In collaboration with Te Kāhui Whaihanga New Zealand Institute of Architects Auckland Branch, join us for an NZIA talk to celebrate architects shortlisted for this year’s NZIA Auckland Architecture Awards.

The shortlisted projects were selected from entries to the Auckland Branch awards programme of Te Kāhui Whaihanga New Zealand Institute of Architects. The shortlist was compiled by a jury led by Rachael Rush of Klein Architects, alongside Nicholas Dalton (TOA Architects), Kelly O'Sullivan (SGA Architects) and Brian White (Edwards White Architects).

This evening brings together architects behind four shortlisted projects, opening up discussion around the evolving role of architecture in responding to place, culture, and contemporary conditions in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland. Join us to hear from Pete Bossley, Megan Edwards, Cécile Bonnifait and Lynda Simmons.

Pete Bossley of Bossley Architects has been nominated for the Enduring Architecture Award for Moturua Island House (1999) in Te Tai Tokerau, Northland.

Megan Edwards of Megan Edwards Architects has been nominated in the Heritage category for Gardener’s Rest.

Cécile Bonnifait of Bonnifait + Associates Architects (Atelierworkshop) has been nominated in the Housing – Alterations and Additions category for the Yansané McMillan House.

Lynda Simmons Architect, alongside Sayes Jackson Architects, has been nominated in the Housing – Alterations and Additions category for Onetangi Pavilions.

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Pete Bossley – director of Bossley Architects – has worked extensively in the fields of architecture and interior design, with particular experience in museums and galleries, as well as residential and retail sites. Bossley’s museum projects have centred on Te Papa Tongarewa Museum of New Zealand, Hui Te Ananui a Tangaroa New Zealand Maritime Museum, Te Awahou Nieuwe Stroom, and the Auckland War Memorial Museum Masterplan. Bossley has taught architectural design for over twenty-five years, serving as an Adjunct Professor of Architecture at Te Whare Wānanga o Wairaka Unitec Institute of Technology. He received a Te Kāhui Whaihanga New Zealand Institute of Architects Gold Medal Award in 2012 for his outstanding contribution to the field of architecture.

Megan Edwards is the director of an award-winning practice in Tāmaki Makaurau specialising in residential architecture, fuelled by an empathy for people and this place. The practice aims to create homes that delight in the character andopportunities of their sites, while responding thoughtfully to the needs of clients. After working for 7 years in practices in London and Auckland and registering in both UK and NZ, Megan set up her own studio in Auckland in 1994. She has been an external examiner at Waipapa Taumata Rau University of Auckland and has served on the jury of local and national awards for the NZIA. Her work has been recognised with a number of NZIA awards and featured in several books.

Cécile Bonnifait is a French-Kiwi architect and director of Bonnifait+Associates Architects in Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington. Educated in Bordeaux and Helsinki, and mentored by Grand Prix National d’Architecture 1998 recipient Jacques Hondelatte, she brings an international, research-led perspective shaped by practice across Europe, China, the Pacific, and Aotearoa. Since establishing her practice in Wellington in 2000, Bonnifait and her team have developed work exploring the relationship between architecture, landscape, climate, and human occupation. The practice is grounded in spatial clarity, environmental performance, material restraint, and long-term adaptability, spanning new-build, adaptive reuse, and community-based projects. Bonnifait was awarded the 2014 A+W NZ Wirihana Emerging Leadership Award. She has acted as a juror for architectural awards, and her practice has been the recipient of multiple NZIA Regional Awards and Home of the Year distinctions.

Lynda Simmons is active in architecture education, practice, and advocacy. She is a Professional Teaching Fellow at Waipapa Taumata Rau University of Auckland, is a Fellow of Te Kāhui Whaihanga New Zealand Institute of Architects, has been a Registered Architect since 1989, and has run her own practice since 1997. Her practice experience includes work overseas and Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland. She has acted as juror for, and been recipient of, architectural awards including through the NZIA and the Auckland Architecture Association. In 2011 she co-founded Architecture + Women NZ. Simmons has an ongoing passion for research and community support in the area of equity and architecture.

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This event is presented in partnership between Objectspace and Te Kāhui Whaihanga New Zealand Institute of Architects Auckland Branch. NZIA are committed to promoting and celebrating outstanding architecture that enhances our cities, towns and natural environments.