This is my end of year wrap up and ‘have a happy holiday season’ message.

Firstly I would like to reflect on some of the highlights of 2019 for the New Zealand Institute of Landscape Architects Tuia Pito Ora:

We changed the timing of our annual conference in 2019 to November, to allow us to support Lincoln University celebrating 50 years of Landscape Architecture education in Aotearoa.  So, in April we held our AGM along with our first ever Presidents Function and a Research workshop organised by the Landscape Foundation. The events came together well, and the Presidents Function gave us a new way of thanking all of the volunteers that help us to run the Institute.  We celebrated our new Registered Landscape Architects and our two new Fellows – Jacky Bowring and Ralph Johns at the function. The Presidents function was well attended and received.  Thanks to the very generous sponsorship of Mark Herring Lighting we are planning on making the Presidents Function an annual event. 

In late July and early August we held our first ever Streetscape Speaker Series across four cities.  Catherine Mosbach presented to nearly 500 people, including NZILA members, our clients and collaborators and members of the public.  We are planning to make the speaker series an annual event as well. 
  
In 2019 we introduced the established member pathway to our Registration process.  In conjunction with a bumper crop already enrolled in the mentoring program, we interviewed 37 members in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch.  That was the largest number of members ever applying for Registration.  Congratulations to the 33 members who successfully passed the 2019 NZILA Registration interview and are now Registered Members of the Institute.

Thank you to the Registration Panel: Neil Challenger (Chair), John Potter (Vice Chair) and the almost equally large number of people that interviewed our Registration applicants.  2019 was a huge year for Registration and we are expecting a similar number of applicants in 2020. 

As I mentioned earlier, the 2019 conference DISRUPTION whakahīoi was moved to November in Ōtautahi to partner with the Lincoln University 50-year celebrations.  The events complemented each other nicely and we saw nearly 300 delegates turn out for the conference.  The theme of the conference, DISRUPTION whakahīoi, in conjunction with the calibre of the international and local speakers represents a step change in the quality of our conference events. The profession and the Institute should be very proud.  Thank you again to our Creative Committee led by Don Royds and to our event organisers for delivering what has been described to me as one of our ‘landmark’ conferences in 2019.  At the end of the conference I was inspired, proud and exhausted, in equal measure. 

At the opening of the conference in Ōtautahi we celebrated a lifetime of service and accomplishment to the profession by welcoming Ross Jackson into the very select group of Life Members of the Institute. Ross joins just five other members in making this lifetime achievement. Thanks for nearly 50 years of quiet, considered and always meaningful contribution, Ross. 

Conference concluded with a ceremony to celebrate The Resene New Zealand Institute of Landscape Architecture Awards 2019 at the Christchurch Art Gallery on Friday 8th November. Congratulations to all award winners, in particular to the supreme winner, Te Papa Ōtākaro Avon River Park by LandLAB, Boffa Miskell, WSP-Opus, and Rough & Milne, the Matapopore Charitable Trust and Ōtākaro Limited who were named as the NZILA George Malcolm award winners.

We have made steady progress on the Landscape Guidelines project in 2019 – with authors continuing to write the guidelines and some very fruitful hui and korero with Te Tau a Nuku on the content of the document.  Thanks to Gavin Lister and Rachel de Lambert for your continued energy for this project and to Te Tau a Nuku for your valuable input. 
 
Late in 2019 our Governance Review Group met with Graham Nahkies from Boardworks to discuss the recommendations within his Governance Review Report and to agree on a process for implementation.  We are making progress towards the development of a new model and structure of governance for the NZILA and will be engaging with the membership in the first half of 2020.
 
We have continued our korero throughout the year with our friends at Nga Aho and Te Tau a Nuku and made positive changes to our events and decision-making processes.  

In amongst the highlights, the Executive and our very capable operational and administration team have been working hard on all of the other services that keep the Institute running for you.  Thanks in particular to our Executive Committee: John Brenkley, Megan Ash, Don Royds, Rebecca Ryder, Mark Fletcher, Julia Wick and Henry Crothers for all of your hard work in 2019.   A big thanks to Vicki Clague and Loreen Lee for your excellent operational and administration support and for keeping the Institute running.
  
As always, if you have anything you want to share with me, then please drop me a line.

Lastly, I hope you all have an excellent, long, and safe break from work.  I’m looking forward to seeing you all energised and ready to make more positive change in Aotearoa for the landscape profession in 2020!
 
Mā te wā,

Brad