blustery city. I love the flocks of kaka that roam around the suburbs, the regenerating native bush in the town belt, the quirky layout of hilly streets, the waterfront, the strong sense of community in each suburb, the mountain bike tracks, the bakeries and breweries. 

Encouragingly, a sense of flow is starting to return. Several major social infrastructure projects are close to completion - many of which have involved members of Tuia Pito Ora.

Te Matapihi, the central library has reopened after a massive programme of strengthening and refurbishment, along with the first part of the reimagined civic square, Te Ngākau.

Te Ara Tupua, a 7km shared pathway along the harbour edge between Petone and Wellington is opening very soon and will be a game-changer for the active transport network. We have new urban cycleways, new stormwater and wastewater pipes and a new reservoir at Omārōrō. And we have kiwi roaming wild in the hills. Things are getting better.

Wellington hosted Tuia Pito Ora’s hui which kicked the year off when the Environmental Legislation Working Group convened a well-attended session that created the momentum for a robust submission on the draft Planning and Natural Environment Bills.

Ngā mihi to Shannon Bray for authoring the submission, Nigel Parker for collating project examples, Peter Kensington for his leadership of the Working Group, Simon Button and to all those who contributed their time and expertise and cut their summer breaks short to give this the energy it needed.

Shannon, Simon, Bridget and Ben presented ​​our key messages to the Environment Committee on 12 March. The session elicited an encouraging level of engagement from committee members with extra time for discussion and their enthusiastic uptake of copies of Te Tangi a te Manu. Submissions from other professional bodies such as the RMLA, NZPI and the UDF endorsed Tuia Pito Ora’s submission.

The Environment Committee's Recommendation Report is due on 26 June. Whilst we’ll have to wait a few months to understand the impact we have made on the direction this takes, whatever happens we know that we put forward a strong case, advocating for landscape as essential for the underpinning of economy, wellbeing, social cohesion and environmental outcomes.

The same day as the Committee hearing we had a full day Board hui, hosted at Isthmus’ Wellington studio. Meeting kanohi ki te kanohi, we made good progress on various working group initiatives, this year’s Firth NZILA Wānanga and the 2026 Resene NZILA Awards (entries are open now!). We took the opportunity to connect with the local branch committee and our strategic partners. 

Nominations for the Board are now open. James, Nada and Simon are all coming to the end of their two-year terms as Directors. If you are interested in contributing to the governance of Tuia Pito Ora, I encourage you to consider putting your name forward. Nominations close on 9 April. Under the new constitution Directors now serve a 3-year term. 

Nominations are also open for Fellows and Life Members under the refreshed Membership Honours Policy. The updated framework provides clearer pathways for recognising contribution across the profession, and I encourage you to consider who around you should be acknowledged. Nominations close on 15 May.

The judging panel for the 2026 Resene Awards has now been confirmed. We had an excellent response to the call for judges, which is a real reflection of the depth of experience and commitment across our profession. Ngā mihi to everyone who put their name forward. It was a highly competitive process, and we appreciate the willingness of so many to contribute their time and expertise to the programme.

You can read more and see the full panel via the story below.

Award entries are now open. I look forward to seeing the amazing breadth of work that comes through.

Ralph