Ben Preston
I work in the
space between
things.
Between engineering and ecology, simplicity and complexity, strategy and soul. The rigour of science and the messiness of real life.
I help people get meaningful things done in and through complexity.
Most of my work comes down to the same question: how do we do important, complex things together without losing what matters along the way?
I bring this to projects, organisations and communities through facilitation, strategic leadership and hands-on delivery — grounded in a decade of building things.
There's good science behind what I do. Cooperation isn't idealism — it's an evolutionary advantage. The groups that learn to work with complexity, rather than against it, are the ones that thrive. I help make that practical.
I co-founded Living Systems Development to demonstrate this — Peachgrove East is our first project, a 48-unit net-zero Passive House cohousing community in Hamilton, New Zealand.
Peachgrove East has been in construction since August 2026. That creates a window. Through to late 2027 I'm available for a small number of outside engagements — advisory, development management, or the right fixed-term contract. Find out more →
"Ben's presence made particularly challenging projects much easier for our staff and business. He is genuine, warm-hearted, a solid project lead, great leader and collaborator, and technically top-notch. We'd work with him again in a heartbeat."
— Max Van Biene, Director, Edge Impact
If any of this resonates,
let's chat.
The best collaborations I've been part of started with a conversation, not a proposal.