Kiwis to benefit from U.S. leadership programme — LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE AOTEAROA

Five landscape architects are among 17 New Zealanders taking part in an International Visitor Leadership Programme run by the US State Department.

This year it’s being held online because of COVID-19, but it usually involves a visit to America for current and emerging foreign leaders in a variety of fields, enabling them to cultivate lasting relationships with like-minded people.

Jacqueline Paul, researcher at Ngā Wai a Te Tūi Māori & Indigenous Research Centre, lecturer at the School of Architecture in Landscape Architecture at Unitec Institute of Technology; Haylea Muir, Principal at Isthmus Group; Orson Waldock, senior urban designer, HLC’s Hobsonville Point Office; Stuart Houghton, urban designer at Boffa Miskell and Matt Jones, Principal, Design Planning at Isthmus are all participating in the sessions which are focussing on Sustainable Housing and Smart Cities.

“It has been interesting to see that many of the challenges we’re facing in Aotearoa from a housing perspective, in terms of affordability and supply, are being replicated in the US,” says Orson Waldock. “There’s lots of grass roots organisations working feverishly to unpick a lot of processes that have left many Americans without access to suitable housing. So we’re looking forward to exploring some of the potential strategies or solutions to address that.”

Waldock and co are now part of a prestigious club. Each year nearly 5,000 people take part in the programme, which also includes current or former Chiefs of State or Heads of Government. New Zealand’s own Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern took part in 2012. At the time she was the Labour Party’s spokesperson for Employment and Youth Affairs, and Arts, Culture and Heritage. The focus that year was on how decisions are made around US Foreign Policy.

Launched in 1940, the IVLP is about building mutual understanding between the US and other countries. Each programme reflects participants’ professional interests and supports the foreign policy goals of the US Government.

Participants are chosen from the fields of politics, media, education, nongovernmental organisations, the arts, public health, international security and business and trade.

Dr Matthew Bradbury, who leads UNITEC’s Master of Landscape Architecture programme, nominated the five landscape architects chosen for this year’s IVLP. Delighted that his recommendations were accepted Dr Bradbury said it was an invaluable opportunity to learn and share ideas with other leaders in their chosen field.