For seven of those 40 years, it has been my privilege to be the magazine’s editor. It felt like an awesome task to take over responsibility for a publication that has been the journal of record for architecture in New Zealand, telling a story of architects and the built environment inextricably intertwined with the evolving life and culture of Aotearoa.
One of the first editorials I wrote in 2019 was about the public display of the Muslim call to prayer at Christchurch’s Hagley Park, with 20,000 in attendance and televised live, following the 15 March mosque terror attacks. As an act of defiance when, for the first time in New Zealand history, the terrorism threat level was raised to “high”, it was both courageous and inspirational. While all over New Zealand public gatherings were being cancelled – two concerts in Christchurch, Polyfest in Auckland, numerous Anzac Day services, the University of Auckland’s autumn graduation processions – here, we witnessed a different response: “one that both takes a stand against terrorism and racism and says we will not be bowed. One that says our right to gather in public space will not be taken from us.” (May 2019 editorial).
Looking back over seven years of editorials shows an unashamed, some may say obsessive, advocacy for the need to do better on truly sustainable architecture and the problem of climate change: “What’s the point in buildings that perform magnificently in use if it takes decades or more to pay back the carbon emissions that went into their construction? Where is the New Zealand version of Snøhetta, striving to give back more than it takes?” (January 2020 editorial). “Great to see that Te Kāhui Whaihanga New Zealand Institute of Architects (NZIA) has, at last, taken a stand on the climate crisis. And, despite Greta Thunberg calling New Zealand out for a lack of action, it’s encouraging, too, that our government has declared a climate emergency.” (January 2021 editorial).
There’s a similar recurring theme of exasperation expressed about what we need to do in the face of increasingly frequent and extreme weather. “Ancient pipes mixing sewage and stormwater coupled with massive flood events means more pipes are going to break. Meanwhile, looking at the Safeswim website in late October and its array of black flags on inner-harbour beaches, swimming in the Waitematā this summer will likely be a daily calculation of risk to your health, let alone to the environment. At the time of writing, we’re swimming in it.” (November 2023 editorial).
It’s been heartening to record the many buildings we’ve reviewed that rise to meet the sustainability challenge. One leading the way was Scion’s campus building in Rotorua, by RTA Studio and Irving Smith Architects, with its slender, timber diagrid and double-skin passive ventilation façade. The building set a new benchmark for carbon-negative buildings, not to mention making world-leading advances in timber technology.
Other examples include the intricate origami planes of Studio Pacific’s Nelson Airport Terminal, which has about 300 tonnes of CO2 sequestered in its innovative timber construction. The same firm is also responsible for the vast, luminous Hangar 4, the centrepiece of Air New Zealand’s maintenance base at Auckland Airport. The building, which achieved Six Green Star certification, is the largest single-span timber hangar in the southern hemisphere.
Then there’s Ngā Mokopuna at Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington by Tennent Brown Architects, which meticulously followed the principles of the Living Building Challenge combined with a te ao Māori way of seeing the world. The true highlight of my time with the magazine was something that demonstrated how passionate the magazine’s contributors and readers were about Architecture New Zealand; it came in 2020. As a result of the chilling effect on the economy of the Covid-19 pandemic, AGM’s Urbis, Houses and Interior magazines were no more. That left just Architecture New Zealand as the last publication standing, fighting to stay alive as most of our advertising revenue disappeared in a puff of smoke during the pandemic. We went out to our readers about our predicament. The response was humbling: an overwhelming outpouring of messages of support. We asked our readers, mainly registered architects, to subscribe for the first time in the magazine’s life – pointing out that, for the past 33 years, AGM had published the magazine at no cost to NZIA members. “Not a single cent of your NZIA membership fees has been paid to AGM for any costs associated with the magazine.” Thankfully, about a third of them took up subscriptions. Their help made the difference in getting us through the Covid years. As a team, to receive that kind of support from readers was incredibly affirming – a sign we must have been doing something right. So, as we arrive at this ending, I just want to say thank you – to my wonderful, talented colleagues at AGM, especially deputy editor Amanda Harkness, to our dedicated contributors, to our brilliant New Zealand architects, to our advertisers, to our readers. You have made my seven years as editor an education and an inspiration. Ngā mihi nui. It’s been a blast