Human Dynamo Workshop

01/09/2026

When MetService New Zealand relocated to its new home on Molesworth Street, Tāwhiri-Mātea — an important taonga by renowned Māori artist Dr Cliff Whiting — needed to make the move too.

At almost two metres high, more than 3.6 metres wide and weighing around 300kg, relocating the work required some serious planning and thinking outside the box. 💡📦

Our team managed the entire process, from removal and six months of on-site storage through to final installation. We developed the relocation methodology, designed and fabricated a bespoke crate and mobile dolly system, and carried out the engineering and seismic analysis in-house to ensure both the artwork and the people working around it remained safe. 🚧

It’s another side of what we do at Human Dynamo — combining creative problem-solving, engineering and hands-on making to care for significant work at every stage of its journey.

→ Read the full project story on our website: https://www.humandynamo.co.nz/projects/tawhiri-matea

31/08/2026

Meet Meagan Blake, our Project Coordinator 👋

With a career that has taken her from Tāmaki Makaurau to Los Angeles and back to Aotearoa, Meagan brings a pretty impressive mix of project management experience from the arts, screen and craft sectors to Human Dynamo.

A Bachelor of Visual Arts graduate from AUT - Auckland University of Technology, with a postgraduate qualification in Museum and Cultural Heritage, Meagan spent a number of years living in LA. While there, she worked across the arts and screen industries, including several years at LACMA Los Angeles County Museum of Art and even a brief stint in the art department on Melrose Place! 🎬

Back in Aotearoa, Meagan went on to become Executive Director of Ceramics NZ, where she helped relaunch Ceramics New Zealand magazine, which continues to be published today. She has also coordinated touring sculpture workshops around the country and built strong connections throughout NZ’s gallery and arts community. 🎨

At Human Dynamo, Meagan works across projects from beginning to end, keeping things on track and liaising with collaborators and other stakeholders throughout the process.

Her superpower? Getting it done. 💥 Meagan understands both the creative and practical sides of making ambitious work happen, and loves working alongside creatives to bring it to life. We’re very happy to have her on the Human Dynamo team.

21/08/2026

🌀 Flowing through the Wellington City Council offices at 68 Jervois Quay are carved timber walls, designed by Ngatai Taepa and brought to life by our team. The work embodies Pākati HaeHae patterns — a traditional Māori surface design pattern featuring a row of notched dog-tooth shapes (pākati) flanked by parallel grooved ridges (haehae).

The carvings reference the historic waterways that once flowed through Te Whanganui-a-Tara before entering the harbour, reconnecting the modern workplace with the landscape that has existed beneath it.

Learn more about this special project here: https://www.humandynamo.co.nz/projects/68-jervois-quay

18/08/2026

Te Raukura welcomes staff and visitors to Wellington City Council at 68 Jervois Quay. 🪶

A symbol of Te Āti Awa Taranaki Whānui, the triple feathers carry peace, spiritual harmony, compassion, hope and the bond between people and land. 🌿

We worked closely with Ngatai to translate Te Raukura into a built reality, using 3D digital modelling and physical prototyping to develop and refine the design before bringing the final work to life. ✨

Project collaborators:
Client: Wellington City Council
Lead Artist: Ngatai Taepa
Supporting Artist: Kereama Taepa
Architect: Matamoana Nuku – Designgroup Stapleton Elliott
Acknowledgements: The wider fit-out also includes artworks by Veranoa Hetet and Glen Skipper.

📸 Image credit: Magdalena Podbielkowska Bisley

12/08/2026

One of the defining features of Wellington City Council's new home at 68 Jervois Quay is this magnificent waka-shaped ceiling art in the boardroom, created by artist Ngataiharuru Taepa.

Inspired by traditional whakairo and drawing on Te Ātiawa carving traditions including matakupenga and ritorito patterns, the work brings ancestral carving language into a contemporary space.

