NZIA President David Sheppard said, “Our new Chief Executive also has a strong track record as a strategist in sustainable development and the provision of affordable housing, two areas of immediate concern, especially in New Zealand’s major cities.”

Prior to her role at Wellington City Council, Hale-Pennington was Manager of Strategy for Auckland City Council, where she prepared its submission to the Royal Commission on Auckland Governance. In her earlier career Ms Hale-Pennington held strategic planning and project management positions in the private sector and in the New South Wales public service. She was educated at Griffith and Wollongong Universities in Australia.

Hale-Pennington said, “I’m very much looking forward to assuming the chief executive role at the NZIA. The work of the NZIA’s members is integral to the making of the high quality urban environments that New Zealanders want and that this country needs. Public awareness of the importance of architecture has never been stronger and the challenges architects confront have seldom been more complex. The rebuild of Christchurch, housing affordability and the related debate about more intensive urban development, and the regulatory environment affecting the construction industry are some of the issues facing New Zealand’s architects. Complex issues require collaborative solutions and the NZIA wants to contribute fully to the efforts to provide New Zealanders with safe, sustainable and enjoyable built environments.”

Hale-Pennington paid tribute to Beverley McRae, her predecessor as NZIA Chief Executive: “Beverley was the Institute’s Chief Executive for 14 years, and over that time she made a significant contribution to the architectural profession and to the construction industry”. Ms Hale-Pennington takes up her position as NZIA Chief Executive on 2 April.