News
Te Papa Ōtākaro Avon River Park - a double winner
Posted 04 12 2019
in News

Watch Video
This year turned out to be a double winner for the teams behind Te Papa Ōtākaro Avon River Park (ARP) and City Promenade in Otautahi at the Resene New Zealand Institute of Landscape Architecture awards.
The Christchurch anchor project won the Urban Spaces Category as well as the supreme prize - the NZILA George Malcolm award - at the ceremony in November.
In the judges citation for the Urban Spaces Category win it was noted that although the project consists of a series of sub-landscapes “each with their own character and focus” there is an overall sense of coherence.
The judges said “ although the product of a range of practices, Te Papa Ōtākaro maintains a feeling of unity and substance throughout.”
The entry stated that “Te Papa Ōtākaro Avon River Park (ARP) and City Promenade in Otautahi/ Christchurch project for Otakaro Limited is the largest ever public realm transformation undertaken in New Zealand and was developed by a multi-disciplinary design team including design leadership and Landscape Architectural inputs from Opus, BDP, Boffa Miskell and LandLAB.

“Individual design packages were delivered by Opus (Takaro a Poi/Margaret Mahy Family Playground), Boffa Miskell (Victoria Square), LandLAB (Terraces Stage 1, North Frame Stage 1 and Arts Trail) and Rough and Milne (Antigua to Durham, Convention Centre, North Frame Stage 2 and Terraces Stage 2).”
The judges said the “hard landscape is technically strong, well-executed, and excellently crafted.“
They went on to say the prominence in the project of Māori design “contributes strongly to Christchurch’s journey out of the earthquakes and into a place which honours its history, celebrates diversity and foregrounds well-being.
“This extensive, well-coordinated, and expertly detailed park re-unites the city with its river, and is a worthy winner of the Urban category.”
You can see more about the project here.
Watch video here.
Share
09 Oct
Call for Nominations IFLA Sir Geoffrey Jellicoe Award

Nominations due 15 January 2026
Today (9 October) marks the 125th birth anniversary of 𝗦𝗶𝗿 𝗚𝗲𝗼𝗳𝗳𝗿𝗲𝘆 𝗝𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗼𝗲 (𝟭𝟵𝟬𝟬–𝟭𝟵𝟵𝟲), one of the most visionary and influential …
09 Oct
2025 NZILA Membership Survey

Your feedback matters
Every two years, we invite members to share their thoughts through our biennial membership survey. This is your chance to …
07 Oct
Natural Geotextile Solutions for Erosion and Weed Control

Lunchtime learning webinar with Advance Landscape Systems
Sustainability, responsible resourcing and working towards achieving Net Zero emission goals are increasingly significant values across sectors in New Zealand. …
Events calendar
Full 2025 calendar