Te Tangi a Te Manu: Aotearoa New Zealand Landscape Assessment Guidelines

Te Tangi a te Manu are guidelines for landscape assessment in Aotearoa New Zealand. They have been prepared in response to a long-recognised need in statutory planning contexts, an area where the profession has great opportunity for influence. The Guidelines are the outcome of a deliberate process sustained over four years. The research and engagement undertaken in their preparation are themselves an outstanding achievement, evidenced by unanimous adoption of the Guidelines at the Institute’s 2021 AGM.

The Guidelines explain potentially complex methodologies clearly. They provide both a guide for inexperienced practitioners, and a reference benchmark of concepts and principles for experienced practitioners in the Environment Court. They promote better assessment practice, in turn enhancing the management of our landscapes. Te Tangi a te Manu captures the profession’s collective best practice in Aotearoa. The Guidelines promote both Te Ao Māori and Te Ao Pākehā perspectives, connections between perspectives, and the flexibility for practice to continue evolving. They have been described as a “coming of age” in that they confidently reflect the evolving depth and breadth of landscape practice in this country.

It is fitting that they are published in the Institute’s 50th anniversary year. The Guideline’s content and graphic production are outstanding in an international context. It is original and innovative work that contributes to professional practice beyond these shores. It represents a value that could only be achieved by the voluntary will and generosity of many people which is, perhaps, its greatest attribute of all.