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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Guide Hill Station Farmbase Masterplan
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Set close to Lake Pūkaki and Aoraki, the design establishes a low impact visitor facility. It blends infrastructure upgrades—like accommodation, a chapel, restaurant, stables, research hub, and stargazing—with ecological restoration of Black Hole Lake, weaving heritage, hospitality and conservation together.
Wild Heart Project Punakaiki Storytelling
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A series of interpretation panels brings local nature stories to life, guiding volunteers through the plant nursery, sharing the project’s mission, and helping them become storytellers themselves—turning each visit into an engaging, educational exploration of this coastal restoration effort.
Seaview Vineyard Landscape Restoration Strategy
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WildLab and Yealands Wine Group devised a landscape strategy across 250 ha, planting native vegetation to boost biodiversity, restore coastal, riparian, and hillside ecosystems, support seed dispersal, enhance amenity value, and strengthen brand storytelling through ecologically rich design.
Te Ara Ōtākaro Avon River Trail
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A community logo design for Te Ara Ōtākaro Avon River Trail uses a multi‑interpretive mark to celebrate connections to the river. It cleverly evokes winding water, long‑finned eel (tuna), a footprint, and movement—expressing the trail’s story with a simple, evocative image.

Field Notes

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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.
Wildness: planting new natures in Aotearoa, New Zealand
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This article rethinks wildness—not as something untouched or lost, but as something new, messy, and shaped by us. It’s useful because it gives designers ways to work with real, changing landscapes instead of trying to recreate the past. It encourages using what’s already there—native and exotic plants, people and animals—and trying out creative, practical ideas. Rather than aiming to fix nature, the article asks how we might live better with it. The article shows ways design can help grow new relationships between people and place, offering fresh ways to care for land, support life, and imagine more hopeful futures.
Forever Wild
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This recent column reflects on how moments in wild places shape who we are. It traces the history of New Zealand’s protected lands and how they came to be, while noting the pressures they face today. It asks us to consider the shared responsibility we all have for ensuring these places remain fully protected both now and into the future.
New Land
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This exploratory map invites us to see Aotearoa’s public conservation lands—covering a third of the country—not as fixed or finished, but as places full of fresh potential. Re-imagined as a newly discovered archipelago, it prompts us to ask how we might live differently within these lands. Could they foster new forms of innovation, economy, and culture grounded in restoration, care, and a deep engagement with nature?

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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