Gold, Commercial Build (Up to $500,000), Landscapes of Distinction Awards 2025. Punakaiki, West Coast. By Kūmānu Environmental.
The Punangairi Visitor Experience Centre is the new gateway to the Paparoa National Park and the Pancake Rocks. In one of the most challenging build locations in the country, Kūmānu Environmental delivered a landscape that celebrates the materiality of the West Coast, importing materials while minimising truck movements and engaging local contractors.
Lush nikau and endemic native plantings, large tracts of exposed aggregate concrete and iconic timber barrier forms set the work apart. Detailed raki paving, with chevrons set at exactly 52 degrees, carries the cultural footprint and shares the stories of Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Waewae, who own and operate the centre with the Department of Conservation as partner. It is a lasting landscape built to withstand a rugged coast.
Why it matters
Every Registered Master Landscaper has earned the right to carry the mark, so the professional you hire is current, accountable, and backed by a national association that stands behind its work. Find a Registered Master Landscaper at masterlandscapers.org.nz.
Project credits
Member: Kūmānu Environmental. Designer: Kamo Marsh. Photography: Jason Mann Photography. Landscapes of Distinction Awards 2025.