Award winner Pōkare for Town Basin

Published on 26 February 2025

An award-winning seat, designed by Council Landscape Architect Ryan Peralta and colleague William Chrisp from Bespoke Landscape Architects, is now available for everyone to enjoy at Whangārei’s Town Basin.

It was one of four finalists in the New Zealand Institute of Landscape Architects Tuia Pito Ora’s Te Nohonga Toru Seat Design Challenge.

Their creation, Pōkare, was previously displayed at Britomart in Auckland for several months. It now has a new home at the Town Basin, where people can enjoy not just its function as a seat, but its qualities as a piece of public art.

Ryan says Pōkare is about the intricate relationship between reflection on, and our connection to, both the past and the present.

“At the heart of our nohonga (seat) lies a focal point, emphasised by ripples that invite individuals to pause and reflect on the past, present and future.”

The judges said, “Pōkare is a vividly coloured and elegant form. The idea of ripples, cycles and water underpins the design, and creates a very inviting nohonga. We liked the way it could accommodate different ways of sitting, together or apart.”

It was also a labour of love for the crew who worked on it. William, Ryan and their friends sacrificed their weekends for two months to sand and prime 72 plywood panels, then give them two coats each of one of four Resene Colours – Hope, Blue Chilli, Atoll or Muse.

Ryan thanked the sponsors – Whangarei District Council, NZILA (New Zealand Institute of Landscape Architects Tuia Pito Ora), Resene, Fabrication Specialists, Greenscene, Cut Shop and Plyman.