Peter Elliott is an award-winning actor, presenter and narrator. As host for one of the longest running documentary productions of recent times, Art of the Architect, Elliot was immersed in some of New Zealand’s most interesting architectural projects. Along the way, he spent a considerable amount of time in the company of “those who wield the pen of design”. 

“I am really looking forward to discovering the depth of passion, talent and artistic abilities within the NZILA Awards participants,” Elliot says. 

Ken Crosson is a director of award-winning, Auckland-based architecture firm, Crosson Clarke Carnachan Architects. Crosson studied at the University of Auckland and has been based in the city, running projects throughout New Zealand, for most of his career. Central to Crosson’s design process is the idea of exploration – allowing design to evolve through constant re-evaluation and appropriateness – maintaining the underpinning reference to site and context. 

Greg Grabasch is principal founder of urban design and landscape architecture firm UDLA and has over 20 years of experience in the environment and development industry as a landscape contractor, environmental consultant, urban designer and landscape architect. His experience includes a large variety of urban and rural design projects. Along with his commitment to a strong social and environmental philosophy, Grabasch’s former position as design contractor has provided him with the knowledge for developing practical and economic outcomes.

Clare Chapman is editor of Landscape Architecture New Zealand and Progressive Building magazines, and is a regular contributor to a host of other publications. Based both in Australia and New Zealand over the last decade, Clare has worked as writer, editor and journalist in a variety of roles across different sectors.

Craig Pocock has 20 years of experience as a landscape architect and is a registered member of the NZILA. He has lived and worked extensively in landscape architecture in New Zealand, Jordan, Palestine, India, Australia and the United States. Pocock’s work focuses on applying the collective knowledge of traditional, sustainable practices from the Middle East, Central Asia as well as contemporary sustainable practices in North America, Australia and New Zealand. Pocock has been involved in a number of critiques and lectures at Philadelphia University, Yale University School of Architecture and Lincoln University.

David McKenzie is a technical principal of landscape architecture for Opus International Consultants and a partner of the company. He is based in Christchurch and oversees the work of more than 20 landscape architects who are located in five of Opus’ New Zealand offices. In the course of his 32-year career, McKenzie has worked in the field of urban and landscape planning and design throughout New Zealand and Western Australia. McKenzie is a Fellow of NZILA and is a registered landscape architect. 

Penny Allan is professor of landscape architecture at the Victoria University of Wellington and co-founder of the design research practice, Outpost. She has won a number of major design and design research awards in Australia and New Zealand; most recently in 2013, she won the Charlie Challenger Award for Planning and Research. She was director of landscape architecture at the Government Architects Office in Sydney for eight years, where she was responsible for a wide range of urban projects in the public domain.  In 2007, she was appointed programme director at the Victoria University of Wellington.

Dan Males has 15 years experience as a landscape architect and has worked for design consultancies in America, China and London prior to moving to New Zealand to join Isthmus in 2006. Males is now Isthmus’ Wellington studio manager and specialises in urban projects such as streetscape upgrades, town centre revitalisations and waterfront renewal. He has been involved in a number of high profile and highly successful projects at all stages, from concept design through to construction. Males is a respected design team leader and places emphasis on effective collaboration with client teams and other consultants.

Renee Davies is an award-winning landscape architect and ecologist working in private practice and education. She is currently the head of the department of landscape architecture at Unitec New Zealand. Davies has a passion for research that explores relationships between landscape, culture and ecology. A fellow of the New Zealand Institute of Landscape Architects, in the past Davies has been president of the NZILA and is the current IFLA delegate, representing the NZILA in a global forum. She also runs her own sole practitioner landscape architecture consultancy Calyx Design that has implemented a range of select projects in New Zealand. 

Damian Powley has worked in local government for 10 years and has been responsible for many of Auckland Council’s public open space developments.

“Finding the right balance between project constraints and meaningful outcomes will always vary. However, more and more I find the need to tailor our engagement processes beyond a path of lest resistance and when we do, the outcomes for some of our communities can literally be life changing, if they are engaged in an appropriate way,” Powley says.

Damian is a descendant of Ngai Tai ki Torere - a small haven along the eastern Bay of Plenty coastline of New Zealand. Since training as a landscape architect, his personal focus on understanding iwi landscape issues and engagement processes has brought him full circle to uncovering his own roots in Tamaki Makaurau.

George Woolford is a landscape architect of Maori and New Zealand European heritage, hailing from Ngati Kahungunu and Rangitane decent. Currently part of the team at Bespoke Landscape Architects in Auckland, he has over seven years of experience both within New Zealand and in London, the Middle East, Europe and Asia. George has had the opportunity to successfully deliver varying project types including masterplanning town centres, 5 star luxury hotels, commercial landscapes, recreational skateparks and bike parks. He has also enjoyed assisting at Unitec where he has been a guest lecturer in studio and as part of the Maori Advisory Committee which oversees the development of the Maori component within the Bachelor of Landscape Architecture degree.