Whakaora - Our Thriving City | 28 July 2022 AUT, Auckland
Bill Reed
International Keynote Speaker
Johnnie Freeland
Keynote Speaker
Associate Professor
Amanda Yates
Co-Curator &
Keynote Speaker
Whakaora Our Thriving City Speakers
Bill Reed
International Keynote Speaker
Bill is an internationally recognised planning consultant, design process facilitator, lecturer, teacher, and author in sustainability and regeneration. He is a principal of Regenesis, Inc. – a regenerative design, living systems integrator, and education organisation. His work centers on creating the framework for and managing an integrative, whole and living system design process. This work is known as Regenerative Development. The objective: to improve the overall quality of the physical, social and spiritual life of our living places and therefore the planet. The more immediate benefits of this process include higher efficiency, lower costs, reduced waste, faster time to market, and the realisation of exponential value to the social, ecological, financial and human qualities of a project, the community and its ecosystem.
An author of many technical articles and contributor to multiple books including co-authorship of the seminal work, “Integrative Design Guide to Green Building”; he is a founding Board of Director of the US Green Building Council and one of the co-founders of the LEED Green Building Rating System. In addition to being considered one of the leading thinkers in this field, Bill has also consulted on over two hundred green design commissions – buildings and city master plans. He is also a keynote speaker at major building and design events as well as a guest lecturer to universities throughout Europe, North America, and Oceania including Harvard, MIT, Princeton, and UPenn.
Johnnie Freeland
Keynote Speaker
Ngāti Te Ata Waiohua, Ngai Tuhoe
Johnnie is a wayfinder, systems navigator and whakapapa centred designer. He brings together more than 30 years’ knowledge and lived experience of serving community and in guiding and navigating a range of Iwi, Māori community and public sector organisations in working to achieve better outcomes with Māori.
He utilises mātauranga Māori – Māori knowledge systems thinking, knowledge and practice in navigating systems. He draws on specific knowledge and practice of maramataka – lunar celestial cycles and whakatere waka – waka navigation in designing Oranga Motuhake/well-being pathways, with whānau, hapū, iwi and organisations.
Johnnie has helped navigate a whakapapa centred response to climate change within Tāmaki Makaurau, through the Tāmaki Makaurau Mana Whenua Forum. In partnering with the Auckland Council, together they worked to harness the benefits of drawing on mātauranga Māori knowledge and western science to navigate a way forward for Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland through Te Tāruke-ā-Tāwhiri Auckland’s Climate Plan.
He is also worked with the Te Waiohua Iwi of Te Ākitai, Ngāti Tāmaoho and Ngāti Te Ata, in leading and underpinning Te Whakaoranga o te Puhinui – Puhinui Regeneration programme alongside Auckland Council, Manurewa and Ōtara Papatoetoe Local Boards, Eke Pānuku and Kainga Ora, focused on regenerating the ecological, social, cultural and economic well-being of the Puhinui stream and its communities.
Johnnie is married to Kerrie (Ngāti Whātua/ Te Arawa), and share a whānau of six tamariki and six mokopuna.
Kerrie and Johnnie, graduated together, in 2020, having completed He Waka Hiranga – Master of Applied Indigenous Knowledge through Te Wānanga o Aotearoa. Their kaupapa focused on the shared practice of utilising maramataka to enable whānau well-being by regenerating whakapapa connections to taiao through physical activity and movement.
Johnnie currently works for the Wellington City Council, as the Manager, Māori Strategy, within Mataaho Aronui, the Strategic Māori Outcomes unit for the Council.
Associate Professor Amanda Yates
Co-Curator & Keynote Speaker
Ngāti Whakaue, Ngāti Rangiwewehi, Te Aitanga a Mahakai, Rongowhakaata
Amanda works with Councils, Iwi and communities exploring place-based indigenous-led strategies and actions for holistic urban wellbeing in an era of climate and biodiversity emergency. Amanda is an Associate Professor and director of He Puna Ora, the Regenerative Urbanism Wellbeing Lab at AUT’s Huri te Ao, the School of Future Environments. She is Programme Leader for Huritanga, the Urban Wellbeing programme funded by the National Science Building Better Homes Towns and Cities Challenge.
Jerome Partington
Founder, Co-Curator & Speaker
Jerome has a background in architecture and building, physics and biology, education and facilitation. A self-professed lifelong learner, Jerome has dedicated his career to being an advocate for nature and communities that can sustain themselves, particularly in the design and construction sector, winning multiple awards for his efforts.
He introduced the ‘Integrative Design Process’ to New Zealand in 2005, the ‘Living Building Challenge’ in 2011, and ‘Regenerative Development’ or ‘Whole Living Systems Design’ in 2015. He has taught hundreds of people and projects teams the value of shifting their thinking towards the community and ecological health and shown them where the financial and infrastructure value-add is really created. He has been a green-design advisor and process facilitator across multiple sectors, including residential, healthcare, tertiary, schools, commercial, civic, infrastructure, and community projects.
Akasadaka Robison
Co-Curator & Speaker
Akasadaka is a Re-source, Developmental Facilitator and Living Systems Thinker. He has a broad range of industry and audience experience, which includes values-based SME’s, local government, community engagement, youth work, charities, healthcare, and construction.
His areas of interest are Buddhist Practice, Regenerative Design and Development, and Group Facilitation. He has begun writing on these three subjects after decades of application and practice. He currently works as a Re-source for Whakaora as they embark on their three year journey of regenerative business development with the Carol Sanford Institute.
Rachel Ruckstuhl-Mann
Kāi Tahu Whānui. Mama. Movement and Performance Artist. Regenerative Activator.
