There’s a quiet poetry embedded in the landscape surrounding this home — a subtlety that has been translated into form by Rowe Baetens Architecture. Drawing from the nearby volcanic terrain, the architects have created a spatial and material language that is deeply grounded in place.

Cantilevering dramatically towards the water, this design defies the constraints of a steep site, anchoring the heart of the home to the land.

Julian Guthrie reimagines a beachfront home in Pauanui, transforming what was once a 1970s party pad into a refined, minimalist escape.

In one of the most stringent heritage-zoned streets of Herne Bay, Hoxha Bailey Architects faced an arduous task: securing approval for a substantial addition to a prominent double-fronted villa.

Inspired by a very internationalist, robust coastal home for an award-winning film, this beach house by Sumich Chaplin Architects offers ambience and plenty of drama.

Expressive geometries, a high level of craft, and connections with its landscape elevate a small number of materials into a polished, relaxed home full of moments of wonder and surprise.

This sophisticated home by Case Ornsby is a sculptural response to the Waipara Valley’s unique geology.

Set on a long, narrow site in Papamoa this family home takes full advantage of its coastal position while negotiating a demanding footprint.

A building of the South Pacific. A sculptural pavilion of asymmetry that came first. A trio of pavilions, one for living and two for sleeping, that came second. A place for contemplation; spaces for restoration.

An exploration of materiality, a celebration of craft, and a desire to create a memorable sculpture within a tight, city-fringe context have resulted in this multi-award–winning home by Jack McKinney Architects.

Gel Architects have transformed a long-abandoned, dilapidated church into four refined apartments, deftly balancing ecclesiastical gravitas with a dose of contemporary cool.

Conceived as a sleepout for guests, this adjunct to a holiday home is an amalgamation of utilitarian materials, functionality, whimsy, and zen vibes.

A triangular form bedded into the hillside. A place to enjoy a slower pace of life. A warm home; a living roof, soft timbers, light stalks.

A seemingly simple, two-bedroom box on stilts above a precipice in Rangiputa hides a microscopic level of detail and clear-headed architectural thinking.

On a rugged, bush-covered site on Waiheke’s east coast, Chris Tate envisaged a floating pavilion — crisp and minimal; an expression of geometric clarity; a vehicle for relaxation, at one with the land and the sea.

In the heart of Ōrākei, RTA Studio has designed a striking addition to a well-known streetscape. Powerful, enigmatic, and dynamic, its jagged roofline and folded steel form float above the land, inviting observation and curiosity.

High above Little Vivian Bay on Kawau Island, a convivial pavilion sits long and low in a forest of kānuka — part kinetic sculpture, part holiday home.

Managing the balance between architecture and ostentation can be a tightrope. It’s something that José Gutiérrez thinks deeply about.

Architect John Irving is well known for his work at Te Arai and Tara Iti — architecture deftly defined by proportion, sculpture, and light. His homes in this revered coastal region share an understanding of place: open to the sea air and defined by a sense of understated luxury.