Our Story

Otago’s first choice for quality outdoor spaces.

Southern Landmarx

First choice for quality outdoor spaces.

At Southern Landmarx landscaping is not just about the project but in building seamless relationships along the way.

Established in 2003, Jaye and Joe Nutting founded Southern Landmarx out of a desire to start a closely-held business which keeps overheads low and client contact high. Leaving corporate structures behind them, they identified the opportunity to combine construction and design with client-focused landscapes made for Central Otago conditions, and went from there. This commitment has earned Southern Landmarx its reputation for quality landscapes designed with both the client and environment in mind, making it the first choice for landscape architecture and construction throughout the Queenstown and Cromwell regions.

 

Our Team

Contributing to the Southern Landmarx success is the level of expertise within the team. Skilled in architecture and design right through to construction and maintenance, there is always someone with the skills and knowledge to design, construct and maintain every Southern Landmarx project.

They will include their client across every step of the landscaping process to ensure every project meets their expectations. Together, we form a creative and hard-working team, combining top skills and talent to bring inspiring designs to life.

Joe Nutting

Joe Nutting

Managing Director
BLA(Hons)

It was Joe's love for New Zealand which drew him back home to New Zealand and eventually Queenstown, having travelled and worked for many years overseas. On his return, he observed how client projects could benefit from bringing the areas of design and construction together. Joe adds significant value to all aspects of the process, drawing on his insights gained working internationally for large landscaping firms and a degree in Landscape Architecture from Lincoln University. He is passionate about working closely with clients to make design fit with realities of day to day living, involving them from concept to completion. Any time Joe has away from the demands of work are spent with his three young daughter or enjoying his passion for hunting, boating and the outdoors.

Jaye Nutting

Jaye Nutting

Director
NZDipBus, NZIMDipMan

Jaye joined Southern Landmarx in 2008 and is now across all human resources, marketing and financial aspects of the company. Jaye blends a lifetime of knowledge and experience travelling and working into her role, plus experience working in sales and marketing, and studies in business. Adding to her expertise is a firm grasp of on-site work, thanks to her rural upbringing and work overseas, including building silos in Scandinavia.  Her background includes years of travelling and working across Europe, Canada, Africa, the Middle East, South East Asia, India and Nepal, but these days New Zealand is home. She is passionate about the pace and innovation which comes with working in the landscaping industry. In particular, discovering a client’s story and inspiration behind every project she finds particularly rewarding.

With three daughters aged 11-5 years, precious time away from the business is often spent with the family, enjoying the many outdoor activities and adventures the region offers.

Tama Ritter

Tama Ritter

Operations Manager
NZCert Hort (Level 4)

Tama Ritter made a move to Central Otago from Dunedin in 2014 and hadn't looked back. Having started with Southern Landmarx as an apprentice, he is now fully qualified with a National Certificate in Horticulture (level 4). Tama enjoys the landscape construction and machinery. Every day is different for a landscaper at Southern Landmarx, and he appreciates the fact that it never gets boring or repetitive. When he is not at work, you will probably catch Tama on Queenstown’s Frisbee Golf course.

Dev Singh

Dev Singh

Construction Foreman
NZCert Hort (Level 4)

With a National Certificate in Horticulture (level 4), Dev is a vital member of the team, working across all aspects of Landscaping including soft landscape implementation, hard landscape construction, through to irrigation installation and machinery operation. He enjoys the scale and variety of projects he gets involved in and enjoys the team-focus at Southern Landmarx. You’ll catch Dev hard at work on any of the company's plans whether it's landscaping, construction, or maintenance. An accomplished cricket player, he is on the local Senior Cricket team and a Central Otago cricket representative.

Mike Smith

Mike Smith

Construction Foreman

Mike Smith chose to join Southern Landmarx because he was keen to continue to develop his knowledge and skills in all aspects of landscaping, but it’s fair to say his work-based skills were already pretty broad, having previously worked in farming, fencing, commercial fishing, beekeeping, seismic drilling, landscaping and stonemasonry. Those stonemasonry skills are now being put to good use at Southern Landmarx, where Mike enjoys working with a crew of like-minded people and seeing a plan on paper come to fruition. Mike hails from Matamata originally but says he is very happy to be residing in Central Otago these days because there are so many activities available within a short drive and the scenery is so spectacular. Those local activities he enjoys accessing so easily are as broad as his work experience; hunting, fishing, diving, skiing, squash, golf and gold prospecting.

Ricky Kataria

Ricky Kataria

Maintenance Foreman
NZCert Hort (Level 4)

Ricky holds a National Certificate in Horticulture (level 4) and also brings a significant amount of practical experience to the role, making him a highly versatile team member. As a landscape gardener, he gets involved in many of the company’s construction projects that bring garden concepts to life, including planting, irrigation, rock wall stacking, lawn laying, boxing, and landscape care such as lawn mowing and pruning. Valued by the rest of the team for his work ethic, he enjoys playing cricket and is also keen on giving skydiving a go.

Joe Hagley

Joe Hagley

Landscape Support

Joe moved to Central Otago from Invercargill, where he worked for the city council as a gardening assistant, caring for the city’s many parks and reserves. He was happy to continue pursuing a career in gardening because he enjoys working outside so much, and is now developing his landscaping skills as an apprentice with Southern Landmarx. Joe says he most enjoys spending time working with the specialist machinery and equipment that is essential for quality landscaping, because it guarantees an excellent finish he can be proud of on every job he completes. He credits the Southern Landmarx team as being a great bunch of people to work with, because they’re not only dedicated to producing high standard of work but always keen for a laugh. Joe likes living in the region because there’s always something to do, such as golfing in the weekends.

Robin Bentham

Robin Bentham

Landscape Support

Robin originally hails from Manchester but has also worked in Wales and Australia in a variety of roles before moving to Queenstown five years ago. He first gained experience in landscaping while living in Australia and says he is very happy to now be working as a landscape construction team member for Southern Landmarx, because he has always enjoyed working outside. He also warmly appreciates the support he has received from the Southern Landmarx management team since the arrival of his new daughter Aurelia at the end of 2019. Robin’s never regretted moving to Queenstown; he praises the scenery, people and lifestyle. And he’s certainly taking advantage of everything the region has to offer; when not working or spending time with his family, Robin can be found playing football for a local team or biking and hiking up the nearby mountains. “I’ve been a few places, and Queenstown tops them all!”

Anita Millane

Anita Millane

Accounts Administrator

One of the busiest members of the Southern Landmarx team, Anita is in the office keeping her eyes on the numbers to ensure everything runs smoothly. Her ability to keep up with the fast pace comes from having already worked as an accounts administrator for a wide variety of organisations, not to mention previous experience as a high-school teacher and sub-editor. Originally from Invercargill, Anita has enjoyed learning more about the landscape industry, and enjoys the lifestyle that Cromwell offers. In fact, a love of winter pursuits is what motivated her and her husband to move closer to Treble Cone, so they are both very happy to have made the move.

"They are a very good team, they have a great level of knowledge about the materials and plants they use, and Joe's approach to getting in and getting his hands dirty with the team works well - they were great to have around on the job."
Anne & Martin Issott