NZILA 50TH: Day one conference highlights
Day two of the 2022 NZILA Firth Conference gets underway today, ending with tonight’s 2022 Resene New Zealand Institute of Landscape Architecture Awards gala dinner at the Cordis Hotel in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland.
The conference is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Institute and its theme is “Kia whakatomuri te haere whakamua,” - walking backwards into the future with eyes fixed on the past.
The conference began with a whakatau performed by hosts Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei.
Institute President Henry Crothers says the first sessions really did serve to celebrate the very best of the landscape architecture community here in Aotearoa New Zealand.
He says the conference so far is being very well received. “It really is an appropriate way to mark this very important milestone.”
The day opened yesterday with a whakatau and Henry thanks the hosts Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei for their part in making the event special.
The first session included a panel offering a historical review of each of the five decades of the Institute.
“Away from the formal sessions there were good conversations being had, and an increasing understanding from most members, of the ongoing work and increasing importance of the integration of te ao Māori values in every thing we as landscape architects do. It comes back to the importance of putting whenua first.”
He says yesterday’s morning session provided a historical review of each of the five decades on NZILA with presenters Frank Boffa, Di Menzies, and then a panel discussion chaired by Simon Swaffield with Julia Williams, Sarah Collins, Stephen Brown, Shannon Bray, Frank Boffa and Di Menzies.
Dr Diane Menzies presented on the challenges and successes of the second 25 years of NZILA.
Henry says it was good to hear the early NZILA leaders speak about the establishment of the Institute and to highlight aspects of the profession that younger members might not have previously understood about the foundations of the Institute.
He says the senior members spoke about the collegiality of those early years. “It is important to me that continues in the rapidly changing environment we are now working in.”
It’s a birthday celebration of sorts, so of course there is cake.
The afternoon session examined how the social, cultural, economic, environmental and technological changes affect the country over the next 50 years.
New Life Member Jan Woodhouse says she found some of the afternoon presentations confronting given what the profession is facing in terms of climate change and dealing with past environmental practices.
“An impressive scientist and researcher Dr Emily Lane talked about flooding - which was scary - but she also talked about the validity of repairing Westports flooded houses repeatedly, for example, and and the need for managed retreat and how we needed to be part of assessing the whole landscape for potential issues before we build anywhere.”
“Jacky Bowring ,as usual, was thought provoking, telling us we should do less - not more - or at the very least think about how much we were doing and to tread lightly on the landscape,” says Jan.
.Di Menzies says she is impressed with the organisation of the conference and is appreciating the range of online, in-person presentations, as well as the opportunity for q and a.
She says she particularly enjoyed Frank Boffa detailing how the NZILA was formed.
