August workshop critics

Amanda Yates

Amanda Yates’ is a senior lecturer at AUT and director of AUT’s Emergent Ecologies, a creative practice lab for indigenous and urban ecologies. Amanda creative practice utilises performative installations and speculative visualisations to signal ecological change and explore sustainable potentials. Amanda has a background in performance, exhibition and installation design and architecture. She is a senior lecturer at AUT and director of AUT’s Emergent Ecologies, a creative practice lab for indigenous and urban ecologies.

Michael Hawes

Michael Hawes Landscape Architect, Associate Partner Bachelor of Landscape Architecture (Hons), Kingston University, UK Postgraduate Diploma, Kingston University, UK UK Landscape Institute NZ Institute of Landscape Architects Urban Design Group

Michael has been in practice as a landscape architect since 1997. Prior to joining Boffa Miskell, he practiced for seven years with Lovejoy London during which time he was made a Director leading a landscape and urban design portfolio both in the UK and internationally.

Through his wide range of experience in landscape architecture, master planning and urban design he has developed his strengths include developing a good understanding of client needs and requirements with creative conceptual design and technical expertise to deliver memorable places for people to enjoy.

Currently he is the Auckland Design Studio’s design leader, providing design review and input across a range of projects as well as leadership and strategic direction.

Michael has tutored in urban design to students at Victoria University, has served as the NZILA Wellington Branch Chairperson and currently represents the NZILA Auckland Branch on Auckland Council’s Urban Design Panel Governance Board.

Juan Molina

Juan Molina is a senior architect and urban designer at CPRW Fisher. Juan is a graduate of the Escola Tècnica Superior d'Arquitectura de Barcelona and a Spanish Registered Architect,  member of the Collegi Oficial d’Arquitectes de Catalunya.  Juan was taught by luminaries, Enric Miralles and Ignasi de Solà-Morales and worked with Viaplana and Pinon on the early days of the ‘Plazas duras’ in Barcelona. He has over 20 years of experience as a practicing architect in New Zealand and Spain, projects include the master planning of Britomart with Cheshire Architects and designing a NZIA award wining projects with CPRW Fisher. His latest urban intervention was the instigation of the Candy Chang ‘Before I die...’ wall in St Patricks Square.

Garth Falconer

Garth graduated in landscape architecture from Lincoln University,  completed a Masters in urban design from Oxford Brookes (UK) and is fellow of the NZILA.  He is founder and director of Reset Urban Design, a specialised design practise focused on taking strategic projects into a realised form. Previously Garth was a founder and director of Isthmus Group from 1988 to 2008. Garth is foremost a designer and has over 24 years’ experience leading design teams on large scale urban projects around New Zealand,   Garth has been at the forefront of the development of urban public realm projects such as waterfronts, river edges, parks, streets, plazas and  central city environments. He believes landscape architecture has a critical responsibility in improving the quality and sustainability of life for our people and the wider ecology.

Garth has received national and international recognition.  He has won numerous  national design awards and lectures at the landscape architecture schools at Lincoln, Victoria and Unitec . Garth has presented at conferences and universities in Australia, USA,UK, Greece and Italy.

Bridget Gilbert

Bridget Gilbert  is Director of Bridget Gilbert Landscape Architecture Ltd. Prevously Bridget has worked with Boffa Miskell Ltd, Colson Stone (Heritage Landscape Architects) and Southwark Council, Terence O’Rourke, London – Town Planners, Urban Designers and Landscape Architects, Levitt Bernstein London – Architects, Urban Designers and Landscape Architects,  RPS Clouston, Leeds –Landscape Architects, and Travers Morgan, London - Engineers and Landscape Architects.

Nick Rae

Nick Rae, Director of TransUrban,   urban designer, landscape architect Master of Urban Design, University of Sydney, Bachelor of Landscape Architecture (Hons), Lincoln University Nick is a qualified urban designer and landscape architect with the desire to create great places for people whilst embracing our natural environment. Nick has spent the last 3.5 years working in New Zealand, following gaining experience working and studying in London, Europe, Saudi Arabia and Sydney. His personal travel has taken him to remote villages in Africa, to the high density cities of Hong Kong and Ho Chi Minh City, and the landscapes of Asia and Australia. In New Zealand, Nick has mainly been involved with assisting landuse policy for growth areas in Auckland, Hamilton and Queenstown.  These range from industrial activity near Auckland Airport, residential areas of Hingaia and rural villages in the Franklin District, town centres in Rototuna and Kumeu, and a mixed use zone in Takanini. Nick has recently contributed to the design of proposed buildings in Auckland including the mixed use building for the City Mission, a commercial building at the corner of Victoria Park and the last site in the Quay Park Precinct.

David Mead

David is a Director with Hill Young Cooper Ltd, a resource management, environmental policy and planning consultancy with offices in Auckland and Wellington. David has over 25 years experience in resource management policy.

David provides advice on a wide range of RMA-related projects to public and private sector clients. He has provided expert evidence to the Environment Court on urban growth issues and urban design. He regularly undertakes assignments considering future demands for housing, business, transport and social infrastructure and the interactions between these factors. This often involves participation in, and leading workshops, public engagement exercises and design workshops.

David has helped to prepare numerous plan changes relating to new urban developments, car parking, affordable housing, stormwater management, urban design and crime prevention through environmental design. This has involved preparation of strategies and action plans, development of RMA plan provisions, consideration of alternatives, submission analysis, Section 42a reporting and negotiation and mediation post council level hearings.

David acts an Independent Hearing Commissioner and has considered plan changes, resource consents and notices of requirements.

David is a Chair of one of Auckland City’s Urban Design Panels. He has facilitated many professional and community workshops on the New Zealand Urban Design Protocol, urban design frameworks for town centres and structure planning exercises. He co-authored for the Ministry of the Environment, the People + Places + Spaces guideline on urban design.

Prior to joining Hill Young Cooper, David was a member of the strategic projects team at Waitakere City. This team was responsible for developing and implementing a range of integrated sustainable development / Agenda 21 projects, including urban growth, transport and open space strategies, green network, sustainable building methods and community planning initiatives. David was a member of the core team that prepared the current Waitakere District Plan

Dr Dushko Bogunovich


Dushko Bogunovich is associate professor of urban design in the Departments of Architecture and Landscape Architecture at Unitec Institute of Technology in Auckland. He studied architecture and urban planning at the universities of Sarajevo, Belgrade, Cyprus, Pennsylvania and California at Berkeley.
Dushko is a member of the International Society of City and Regional Planners (ISOCARP); New Zealand Institute of Architects (NZIA); and the Urban Design Forum (UDF) of NZ. He was twice a Fulbright scholar; has won numerous urban design competition awards; has acted as consultant and advisor to local and central government in NZ; and had in the past contributed to UNDP, UNEP, UNESCO and Habitat projects. Dushko had also been a visiting fellow at the universities of Oxford, Bologna, Genoa and Wismar, and most recently was visiting professor of urban design at the Milan Polytechnic.

Evan Williams

Evan Williams is an associate at Isthmus. Evan has a broad range of experience on projects ranging from urban and residential master plans, urban waterfronts, town squares, deck landscapes, community parks and playgrounds. He has a strong interest in urban design and site planning and has developed an expertise in concept design, design development, documentation and 3D visualisation. Having worked on a number of large urban renewal projects in New Zealand and Australia, Evan has an understanding of working with clients expectations, working in consultancy teams and managing complex projects with demanding time frames.