We worked closely with the Ngatai to translate the design into a built reality, using digital modelling and CNC machining to carve the art from thermally modified pine before carefully hand-inlaying individual pāua discs. Together, they represent the stars in the night sky and reference the eyes of Ranginui, Papatūānuku and their tamariki. ✨

This project is a breathtaking example of how digital technology and traditional craft can work hand-in-hand to honour culture through architecture.

🔗 Learn more: https://www.humandynamo.co.nz/projects/68-jervois-quay

Project collaborators:
Client: Wellington City Council
Lead Artist: Ngatai Taepa
Supporting Artist: Kereama Taepa
Architect: Matamoana Nuku - Designgroup Stapleton Elliott
Acknowledgements: The wider fit-out also includes artworks by Veranoa Hetet and Glen Skipper

09/08/2026

Before construction on the Te Ara Tupua sea wall began, we partnered with engineering consultancy Tonkin + Taylor to produce precision scale 'X-Bloc' units for wave pool testing. 🌊🌊🌊

Manufactured to exact specifications, these prototypes enabled the coastal defence system to be tested and refined under simulated wave conditions, helping Tonkin + Taylor to validate the design before full-scale construction of the X-Bloc system.

The system uses interlocking concrete units that create a more resilient seawall while reducing material use and minimising impacts on the marine environment.

Learn more about the X-Bloc system here:

The XBlocPlus units are a unique cost-effective solution for Te Ara...

06/08/2026

Anyone who knows good yum cha in Wellington knows Dragons. 🥟🐉

Throwing it back to circa 1995, when our founder and director, Rob Uivel, designed and made these striking jade-green decorative tiles that still frame the entrance to Dragons Chinese Restaurant on Tory Street.

These hollowed ceramic tiles are formed in an intricate latticework - a beautiful example of craft that's stood the test of time.

From large scale artworks to the smallest architectural details, our work has become part of the fabric of Pōneke.

04/08/2026

Te Ara Tupua is one of Aotearoa NZ's most significant infrastructure projects, connecting Wellington and Lower Hutt with a new coastal walking and cycling path. 🚴‍♀️ More than a transport link, it's a place where engineering, landscape and culture come together. 🌊

Working alongside artist Len Hetet (Waiwhenua Design), mana whenua, engineers and architects, we produced MDF blanks for the 4m bridge sculpture which was hand-carved by Toi Whakairo artists Artek before being cast in bronze by The Heavy Metal Company.

We also produced the carving templates for 140 greenheart timber pou along the Petone waterfront, creating the foundation from which emerging carvers shaped the finished works.

🔗 Learn more: https://www.humandynamo.co.nz/projects/te-ara-tupua

Image credit: Magdalena Podbielkowska Bisley

29/07/2026

New skills. New possibilities. 🌟

At Human Dynamo Workshop, we're always exploring new ways to realise ambitious creative ideas.

Our latest capability? CNC stone carving in partnership with Bramco Granite & Marble.

We're especially excited that Tiara, our newest team member, is leading the learning journey on behalf of the team. It's a highly specialised capability - one that will open up exciting opportunities for artists, architects and designers looking to work with stone in new and innovative ways.

Watch this space - we're looking forward to sharing what's possible...

24/07/2026

Inspired by the stories and waterways of Te Whanganui-a-Tara, Reaching Across a Great Distance is a striking public artwork by Ana Iti that greets visitors to 55 Molesworth Street, Wellington.

Working alongside Ana and the wider project team, we provided installation advice and on-site installation support to help ensure the work was realised exactly as intended.

This project continues our long-standing working relationship with Ana.

Take a closer look at the project here: https://www.humandynamo.co.nz/projects/reaching-across-a-great-distance

📸 Image credit: Magdalena Podbielkowska Bisley

Human Dynamo Workshop provided installation advice and on-site installation support for a large-scale steel sculpture — Reaching Across a Great Distance — in a nationally significant public building, helping realise the Ana Iti's vision within the space.