With a Bachelor of Commerce, Deb’s first career was in the advertising industry as a ‘suit’ straddling the economic demands of clients with the creative needs of her creative teams. In order to gain future flexibility by being self-employed and better able to accommodate the demands of motherhood, she decided to change careers and study for a Diploma of Landscape Design at Unitec.

Deb graduated as Top Design student In 2003 she caught the eye of the producers of My House My Castle and was recruited to present a 10 week episode feature which involved turning what was essentially a backyard bog on Herald Island into a Jungle Oasis, complete with pool and Fijian bure. Besides presenting each episode alongside the late Cocksy, Deb also designed the garden, got the plans through council, and oversaw and was involved in the construction and planting of the garden. The concept for the entire garden was her idea and since completion it has been used by the new owners as a wedding venue.

Her career jettisoned from there into designing multiple gardens with an eye to the sub-tropical. She loves the textures and colours provided by the plants in this palette, together with the constancy of evergreens, but loves most plants! Deb is inspired by urban works and plantings but prefers residential design work.

Deb has featured in numerous magazines, on many radio shows and on television, most recently on TV One’s Seven Sharp. Deb’s own garden (featured above) was one of 25 private, professionally designed gardens featured in the Auckland Garden Design festival in 2013. Deb exhibited a garden she designed for some very happy clients in Sandringham, in the 2019 Auckland Garden DesignFest.

Deb has been a member of the Garden Design Society of New Zealand since its inception in 2001, has been serving on the National Executive of the Garden Design Society of New Zealand for over 19 years, was President of the National Committee from 2013 - 2015 and is currently Vice-President. Deb is Joint-Chairperson of the Auckland Garden DesignFest, a bi-annual garden festival event held across private, designed Auckland gardens and has been involved since the first event in 2011.