2023 NZILA Life Member Peter Rough
Peter Rough says he feels very honoured to have been made a life member of NZILA, adding the Institute has always meant a great deal to him. The announcement was made at last night’s NZILA President’s Cocktail Evening in Nelson.
“I was fortunate enough to be at the inaugural meeting of the Institute when it was formed in Christchurch in 1972. I've been a member ever since and seen the institute develop and grow over that time,” says Peter.
As Peter’s professional partner Tony Milne points out “Peter has always been a willing contributor to the life of the profession in his typically understated and considered way. Over the years and as his experience has grown Peter has been very instrumental in shaping the profession of landscape architecture in Aotearoa.
New NZILA Life Member Peter Rough (middle) with Henry Crothers (left) and Simon Swaffield.
“He is extremely highly regarded and respected by the profession. Peter has unselfishly given 49 years to the profession of landscape architecture in Aotearoa, contributing immensely to its evolution and the landscape of our country.”
The citation for the life membership also points to Peter’s long and significant contribution. He served on the Executive Committee in 1976/77 and again in 1980. In 1980, he chaired the executive education subcommittee, which developed the Institute's initial associateship guidelines. He was an associateship examiner in 1982, 1986, 1989, and 2001. In 1986/87, Peter was the first chairperson of the Canterbury Westland branch of the Institute and served as a committee member again in 1998 to 2001. He convened the NZILA design awards committee in 1992 and 1993 and has served on several Institute working groups, including documentation development and landscape and visual assessment guidelines, since 2003.
Peter began his landscape architecture involvement when he was still a school boy, working with one of the profession’s pioneers, Robin Gay, on a series of tourism-related projects that included the Hermitage at Aoraki Mount Cook. This early experience, combined with Peter’s love for tramping and climbing in New Zealand's Southern Alps, instilled in him a passion for landscape architecture that has lasted throughout his career.
After graduating from what was then Lincoln College in 1973 with a postgraduate diploma in landscape architecture, Peter began working for the Department of Lands and Survey in its Auckland office. Over the next four years, he worked on a range of projects in Northland district offices and became an associate member of the NZILA in 1975.
Life Member Peter Rough speaking at the 2023 NZILA President’s Awards Cocktail Evening.
In 1976, Peter received a Mobil environmental grant to attend the International Federation of Landscape Architects (IFLA) congress in Istanbul as the NZILA delegate. Following the congress, he embarked on a three-month study tour of Turkey, Greece, Italy, France, and Britain to study the role of landscape architects in coastal landscapes. This experience led Peter to become involved in integrating legislation, policy, planning, and design requirements into guidelines for change in coastal landscapes. He played a key role in the development of policy for the establishment of maritime parks in the Hauraki Gulf and the Bay of Islands, as well as land use and planning studies for Russell.
Peter has been involved in many significant projects throughout his career, including the Kerikeri Basin Study, the Waitangi Treaty grounds, and the Russell Planning study.
Peter says the institute has become increasingly relevant and is today a significant professional body.
Peter’s outstanding service and contribution to both NZILA and the landscape architecture profession is warmly celebrated and acknowledged by his peers in this Life Membership award of Tuia Pito Ora.
You can see more from Peter in the video below.
