This week the 2021 NZILA Firth Conference, with the theme ‘Radical Reorientation Te Rangitāmiro’ will be held in Tauranga - following the AGM and President’s Cocktail Evening on May 5.

The event marks the end of Brad Coombs’ presidency - he took over in April 2018 and will hand over to Henry Crothers at the cocktail event.

As he steps down, Brad says he believes the profession is in good heart.

“I think 2020 was a real test for all of us and it showed us that we don’t all have to be in the same place to work together collaboratively and I think it made us all stop and think about what is important to us as a profession.”

He believes the industry has arrived in 2021 with “renewed energy and positivity about working together.”

Brad says he’s particularly proud of three things the NZILA has achieved in the past three years. The first is the quality of the events the Institute organises.

The second is around whanaungatanga, relationships. ‘We’ve formed some really, really good relationships within the profession but also with groups like Te Tau a Nuku in the drafting of the guidelines.” (Landscape Assessment Guidelines)

The final one, says Brad, is the position the profession is in to influence legislation change.

You can see more from Brad in his final video as president below.