There are good things afoot in Whanganui, as anyone who has visited of late will tell you. Its downtown is humming – and so clean! – with new businesses in heritage buildings, plus there’s renewed interest in its modernist architectural history. (From recent experience, we can highly recommend a beer and a burger in the sun at Porridge Watson.)

More than that, back in 2021, the city was named New Zealand’s only UNESCO City of Design – a programme that seeks to embed design at the centre of the way the city works.

It’s been on our mind for ages to run an Open Home in Whanganui, so we’re opening two favourites, from very different eras. First up, we have the Dog Box by Ben Mitchell-Anyon, Sally Ogle, Caro Robertson and Tim Gittos. The group built the house themselves back in 2013, on the cheapest land they could find. It features recycled steel trusses found on Trade Me, a unique semi-outdoor bathroom and a raw sensibility. Now in the ownership of Mitchell-Anyon and partner Natalie Bradburn, it’s a very special home.

Equally special? The Payne House designed in the 1960s by architect Michael Payne as his own residence and now owned by artist Andrea duChatenier. An exercise in contrast, it features a concrete-block base with a lightweight timber upper storey. There’s a large studio on the ground floor and living spaces upstairs, connected by a spiral staircase. It’s a sure-footed house with many original details – and some beautiful timber panelling.

Don’t miss out!