Human Dynamo Workshop

18/06/2026

🌟 BIG NEWS 🌟

After almost four years at Human Dynamo Workshop, our Senior Designer & Maker Justin is heading off to Rocket Lab. 🚀

While we're sad to see him go, it's hard not to be excited for him. Being approached by Rocket Lab is the kind of opportunity many designers and makers dream of. You could say it's a little "out of this world." 🌏✨

What sets Justin apart is his curiosity. His instinct is to ask "what if?" and then work out how to make it happen. Time and again, that mindset has helped uncover new possibilities 💡, navigate complex challenges and push projects further while staying true to the vision.

At Human Dynamo Workshop, we're passionate about helping ambitious ideas realise their full potential. The same goes for our people. Creating opportunities for talented designers and makers to grow and take on bigger challenges has always been part of who we are. Justin's move to Rocket Lab is a reflection of the talent, curiosity and hard work he's brought to the workshop over the past four years, and we're incredibly proud of what he's achieved. 👏

Thanks for everything you've brought to the workshop, Justin. We can't wait to see what you do next.

We're now looking for a Senior CNC Designer & Programmer to join our team.

Interested? 👉 Learn more: http://humandynamo.co.nz/job-1

Help ambitious ideas realise their full potential. Design, CAD model, toolpath and machine bespoke projects across multiple CNC platforms in a hands-on creative production role.

09/06/2026

There's something special about working with timber, and thermally modified pine is a material we've been using more and more in recent years. 🪵

We love it for its beauty, durability, stability and ability to age gracefully over time. Whether it's an architectural feature or artwork, thermally modified pine brings warmth, texture and character.

And when thoughtfully designed and crafted, it's a material that can be enjoyed for generations.

28/05/2026

Proud to have contributed to the award-winning Executive Wing Level 3 Ministerial Suites project within the Beehive alongside artist Len Hetet (Waiwhenua Design) and the wider project team.

Working within one of Aotearoa NZ’s most significant civic buildings, the project brought together cultural narrative, craft, accessibility and contemporary workplace design. Mana whenua narratives developed with Len Hetet were expressed through carved timber and patterned glazing, helping shape a warm and welcoming arrival experience.

Congratulations to the entire team on receiving the National Category Award for Commercial Fitout at the NZ Commercial Project Awards! 👏

Studio Pacific Architecture delivered the refurbishment of Level 3 ministerial suites within New Zealand Parliament’s Executive Wing. The project balances heritage significance with contemporary workplace needs, creating functional, secure, and carefully crafted spaces that support ministerial wor...

26/05/2026

What surprises people most about what we do? The sheer scope. 👀

Human Dynamo Workshop Directors Rob Uivel and Sue Dorrington share how we approach our work. Bring us a problem, and we’ll find a way - thoughtfully, creatively, and often in unexpected ways. 🛠️✨

19/05/2026

When the job calls for a tool that doesn’t exist, or one that needs to do something very specific, we build it.

For this project, we needed a way to cut large polystyrene blocks accurately, efficiently, and without tearing or rough edges. With the sheer volume involved, off-the-shelf solutions weren’t going to cut it (literally).

Instead, we developed a custom hot wire cutting machine to do exactly what's required - clean, precise cuts at scale.

14/05/2026

Pleased to share Tūhono ki te Ao a Tangaroa — created for the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in New Zealand in collaboration with artist Len Hetet (Waiwhenua Design), Tennent Brown Architects, Black Interiors, and the wider project team.

From hidden doors to moving walls, every detail required creative intelligence. This project brought together carved timber forms, acoustic performance, architectural integration and deeply considered cultural narrative. It was designed to feel embedded within the space.

Read the full case study here:

Len Hetet (Waiwhenua Design) partnered with us to create an integrated carved timber artwork, “Tūhono ki te Ao a Tangaroa,” for the Netherlands Embassy in Wellington. The artwork is embedded directly into the architecture of the new space. It represents shared cultures and histories.

12/05/2026

A beautiful new addition to the Wellington Writers Walk is coming to the waterfront — the walk’s first sculpture in te reo Māori, and its first new installation in over a decade.

Installed in time for Matariki 2026, the work celebrates storytelling, language, literature and place.

Proud to be involved in bringing this aluminium sculpture to Pōneke residents and visitors alongside an incredible creative team led by designer Dave Hakaraia (Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Paoa) and mana whenua collaborators.

A new Wellington Writers Walk sculpture featuring text in te reo Māori is set to be installed on the waterfront in time for Matariki 2026, marking the first time the literary trail has included a work entirely in te reo.

06/05/2026

Not a surface treatment. Not an afterthought.

These carved timber battens were developed as a fully integrated architectural system at the Netherlands Embassy, combining acoustic performance, material warmth, and Len Hetet’s whakairo-inspired forms in one continuous build.

Carving, spacing, and installation work as a single language.

29/04/2026

No matter how detailed the drawings are, installation often reveals something new. Site conditions shift. Materials behave differently. Small adjustments need to happen fast. ⚡

That’s why successful outcomes rely on more than precise fabrication. They require creative intelligence all the way from design through to delivery.

19/04/2026

Designing for install = logistics + meaning.
We ask: Where is the work going? What's the wider context? And how do we stay true to the artist’s intent?