I first met Pip at a job interview on the last working day of 1996. He rang me at the end of that day to offer me a position at Jasmax. To begin my architectural career working closely with Pip was one of the best Christmas gifts I could have received — and it truly was a gift that kept on giving.

We later worked together on NZIA matters, first when he was Auckland Chair and, then, President. His counsel was invaluable when I later took on the role of President myself. 

I continued to learn a lot from Pip. He gave me many career opportunities. He made me think and he made me laugh. Pip was generous and kind, and he combined that humanity with being an accomplished architect. 

I was delighted, in 2023, to write in support of granting Pip a royal honour. What follows below is an updated version of what I submitted. Now seems the right moment to pay public tribute to Pip:

Pip Cheshire was a generous and accomplished architect. His work included significant public buildings and spaces as well as private homes. He was a teacher and leader of his profession, and his contribution to architecture and the cultural landscape of Aotearoa New Zealand was worthy of recognition.

In his role as President of the New Zealand Institute of Architects, he accepted a challenge presented to him of making the organisation relevant to Māori practitioners. He made space for, and encouraged, young Māori practitioners to work with Matua Haare Williams to develop Te Kawenata o Rata — a covenant between Ngā Aho and the Institute. In this regard, Pip moved the organisation towards acknowledging its Treaty obligations and to start on the journey to become a bicultural organisation.

Pip’s generosity and belief in the importance of fostering and supporting the next generation of architects was also reflected in his commitment to teaching — whilst running a busy architectural practice. He recognised the shared benefit of the dialogue between student and teacher, and the importance of that intergenerational exchange to inspire, while sharing the experience and the wisdom that the seasoned practitioner brings to the studio.

The importance of exchange — the underlying raison d’être of cities and other urban spaces – was a key value that Pip’s architectural projects demonstrate. Pip unashamedly promoted and demonstrated the value and importance of architecture to create the environment where social exchange can occur. City-making is about creating an environment where people can relate to one another — in a variety of ways. This is demonstrated in the work at Britomart and Q Theatre, as well as through his project review role on the Auckland Council Urban Design Panel. His work was a response to the local context, of our place — Aotearoa — expressed confidently in built form.

Pip Cheshire was an architect whose work was not easily categorised as a style. This is because he did not have ‘a’ style. Pip’s approach to making architecture was to respond to the context — which included the place where the building would be situated, the future users and the clients who commissioned him. This resulted in an oeuvre that is eclectic, specific and, also, at times, monumental when the occasion called for it. 

The complexity of the city is something that Pip understood and worked to influence. He recognised that strategic thinking is as important, if not more important, in city-making as is the architecture. In this regard, he was always ready and able to talk about the city and its possibilities, to recognise the importance of ideas and dialogue. To that end he was a great advocate for urbanism, for architecture and its importance in forming an identity in this country, rather than defaulting to the supremacy of the country’s significant and beautiful natural environment.

 Pip’s achievements were recognised by his peers in the awarding of the Gold Medal in 2013.

He continued to contribute to architectural and cultural discourse in Aotearoa New Zealand until the abrupt end to his life last week. From his influence on our city to the discussion about urban environments, his contribution to the nation’s architectural identity deserved wider recognition. In this regard, I was honoured and delighted to support his nomination for national recognition. He was made a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit (CNZM).

“Pip unashamedly promoted and demonstrated the value and importance of architecture to create the environment where social exchange can occur.”
– Christina van Bohemen