The open side of mindedness.

Ko Ngāti Porou me Te Whakatōhea āku iwi.

I am on the open side of mindedness and border on obsessive when given a challenge.  I consider that understanding the social and political environment in which we design is critical to producing architecture.

Communication and effective productivity are integral to my work in project delivery. I seek common ground and utilise herd knowledge to create successful outcomes for clients and users. With prominent projects involving major restoration, the integration of cultural and heritage fabric with contemporary work has become a defining design strength. Collaborative by nature, I value working with others: stakeholders, clients, consultants, contractors, colleagues, peers, mentors, graduates.

My career began with New Zealand’s leading Māori practice working with iwi on highly collaborative projects spanning public housing, education and community facilities.  Since 2008, I have practiced in Australian firms with specialty in public architecture undertaking leadership roles for justice, library, community centre and health projects.  As a Senior Associate, I have led multiple projects with local and state government clients ($2M-45M) whilst undertaking practice management and business development  Mentoring graduates has become a focus, and in 2020 I was appointed to the examiner panel for the Architects Registration Board of Victoria. In 2022, this commiment extended to teaching at Masters level at the University of Melbourne. I have operated as a sole practitioner since 2006 completing small residential projects ($250k-$1.5M) on both sides of the Tasman Sea.

My enduring research interest lies in the civic realm as a communication field. The cultural grounding for this work is the ātea and its temporal activation through the protocol of pōwhiri - ngā taonga o te ao Māori. This research is supported by a Research Training Program Scholarship provided by the Australian Commonwealth Government and the University of Melbourne.

I have two children and a brown dog.