Megan Banks

Master of Ceremonies

Megan is an experienced broadcaster and public speaker who has been behind a microphone of some sort for almost 20 years. She is currently one half of The Hits breakfast show in Hawkes Bay and has worked on various shows and networks in New Zealand including the fast paced newsroom at TVNZ. She decided she was more interested in pop music than politics and moved back to radio where she credits a two year on-air campaign to get to talk to Richie McCaw as a personal highlight.

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Megan has a great love for modern design but has somehow instead found herself the proud owner of a 120 year old villa in Napier. Her villa, as all villa owners will appreciate, has the dual benefit of being bitterly cold in winter and somehow scorching in summer. She also considers herself an environmentalist with the 3 metre high ceilings as the perfect place to nurture spiders. Megan has been working with ADNZ for the past three years as our Regional Awards host and is really looking forward to seeing the amazing designs for 2020 as she continues her dream to one day being able to commission one.

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Matty Lovell

Business, Lifestyle, and Wellbeing Guest Speaker

Matty Lovell is living proof of what mindset, a plan and discipline can achieve. From a wheelchair he conquered depression, travelled the world, started a business and ran a marathon. Along the way he discovered things that became the framework for a life less ordinary.

In 2011 Matty found himself in the heart of the Christchurch earthquake. Safe from the initial shake he spent 8 hours working at the collapsed PGC building pulling survivors from the rubble. Later the same year an accident left him with two broken knee caps and a diagnosis that he’d never run again. A lot to deal with for anyone and the emotional stress took its toll on the 25 year old as he began battling depression and learning to walk again.   With insightful takeaways relevant in both business and life, Matty shares a powerful message told from the heart that will empower you to    take on challenges, re-think possible and start leading your own life - proving that our biggest challenges are our biggest opportunities!

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Professor Deidre Brown

Head of the School of Architecture and Planning at The University of Auckland

We are on the threshold of a new age of architectural design in Aotearoa New Zealand. There is a need within our communities and desire on the part of many designers to express Māori design principles in our country’s built environment. Our landscapes are imbued with rich ancestral narratives and imprinted with ancestral lifeways through pa and stone fields; tikanga guides the way we open and sometimes use shared space; and terms such as ‘decolonisation’ and ‘(re)indigenisation’ are increasingly being used to critique and redesign built environments.

This presentation discusses why these considerations are important and how designers might begin to understand site histories, tikanga Māori and the significance of Māori participation in order to enhance Indigenous engagement and presence in building design.

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Chris Preston

Board Chair for MBIE

Chris    is self-employed and is currently a full time member of MBIE's Board. Chris   was    previously a dispute resolution professional, undertaking a range of residential disputes and advisory work.  His clients include homeowners, contractors and builders. He was previously CEO of the Registered Master Builders Federation and acting CEO of BRANZ on two occasions.

Chris will be discussing his role on the Board and how it functions,  talking statistics about common complaints the Board receive and how LBP's can avoid these issues,  accountabilities that LBP's may not be aware of in the Building Act, and will be answering questions attendees wish to raise.

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Mark Windust

Business Consultant and Influential  Thought Leader

In these uncertain times, one thing is certain: your company’s ability to generate sales is going to be more important than ever. In the new economy, businesses that embrace selling will thrive. Those that resist will struggle.

In this inspiring as insightful presentation, Mark reveals the surprising truths about selling and how you can hone your sales capabilities to win in business.

David Norman

Chief Economist for the Auckland Council

The risk to our lives and health system forced governments the world over to make trade-offs that balanced these risks with jobs and livelihoods, with mixed success. David  will look at how 2020 has shaped our lives, changed our decision-making, and affected our economic outlook for decades to come.

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David  joined Auckland Council as Chief Economist in 2016. Prior to joining Council, he worked mostly in the private sector, at Westpac, PwC and Business and Economic Research Limited (BERL). He also spent 2 years working in the construction sector at the Building Research Association of NZ (BRANZ). Prior to embarking on his economics career, David spent 7 years living and working in Taiwan and China. He has a Post-graduate diploma in Management, a BA in Economics and Mandarin, and a BSc in Genetics and Psychology.

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Dr Paola Boarin

Senior Lecturer of Architectural Technology at The University of Auckland 

Over 30 years after the release of the Brundtland Report and aware of the urgency in addressing climate-change challenges, it is worth questioning how much has been achieved in the built environment industry through a sustainability approach and how much is still to be achieved to secure a higher level of preparedness and resilience in our cities and communities.

Our buildings and our design, construction, operation and maintenance practices are significant contributors to climate change and highlight the inadequate outcomes accomplished so far in terms of limiting to compromise future generations. A paradigm shift is then required to reverse this trend. The presentation discusses how restorative and regenerative approaches to design can enable our built environment to become part of climate regeneration solutions.

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Mark McLeay

Architectural Designer at Creative Arch

From a relatively young age there was little doubt that Mark McLeay would pursue a career in architecture.  At school his talent for tech drawing was evident and it seemed like a natural progression that he would pursue a career in architecture. With 25 years in the industry with 22 of this at the helm of Creative Arch he has guided the business into becoming a successful, diverse award-winning practice.  

