Tonight | Grand Designs New Zealand on ABC: an orchard home becomes an art gallery – Robert and Bryony Cross build a Modernist-inspired final home on their kiwifruit orchard in New Zealand’s Western Bay of Plenty. Designed by Robert, it includes an art gallery and expansive views toward Tauranga and Mt Maunganui. It airs Thursday 22 October 2026 at 8pm on ABC, with streaming on ABC iview.
The project is personal as well as architectural. Robert came to design study in his early sixties, turning a long-held interest in twentieth-century Modernism into a house for the couple’s orchard land.
From orchard business to personal home
After moving from the UK, Robert and Bryony built a kiwifruit orchard business in Whakamarama. Their new house is intended to be their final and most individual home. Robert drew up the design after enrolling in an architectural design course, with guidance from a qualified architectural designer as the project progressed.
Design challenges on the site
The plan brings together huge windows, a gallery for art and the surrounding landscape. Its position on orchard land offers views of Tauranga and Mt Maunganui, but the location also brings practical demands. The team must address a high-wind zone and waterproofing for a flat roof. The episode follows how Robert’s Modernist ambitions meet those site-specific building challenges.
Grand Designs New Zealand airs Thursday 22 October 2026 at 8pm on ABC and streams on ABC iview.
Read more in TV Central’s ABC coverage. Watch on ABC iview.