Rachel’s roots are in Te Waipounamu, where she started exploring the intersections of design, community, performance and ecology. She has since becoming ensconced in the world of performance art and somatic movement practices in the “between spaces” of being a parent. In the last two years she has also worked on various projects as a regenerative designer and facilitator. This year Rachel has organised and facilitated two versions of Camp Move Play – an intergenerational camp of movement, environment, and community, as well as producing, designing and performing in Hine Downtown – a walking performance exploring urban spaces through the lens of a contemporary urban Kāi Tahu Māmā.
Past Speakers
Sara Zwart
Eke Panuku Development Auckland
Principal Regenerative Design Lead
Sara Zwart is principal regenerative design lead at Eke Panuku Development Auckland, the council-controlled organisation that delivers urban regeneration across Tāmaki Makaurau.
Boasting over 20 years of experience in architecture, landscape architecture and urban design, Sara has worked alongside project partners to lead environmental projects such as Te Whakaoranga o te Puhinui (the world-famous Puhinui Stream regeneration) and Northcote’s Te Ara Awataha greenway.
Sara is passionate about weaving social, cultural, economic and environmental outcomes into regenerative urban projects. Her work is delivered in close collaboration with mana whenua whom she values as critical partners, advocates and kaitiaki for the land.
Gary Marshall
Resilio Studio
Landscape Architect, Permaculture Designer & Educator
Gary is an award winning registered landscape architect, permaculture designer and educator with over 15 years of experience. During his career, Gary has been design manager at two of New Zealand’s leading practices and co-founded three organisations – Resilio Studio, Auckland Permaculture Workshop and Dark Green Auckland. During this time, Gary has worked on a range of public and private sector projects and has demonstrated experience in providing design leadership in landscape planning, landscape architecture, master planning, urban design, transport planning and strategy, placemaking, design management, education, mana whenua engagement and community communication and consultation.
Te Huia Taylor
Te Huia Taylor (Ngaati Te Ata) is the Director of Paakaurua Consultants and is a key part of Te Whakaoranga o te Puhinui delivery team. As iwi mana whenua herself, she is passionate about ensuring the prosperity of the taiao, tangata and whenua of Te Puhinui. Te Huia’s role is to support te Waiohua iwi to realise their rangatiratanga and kaitiakitanga aspirations in this rohe.
Te Pu-a-nga Maara
Te Pu-a-nga Maara are a collective of rangatahi from three South Auckland marae who are passionate about the revival of kōrero tuku iho, reconnecting people to te taiao, and building a regenerative movement of taiao warriors. Our rangatahi are supported to pursue their passion and find solutions within our own world view of te taiao from the rangi to the whenua, the moana bringing wellness to ngā tangata katoa. Within purakau, waiata, karakia and kōrero tuku iho, we the ancestors of tomorrow bring hope for a better future through shared aspirations of leaving our world in a better state for the coming generations to enjoy and be equipped with the knowledge and skills of kaitiakitanga.
Sarah Buckley
ABODO
National Sales & Specifications Manager
Having recently started at Abodo, after 7 years in the building industry with experience ranging from architectural design to sales and specification management, I am interested in finding solutions to help improve the health of our buildings through the innovative use of raw materials.
Mikayla Plaw
Profile Group
Executive Director and Head of Sustainability
Mikayla Plaw is passionate about all things ocean and land health and has a serious interest in innovative packaging solutions and systems. Graduating with a Bachelor of Laws, majoring in International Environmental Law, she has found herself immersed in waste reduction and enthusiastically implementing circular principles within the aluminium and glass manufacturing space. The aim for Mikayla is to have a group of businesses, eventually across a number of industries they are involved in, that contributes nearly nothing to landfill, with everything either reused, repurposed or recycled and inspiring others to do the same.
Jenny Chilcott, Kāinga Ora, Urban Ngahere Lead
Kāinga Ora
Urban Ngahere Lead
Jenny is the Urban Ngahere Lead for Kāinga Ora, a new position that aligns with Auckland Council’s Urban Ngahere Strategy.
Her focus is on Māngere with one of the lowest tree canopy covers in Auckland and a major Kāinga Ora redevelopment area.
Jenny’s passion is engaging and partnering with communities on large transformation projects such as Project Twin Streams, Tāmaki Transformation Programme and Auckland Council Zero Waste by 2040 Vision – Working together for Zero Waste – taking care of people and the environment and turning waste into resources.
Justine Skilling
ME Family Services
Regenerative Facilitator
Justine is a Regenerative Facilitator with ME Family Services, a place-based, holistically-focussed community organisation in Māngere East. She leads their Talking Rubbish team, which facilitates stream regeneration, urban ngahere, waste regeneration and pest-free initiatives in the Māngere/Ōtāhuhu Local Board area.
She works with local residents, groups, organisations, businesses and marae across the community, using these approaches to bring people together, generating shared vision and common goals, for the wellbeing of the whole community and ecosystem.
Lionel Hotene
Papatūānuku Kōkiri Marae
Lionel has whakapapa to Ngati Awa, born and raised in Sth Auckland and has been growing Organic Hua Parakore Verified Maara Kai for over a Decade.
From the Ordinary World of Crime Violence, Bottle store outlets and Fast Food Takeaways To the Extraordinary World of Hua Parakore where people are fed, Education is Given, and Employment is Created.
Over the hedge lies Papatūānuku Kōkiri Marae 2 and a half acres of Healing, Transformation and a philosophy of He Rongoa te Kai (Food is medicine Kaiika.co.nz Papatuanukukokirimarae.org)
