Wayfinder
Interesting people. New ideas. Clever design.
These are the things that inspire and guide us.
Local Legends: Castlecliff Coast Care
Local Legends is a new series shining a spotlight on good people doing good things in our community. To kick things off we caught up with Graham and Lyn Pearson (pictured above), the beating hearts and volunteer coordinators of Castlecliff Coast Care. Since 2007, this...
Tī Kōuka House: Wild Lawn Project
The Black Pine team spends a lot of time thinking about and designing buildings, but architecture doesn’t stop at the walls. It spills out into the landscape, shaping how we live, breathe, and connect with nature and each other. This is an important idea which we try...
Architecture Q&A: 2025 Māori Ward Candidates
Ahead of 2025 local elections we invited all Māori Ward candidates for Whanganui District and Horizons Regional Councils (Raki Māori, Tonga Māori) to share their perspectives on architecture, community, the environment and more. Responses were received from Whanganui...
Architecture Q&A: 2025 Whanganui Mayoral Candidates
Ahead of the 2025 local elections, Black Pine invited the four mayoral candidates in our home city of Whanganui to answer three quick questions on urban design and architectural legacy. Responses were received from sitting councilors Josh Chandulal-Mackay and Peter...
FAQs: Passivhaus
At Back Pine HQ we talk about Passivhaus every day, but we appreciate not everyone understands what it actually is or why you’d choose to design that way. What materials can you use? Is it more expensive? How much energy does it save? A lot of important, basic...
NZIA Awards 2025
The Black Pine team was very humbled to take to the stage at the recent 2025 Western Architecture Awards in recognition of our part in an award-winning project. The competition, organised by Te Kāhui Whaihanga New Zealand Institute of Architects, is held annually as a...
Shaped By The Sea
For generations, New Zealand’s surf lifesaving clubs have stood as rugged outposts against our beautiful – but unforgiving – coastlines. Functionally, their purpose is simple: to facilitate the saving of lives. But they’re much more than that. Over time, these...