The Critics

Sara Zwart

I have over 18 years of experience in architecture, landscape architecture and urban design. Since graduating with an honours degree in architecture, I have worked on a wide range of projects across these disciplines in Wanaka, Canterbury, Wellington and Auckland.

My projects seek to engage and align multiple internal council and external stakeholders around a common purpose and vision for urban regeneration of green infrastructure. I specifically work on the Awataha Greenway in Northcote and the Puhinui Stream in Manukau.

Prior to joining Panuku, I was Studio manager and a Landscape Design Lead at Jasmax for ten years. During this time, I worked on a range of landscape architectural projects. In recent years focusing largely on the areas of transport, green infrastructure and campuses.

I have an ongoing passion for sustainable and regenerative urban and landscape design and am actively involved in promoting this both through my project work and involvement with a network of regenerative design practitioners.

I believe that effective integrated design practice, and early stakeholder engagement is instrumental to the success of place-based and regenerative design outcomes. This interest has been further enriched by my understand and respect of Te Ao and Te Reo Māori. I value close collaboration with mana whenua and believe we all share a role of kaitiakitanga for this precious land.

Benoit COPPENS

Benoit has a  Master degree in Landscape Architecture, he has collaborated with Coloco office & Gilles Clement for 5 years in landscape projects & studies, He is now working  working as a Landscape Architect consultant at 4Sight in Auckland.

Dr Fleur Palmer

Dr Fleur Palmer Te Rarawa/Te Aupouri is an Architect, Spatial Activist and Senior Lecturer of Spatial Design in the Faculty of Design & Creative Technologies, Auckland University of Technology.

Dr Fleur Palmer's award winning  Ph.D focused on the displacement of Māori communities through colonisation and is the first doctorate to investigate to implications of discriminatory practices on housing outcomes in Aotearoa. Through her innovative collaborative practice she supported the creation of an affordable housing project in Kaitaia for He Korowai Trust that also featured in a documentary on social housing directed by Briar March called A Place called Home. In her collaborative practices, she worked with 7 marae from the North Hokianga, and the Hawke family from Ngati Whatua to generate visualisations of future development to reflect the core social and the cultural values of these communities in support of self-determination.

Dr. Falaniko Tominiko

Director of Pacific Success at Unitec Insitute of Technology.

Fiona Ting
Fiona Ting is a Malaysian-Chinese/Pākehā landscape architect. She is a member of the rōpū Asians Supporting Tino Rangatiratanga, a group of people from various Asian backgrounds committed to supporting Māori sovereignty through treaty education with Asian communities and solidarity with Māori-led movements. As a tauiwi person practicing landscape design in Aotearoa, she is interested in furthering education within our tauiwi design communities about the history of the lands we work within and our responsibilities as tangata tiriti. Working towards a deep understanding of the history, land and tikanga of this place is seen as the fundamental basis from which all tauiwi designers can work. Fiona carries out this work through her involvement with the Landscape Foundation and through her current role as a landscape architect at Xanthe White Design. 

Jo Hurst 
Jo Hurst is a a director at Constable Hurst Architects . Jo has also taught for many years at the Unitec School of Architecture . 

Tommy Honey
Tommy Honey is a director, designer, educational manager, architectural critic, cultural commentator and occasional architect. He has worked in the theatre, taught architecture and design, directed a Film School and been CEO of an Art & Design college. Tommy was for a long time the resident urbanist on Radio New Zealand’s Nine-to-Noon and he is currently undertaking a Masters in emergent and disruptive technology at the Tech Futures Lab where he is investigating disruption in housing