Josephine Clarke

Landscape Architect, Cultural Advisor

Josephine (Jose) Clarke is a NZILA Registered Landscape Architect, design and cultural advisor, and director of Earthfeather Ltd, with over 12 years of professional experience across Aotearoa New Zealand. She also serves as a design and cultural advisor for SpruceLab. Josephine brings extensive expertise as a landscape architect, project manager, environmental project adviser, kaitiaki team leader, and site manager.

Her work is grounded in the integration of Te Ao Māori values into contemporary design practice, with a strong commitment to cultural integrity, authenticity, and meaningful expression. She specialises in landscape architecture and urban design, particularly cultural expressive and integrated design for both public and private sector projects throughout Te Tai Tokerau (Northland), Tāmaki Makaurau (Auckland), Te Moana-a-Toi (Bay of Plenty), and the wider Waikato region.

Josephine has collaborated with a diverse range of clients, including district councils, developers, privately owned companies, architectural, ecological and planning firms, Māori organisations, iwi authorities, community groups, and private landowners. Her experience spans apartment and residential developments, papakāinga, master planning, ecological restoration, ecological monitoring from a Te Ao Māori perspective, incorporation of maramataka, cultural health index development, co-design processes, Māori frameworks, cultural advisory, lecturing at Unitec, and project management.

Her iwi affiliations are Ngāti Porou (Te Whānau-a-Hinerupe), Te Whānau-ā-Apanui (Te Whānau a Kauaetangohia), Kahungunu ki Wairarapa, Ngāpuhi (Ngāti Rangi ki Ngāwha), Te Rarawa (Ngāti Moroki), Te Aupouri (Te Riumakutu, Ngāti Mata), and Ngāti Kahu (Te Hoerewa, Te Paatu).

Through Earthfeather, Josephine continues to shape her own design identity which is centred on kaupapa Māori principles, environmental stewardship, and culturally grounded spatial outcomes that serve both people and place.

Select Projects

Director of Earthfeather Ltd. Landscape Architect (BLA), 2023 Co-Chair of Ngā Aho Māori Professional Design Nextwork, 2021 “E kō” published, Our Voices II: the de-colonial project, ORO editions, 2019 Nga Aho & University of Toronto Indigenous Placemakers Artist Residency Toronto, Canada

Services:

Landscape Architect, Cultural Advisor, Artist, Cultural Engagement

Education:

UNITEC Institute Bachelor of Landscape Architecture, NZILA Registered

Qualifications:

Nga Aho Co-Chair and Pae Mātua, Executive committee, Member of Te Tau-a-nuku (Maori professional Landscape Architecture group)