My wife and I, and our three children, live in Hope, running an agri-tourism business. Prior to that I had an international career in architecture and urban design. Find out more about me below.
About me
Business owner
My kiwi wife, Olivia, and I moved to Tasman in 2013 and have developed a successful agri-tourism business in Hope. We built a lodge and a cottage on a small farmlet where we now welcome visitors from New Zealand and around the world.
Small-scale farmer in rural Tasman
We bought a neglected block of land in the foothills in Hope and spent years digging out fences, building yards, planting trees and reinstating a native wetland. We now operate a small pear orchard that produces approximately 50t of fruit annually, we run some beef cattle and sheep and experiment with growing avocados, bananas and pineapples.
International career in urban design
Prior to settling in Hope, I pursued a career as architect and urban designer. I hold a Master-level degree and have worked for local and international design firms in Hamburg (in my native Germany), Christchurch, Auckland, London and Abu Dhabi. I was involved in designing the urban design framework for Auckland’s City Rail Link and the development of Auckland’s Wynyard Quarter.
Co-founder of NelsonTasman2050
In 2022 I co-founded NelsonTasman2050, an independent think-tank of built-environment professionals. We provide independent input on a wide range of local policy issues. From high level future development strategies to plan changes, from the housing crisis to the provision of affordable and varied housing options, and from the pitfalls of greenfield development to new concepts for revitalising our towns and villages, we are injecting new ideas into the conversation about the future of Nelson Tasman.
Active in the community
In recent years, I have contributed to the community by advocating for building more resilient, sustainable, affordable and more community-focused towns and villages that reduce our traffic issues and protect our beautiful countryside from urban sprawl. Most recently I supported my local Hope neighbourhood in its desire to stave off the Council’s impending rezoning of highly productive land for urban development, speaking at community and Council meetings and organising a petition.
Family with three school-aged children
My wife Olivia works part-time as a lawyer. We have three school-aged children (5, 13 and 15) and enjoy the outdoors, tramping and good local food. We are so lucky to have Tasman’s amazing natural environment as our backyard and get out exploring whenever we can.