Mark will be sharing a range of Creative Arch projects. With a    diverse mix of  clients, Creative Arch have worked on many  residential homes, alterations, coastal, multi-unit developments, and commercial projects. 

Marks team believe in collaboration and going the extra mile to exceed expectations and believe that experience teaches us that the most successful architectural design projects are the ones where the client is committed to excellence and teamwork.

The range of projects being presented will touch on these aspects, along with, challenges learnings and outcomes

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Lisa O’Neill

Author, Motivator, and Guest Speaker

In an all-too-serious world, Lisa  is a colourful bubble of joy and laughter. Make no mistake, though, her memorable messages come from life-tested wisdom. From a career in fashion and television to being a mum of four, Lisa has her feet on the ground.

With refreshing directness, Lisa is passionate that we should all get to live the best version of ourselves. She has written five books on how to do exactly that. ‘Look Gorgeous Be Happy’, ‘Juggling in High Heels’, ’The Lickable Third’, '100 Questions to Self-Awareness' and 'Everything You Want'.

Lisa is guaranteed to leave you inspired, energised and ready to change the way you think about life.

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Pip Cheshire

Director of Pip Cheshire Architects

Pip’s architectural career, which spans three and half decades and which promises yet further development, has been propelled by a confluence of admirable personal and professional qualities: courage; adventurousness; curiosity; enthusiasm; and persistence. Pip’s intellectual honesty and integrity have directed him away from paths of least resistance, and self-belief and a necessary stubbornness have enabled him to follow a course of his own making. At key points in his career he has rejected safe choices in favour of riskier but potentially more fulfilling options. There was nothing capricious about such decisions: one of the abiding and fascinating characteristics of Pip’s career is his determination to reconcile his ambition with his desire to pursue meaningful work consistent with his personal principles.

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Pip’s courtesy and collegiality co-exists with a driven nature. He was a relatively late starter in architecture - he was 26 when he enrolled in the University of Auckland School of Architecture in 1976 - and has often said he feels compelled to make up for lost time. However, his earlier studies, business ventures and social activism gave him valuable insights into the political and commercial contexts in which architects operate, and have provided him with experiences that have informed the urbanity of his personality and his practice.

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Simon Tupman

Author, Mentor, and Business Speaker

Simon is an international business speaker, educator and mentor to professional service firms.  He speaks at industry events, facilitates high-impact workshops and retreats and mentors professionals who are looking to energise their workplaces and put their firms ahead of the curve. One of Australasia’s most experienced speakers, he has been called on by clients in 13 countries over a 25-year career. His clients come from a variety of professions including legal, financial, accounting, architecture, real estate, hospitality, and education. Over the years, he has helped thousands of professionals leave their mark on the world

Like most professionals, architectural designers are being challenged, - by COVID-19 as well as underlying social, economic and technological trends. What might the future hold for architectural designers?  What personal and professional strategies can they adapt to cope with current state of flux? In this uplifting presentation, Simon will address these questions and will offer a blueprint to help you navigate choppy waters and build a brighter post-COVID future.

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James Lunday

Technical Director of Urban Design and Regeneration for 4 Sight Consulting 

As an Urban Designer/Urban Planner with 40 years of experience in public and private sector.  James was the driving design force and Founding Principal behind Common Ground Studio. His experience both in New Zealand and Internationally, equips him with a diverse background in Urban Regeneration and Urban Design, Landscape Planning and Architecture. He is the recipient of awards in Architecture, Planning, Landscape and Urban Economics. 

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James has successfully led multi-disciplinary teams to address issues typical in modern society, which has a variety of ethnicities and geographies to achieve outcomes and infrastructure interventions that enrich communities and their economies.  

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Over recent years James has been immersed in the Christchurch rebuild and most recently was the UNESCO Urban Design Champion for the Greater city of Geelong, Victoria. 

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Pete Bossley

Architect and Director of Pete Bossley Architects

Pete has an extensive reputation in architecture and interior design, with particular experience in galleries and museums, residential and retail. He was the joint principal responsible for design and documentation of the architecture of the national Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, Wellington, whilst a Director at Jasmax, including interior design of all public and work spaces. He is currently involved in the design and construction of the 200-room Park Hyatt Hotel in Auckland, a 400-apartment complex in the Wynyard Quarter, the Plant and Food Research head office in Auckland, multiple medium density projects for the  Housing New Zealand Corporation and at Hobsonville Point, and many large and small houses around the country. He is involved as a concept designer in all projects in the practice and his work has received numerous architectural awards. He was awarded the NZIA Gold Medal in 2012, the highest honour in New Zealand Architecture. He has exhibited and lectured extensively on his work here and overseas, including Tokyo, Vancouver, Santiago, and Australia. He has also taught architectural design for over 25 years, and was Adjunct Professor of Architecture at Unitec Architecture and Landscape School. 

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