NEWS
From New York’s High Line to New Zealand: Richard Hayden Headlines Garden Marlborough 2026
Garden Marlborough, in partnership with principal sponsor Bayleys Marlborough, is thrilled to announce Richard Hayden, Senior Director of Horticulture at New York’s iconic High Line, as keynote speaker for this year’s festival. Adding a distinctly New Zealand perspective to this year’s programme, the festival will also welcome Dr Peter Sergel, visionary behind Hamilton Gardens.
Working alongside celebrated Dutch designer Piet Oudolf, Hayden leads the stewardship of the High Line’s breathtaking naturalistic plantings, welcoming more than six million visitors each year while helping shape the future of resilient urban landscapes.
In his keynote presentation, The High Line: Wild by Design, Hayden will take audiences behind the scenes of the globally celebrated public garden, exploring how ecology, design and public spaces can come together to create emotionally evocative landscapes in even the most unexpected urban environments.
He will also present Rhythm, Repetition and Texture, a design-focused session exploring how structure, planting combinations and naturalistic principles can create gardens with year-round beauty and impact beyond flowers alone.
With a career spanning public horticulture, ecological garden design and major cultural institutions including the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, Hayden brings a rare combination of visionary thinking and grounded horticultural expertise.
“Garden Marlborough has built an incredible reputation for bringing together passionate gardeners and inspiring ideas,” says Hayden. “I’m excited to visit New Zealand for the first time, share the story of the High Line, and explore conversations around public gardens, ecology and the important role green spaces play in shaping our communities.”
Festival committee member and programme chair Kaara Wight says Hayden’s inclusion brings an exciting international perspective to this year’s programme.
“We’re incredibly excited to welcome Richard Hayden to Garden Marlborough this year,” says Wight. “I had the privilege of visiting the High Line last year and was completely blown away by the beauty of what Richard, Piet Oudolf and the design team have achieved on a former elevated railway line in the middle of Manhattan. It’s an inspiring example of how powerful and transformative public green spaces can be.”
“Alongside our beautiful private gardens, this year’s programme also explores the wider role gardens and green spaces can play in supporting wellbeing, connection and community.”
Alongside Hayden’s keynote sessions, the festival will host a special screening of The Time Traveller’s Guide to Hamilton Gardens, with special guest Dr Peter Sergel attending for a live introduction and audience Q&A.
The documentary explores the extraordinary transformation of Hamilton Gardens from a former rubbish dump into a globally recognised “museum of humanity” in garden form. Through immersive themed gardens, the project explores major turning points in human history and the changing ways cultures have viewed the world.
Guests will have the rare opportunity to hear directly from Dr Sergel about the vision, challenges and creative thinking behind one of New Zealand’s most celebrated public garden projects.
Beyond the keynote and special events, this year’s Garden Marlborough programme promises a packed schedule of inspiring garden tours, workshops and social events. Beloved gardens will return alongside exciting new additions opening to the public for the first time, while workshops will cover everything from wreath making and regenerative gardening to foraging, photography, cocktails and traditional Māori practices.
Garden Marlborough runs from 5–8 November 2026 in the heart of the Marlborough region. Tickets go on sale 21 July via Garden Marlborough.
For thirty-three years, Garden Marlborough has celebrated the pleasures and benefits of gardening, welcoming thousands of visitors annually to experience the region’s exceptional gardens, landscapes and hospitality.
Garden Marlborough announce exciting new partnership with Bayleys Marlborough
Garden Marlborough is delighted to announce Bayleys Marlborough is the Principal Sponsor of the 31st Garden Marlborough event, set to be held on 7th – 10th November this year. Garden Marlborough, NZ's premier garden event, was dreamt up by gardeners for gardeners. Celebrating Marlborough's stunning landscape, it showcases the very best the region has to offer with a range of garden tours, workshops and social events.
As New Zealand’s leading full service real estate company, Bayleys is the perfect partner for Garden Marlborough, with great synergy between the two brands.
Bayleys Marlborough is proud to be locally owned and operated, offering a diverse range of services, including Residential, Country, Lifestyle, Viticulture, Waterfront, Commercial Sales and Residential Property Management. With offices located in Blenheim, Picton and Kaikoura, Bayleys have established a reputation of quality marketing and an ethos of “altogether better” to achieve outstanding results for their clients.
"We are delighted to have Bayleys onboard as our Principal Sponsor. We believe they are the perfect partner to help us to maintain our status as New Zealand’s premier garden event, and our vision to be one of the world’s leading garden events” says Ben McLauchlan, Garden Marlborough Sponsorship Chair.
“Bayleys Marlborough are fantastic supporters of the Marlborough community, and we are very fortunate to have their support as our main sponsor,” says Ben, “This partnership represents a shared commitment to showcase the Marlborough region, and we look forward to working alongside Glenn, and the Bayleys team to elevate the festival to new heights."
“Garden Marlborough holds a special place in our hearts as an iconic event in the region's calendar, embodying values that very much resonate with us,” says Bayleys Marlborough Managing Director, Glenn Dick, “We are very committed to celebrating our region and see this event as a great way to engage with the community and showcase Marlborough to the many visitors and locals alike.”
The Garden Marlborough Committee would like to thank outgoing naming sponsor, Rapaura Springs, and the Neylon and Wiffen families. Their incredible support and enthusiasm for the event for the past six years, has allowed Garden Marlborough to grow to the event it is today. Rapaura Springs will continue to be the wine supplier for the event, and Garden Marlborough are delighted to be able to continue offering their award-winning wines to our visitors.
