Ngā Kōrero o Paparahi—Shaun Rosier
Landscape Architect and Assistant Professor Shaun Rosier grew up in the Wairarapa and chose Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington for its reputation and proximity to home. But it was Wellington itself that became a powerful influence.
“It felt like a creative city that made you creative just by breathing the air there. And of course, Vic’s reputation within that creative atmosphere was huge. Being able to study in Te Aro, the centre of all that artistic energy, was a real opportunity I couldn’t pass up,” he says.
During his studies, the capital’s landscape became a defining part of his life. Mountain biking, discovered while working on his PhD at the Faculty of Architecture and Design Innovation, connected him with the hills and trails surrounding the city. “Having world-class tracks accessible by bus or bike is such a blessing. Wellington’s topography really shaped my time there.”
A pivotal moment came in his third year with a studio project led by Associate Professor Peter Connolly. “I remember being blown away by how Peter talked about landscape. Things suddenly made sense. What struck me, and has informed everything I still do today, is how he emphasised connecting what you experience on the ground in landscape to how you do large-scale urban structuring moves. Being able to oscillate between these scales was intoxicating and left me with a sense of design authority for the first time in my studies.”
After completing his PhD, Shaun has continued to merge practice, teaching and research, and joined Virginia Tech’s School of Design, where he is an Assistant Professor of Landscape Architecture. A recent career highlight was developing a practice-based Doctor of Design research programme. “I was empowered to take what I had done in my PhD and beyond at the University and translate that into a new degree program in a country where these forms of research are effectively non-existent.”
That work has also highlighted the shifts underway in the discipline. “The most striking change has been the wholesale embrace of Indigenous knowledge in landscape architecture, at least within Aotearoa. It’s now an expectation, not just an added bonus. I look forward to practice in the US catching up to Aotearoa in this,” he says.
Shaun credits mentors including Peter Connolly, Martin Bryant, Penny Allan, and Carles Martinez-Almoyna, whose rigour and vision continue to influence his teaching. Just as important were the friendships formed in the studio, over critique sessions, software tutorials, and shared lunches across the road.
As for advice to current students, Shaun is clear. “Make your time at FADI your own! Learn what you want to learn, and treat project briefs as an excuse to explore your own lines of learning, not a set path set by your lecturers.
“Other than that, embrace the city. It’s an incredible place to live, rough bits and all. Wellington has a fantastic sense of identity to it, both culturally and in the environment. Come to FADI knowing that this city will shape you in ways you won’t ever expect.”
Looking ahead, he sees Mātauranga Māori design practice and theory playing a central role in shaping Aotearoa’s future. “I believe this will set our design culture at the top of the globe in the next 50 years. We have the chance to set the pace for what a decolonial architecture and design practice looks and behaves like. This will play a key role in shaping how we address our contemporary challenges and prepare for future environmental challenges.”
Marking the Faculty’s 50-year legacy, Shaun is proud but future-focused. “Being part of this 50-year legacy means I'm standing on the shoulders of the talented alumni who came before me, and I feel a responsibility to pay it forward for the students who will come in the next 50 years.”
“This faculty has produced leaders, innovators, and thinkers who have made significant contributions. To be counted among them is incredibly humbling, and I am so excited to see what graduates over the next 50 years can do. I always tell my students that I want them to be better designers than I am or will be. That’s the only way we’ll be able to keep making a difference.”