Diane Menzies Māori approach to landscape architecture over fifty years has earned her the Jellicoe Award - the highest international honour in her profession.
The International Federation of Landscape Architects presented the award to her in Hong Kong last week. It recognises landscape architects who’ve had a lasting impact on society and the environment.
Landscape architecture involves planning and designing outdoor places, from parks and streets to neighbourhoods and waterways. It considers how people use those spaces, while protecting the environment and recognising the history and cultural significance of the whenua.
Menzies, Rongowhakaata and Te Aitanga a Māhaki, says a Māori perspective is simple.
“We don’t dominate, we are part of te taiao.”
Colleagues, students and whānau gathered in Ōtautahi on Friday to celebrate her work.
Recognising the whakapapa of knowledge
Menzies says growing international interest in indigenous knowledge brings a responsibility to recognise its origins and the people who hold it.
“It’s also not about taking indigenous knowledge. And indigenous knowledge is on people’s tongues overseas, landscape architects. It’s about knowing where it’s come from and recognising those people as well as their knowledge, if it’s gifted.”
Her work spans teaching, research and environmental decision-making, including roles as an Environment Court commissioner where she also helped resolve disputes over the environment in more than 200 cases, bringing her expertise into decisions about how land is used and protected.
Her work also extends to caring for Rongowhakaata whenua in Tairāwhiti, where she describes a focus on restoring wetlands and planting along waterways to protect their banks and improve water quality.
More recently, she has contributed to Construction 4.0, a research project exploring how technology can help improve the sustainability, affordability and quality of construction in Aotearoa.
Her contributions to initiatives such as Generation Kāinga, a research project supporting rangatahi Māori to help shape housing and communities for future generations, reflects an ongoing focus on the connections between housing, communities, cultural identity and the environments people inhabit.
Nurturing Māori landscape architects
Alongside her research and professional work, Menzies has supported emerging Māori landscape architects to bring their cultural values into their practice.
William Hatton (Ngāti Kahungunu, Rongomaiwahine, Ngāti Raukawa ki te Tonga, Muaūpoko), co-chair of Māori landscape architecture network Te Tau a Nuku, says her leadership extends beyond individual achievement.
“As Māori landscape architects, we recognise leadership not only by achievement, but by mana, integrity, and the ability to nurture collective strength. Diane Menzies exemplifies these qualities.
“Her influence has been sustained, generous, and transformative, and it continues to be felt across our profession and communities.”
For Menzies, supporting rangatahi remains central to the profession’s future.
“I stand behind to support those who are going forward because students and young people, rangatahi, are our future so we must nurture them.”
