New Zealand's Best Homes with Phil Spencer

Phil investigates homes that draw their design directly from the surrounding environment, beginning with a timber cabin tucked away in a forest. He then visits a sleek, modern fortress perched on a hilltop and an estuary house that mirrors the water‑bound setting, each a clear response to its locale.

Phil is the host of a programme that looks at residences designed to echo the places they occupy. In each instalment he visits a handful of homes whose architecture has been shaped by the surrounding landscape, offering viewers a glimpse of how location can steer design choices. The format is straightforward: Phil travels to each site, walks through the property and points out the ways the building responds to its environment. The episode in question takes the audience on three distinct trips. First, Phil steps inside a timber‑clad cabin tucked away in a forest, where the wooden structure mirrors the trees that surround it. Next, he heads up to a modern fortress perched on a hill, a sleek stronghold that commands the skyline while still feeling part of the rise. The final stop is an estuary house, a dwelling that sits on the water’s edge and draws on the tidal setting for its character. Each location demonstrates a clear dialogue between architecture and nature. In the forest cabin, the use of timber not only blends visually with the woodland but also reflects a tradition of building with locally sourced material. The hilltop fortress, with its contemporary lines, shows how a modern aesthetic can coexist with a commanding, elevated site, giving the impression of a watchful sentinel. Meanwhile, the estuary house embraces its riverside position, allowing the ebb and flow of the water to inform its layout and feel. Overall, the episode underscores how a home’s design can be a direct response to the landscape it inhabits, with Phil guiding viewers through the subtle and overt ways each property reflects its surroundings.