Behind every Awards programme is a group of people tasked with a big job.

To review, test, and ultimately recognise the projects shaping our landscapes across Aotearoa. It is careful work. It asks for experience, judgement, curiosity, and a willingness to challenge assumptions.

This year, we had strong interest from across the profession in joining the judging panel. Ngā mihi to everyone who submitted an expression of interest. The depth of experience and generosity shown through that process reflects the strength of our community and the value placed on this programme.

From that process, a panel has been carefully assembled to bring balance across design, planning, infrastructure, policy, and mātauranga Māori.

Together, they will move through the full judging process, from shortlist through to site visits and final deliberations, assessing each project for its clarity of intent, quality of resolution, and contribution to people, place and whenua.

It is not just about what looks good. It is about what works, what lasts, and what truly adds value.

We are also grateful to our guest judges, who bring valuable external perspectives into the room, helping to challenge thinking and strengthen the integrity of the process. 

 

Meet the panel

 

Sam Bourne (head judge)

Sam Bourne is a registered Landscape Architect working at the intersection of transport planning, urban design, landscape and infrastructure. He is Lead Advisor – Multimodal Transport and Urban Design at NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi.

Sam works across both technical standards and complex transport projects, bringing a rare blend of strategic, design, and delivery insight. His work supports core engineering requirements while championing landscape-led thinking as a key structuring element of transport corridors, streets, and urban places.

With a strong focus on balancing movement and place, he is particularly interested in how infrastructure can shape urban form and landscape character while responding to local context. 

Sam brings a systems-level perspective to the panel, with an emphasis on design quality, environmental performance, and the role of landscape architecture in creating resilient, people-centred outcomes.

As Head Judge, Sam brings a strong focus on design excellence and public value to the panel.

Guest Judges

 

Liz Moncrieff, Chief Advocacy Officer, NZPI (Guest Judge – Planning)
Liz Moncrieff brings over 25 years of experience in planning and resource management policy across local government, central government, and the private sector. Now Chief Advocacy Officer at the New Zealand Planning Institute, her work has focused on urban development, infrastructure, and national policy reform.

She offers a sharp policy lens to the panel, with a strong interest in how planning frameworks translate into real outcomes on the ground. Liz is particularly interested in projects that demonstrate clarity, effectiveness, and the ability to respond to Aotearoa’s most pressing planning challenges.

 

Whare Timu, Co-chair Ngā Aho (Guest Judge – Design)
Whare Timu (Ngāti Kahungunu, Te Arawa, Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Ngāti Awa, Ngāti Raukawa) is a design leader working across architecture, urban design, and master planning.

Based in Te Whanganui-a-Tara, he brings more than 18 years of experience across housing, health, education, infrastructure, and civic projects. His work centres on authentic co-design and the integration of mātauranga Māori into the built environment.

As Associate at Egmont Dixon, and through leadership roles with Ngā Aho and the International Union of Architects Indigenous Taskforce, Whare brings a strong kaupapa Māori perspective to the panel, championing design that is generous, grounded, and of place.

 
Stream Leads 

 

Dr Alayna Pakinui Rā (Planning Stream Lead)
Dr Alayna Pakinui Rā is a landscape architect with more than 20 years of experience across Aotearoa, Australia, and Canada. Her work spans infrastructure advisory, landscape planning, and the integration of cultural values into complex projects.

Of Kāi Tahu and Muriwhenua descent, her practice is grounded in whakapapa and informed by her research on Māori voice in landscape policy.

Alayna brings a strong cultural and strategic lens to the panel, with a focus on projects that authentically embed mātauranga Māori and contribute to intergenerational wellbeing.

 

Andrew Norriss (Design Stream Lead)
Andrew Norriss is Director of Hone, a landscape architecture studio focused on design-led, context-responsive work across Aotearoa.

With close to two decades of experience, he specialises in public space and landscape-led design that integrates local narratives and mātauranga Māori. His work is known for its clarity, simplicity, and strong connection to place.

Andrew brings a design-focused perspective to the panel, with an eye for projects that feel effortless yet are rigorously resolved.

 

Stream Judges

 

Kirstie Thorpe (Design Stream Judge)
Kirstie Thorpe is a Senior Principal Landscape Architect with more than 25 years of experience delivering landscape architecture and urban design projects across Aotearoa and the UK.

Working at the intersection of infrastructure, public realm, and environmental systems, she brings a strategic and delivery-focused perspective. Her work bridges engineering, ecology and design, with a focus on long-term value and resilience.

Kirstie is drawn to projects that show clear design intent, thoughtful resolution, and a strong connection to place.

 

Hugh Smith (Design Stream Judge)
Hugh Smith is a Registered Landscape Architect with nearly 20 years of experience across Aotearoa and the UK. His work spans large-scale housing, neighbourhood regeneration, and urban development projects.

He provides both strategic and technical leadership, working from early concept through to delivery at neighbourhood and city scale.

Hugh brings a systems-level view to judging, with a focus on how projects respond to whenua, context, and function, while enabling resilient, high-quality environments for communities.

 

David McKenzie (Planning Stream Judge)
A Registered Fellow of Tuia Pito Ora, David McKenzie has contributed to the profession for over four decades. His career has spanned a wide range of projects across Aotearoa, often specialising in landscape and visual assessment.

David has been involved in multiple NZILA Awards panels over the years, bringing both continuity and a deep understanding of how the programme has evolved.

Based in Ōtautahi, he continues to stay connected to practice through technical review work. He brings a considered, experienced perspective, with a focus on identifying projects that stand the test of time.

 

Paul Smith (Planning Stream Judge)
Paul Smith is a Registered Landscape Architect specialising in landscape planning, with over 15 years of experience across Aotearoa, particularly in Te Waipounamu.

His work spans a wide range of project types, from infrastructure and subdivisions through to tourism and renewable energy developments.

Based in Mid Canterbury, Paul brings a grounded, practical perspective to the panel, with an appreciation for projects that balance technical requirements with strong landscape outcomes.

 
The work ahead

Together, the panel will review entries from across the motu, moving through shortlist, site visits, and final judging.

It is a process built on discussion, debate, and shared judgement.

The outcome is not just a list of winners, but a reflection of the strength of the work being produced across Aotearoa, and the direction the profession is heading.

Ka mau te wehi.

 

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Entries for the Resene NZILA Awards 2026 are now open. Find all the information here.

 

Thank you to Resene our naming rights sponsor.