2025 Professional and Principal Promotions

Thirty-five consultants have been promoted to Professional, Senior Professional, Associate Principal, Principal and Senior Principal levels. 

Central Region: Wellington and Nelson

Landscape planners Emma McRae and Alex Gardiner have been promoted to Senior Principal, and Associate Principal, respecitvely.

Emma has a wide range of experience in landscape assessment, landscape planning, landscape design and regeneration projects. Much of her recent work has been related to renewable energy projects.

Alex has prepared appraisals and assessments for wind farm developments, wastewater treatment facilities, solar farms, geothermal power stations, quarries and residential developments. Additionally, Alex is proficient in the use of GIS mapping

Antony Kusabs has been promoted to Principal level. An ecologist specialising in botany, Antony's project work includes ecological impact assessments, preparing expert evidence, delineation of wetlands, restoration ecology, environmental management plans, and monitoring.

Landscape architects Sap Srisomnuk and Daryl Baldwin have been promoted to Senior Professional and Professional, respectively. Sap's proficiency at hand-drawing is highlighted during her project work at the preliminary and design development stages, and she continues to develop her skills in construction and detailing. Daryl has a deep understanding of the design process and its various stages, from concept to implementation, and is particularly interested in construction documentation.

Alan Gray has been promoted to Senior Principal level. A landscape architect based in Nelson, Alan's previous roles in local government give him an understanding of the needs of council organisations to be innovative with engaging, testing, trialling, procuring, and implementing great spaces and streets. 

Urban designer Miriam Moore has been promoted to Associate Principal. Miriam's projects span spatial planning, master planning, preparing design guides, design reviews and streetscape design. She also brings prior experience in local government to her work.

Charles Horrell has been promoted to Principal level. A planner with a wide range of experience in both regulatory planning and policy development, Charles' previous roles in local government equipped him with a thorough understanding of local government processes, the RMA and established key relationships.

Northern Region: Whangārei and Auckland

Landscape architects Alex Smith, Jonathon Chan and Alfred Chan have been promoted to Principal level. Alex has worked on a range of design projects, including public open spaces, housing, and infrastructure. He has broad experience across the design process from the design and documentation to delivery and site observation.

Jonathon's background in visual communication and interest in permaculture informs his iterative approach to design, combining hand-drawing, 3D modelling with high attention to detail. In his previous role at one of Australia’s most-awarded landscape architecture firms, he worked on some of the practice's largest projects.

Alfred has overseen complex multi-disciplinary projects at various scales and typologies nationally and internationally. He has a strong interest in sustainability and enhancing lifestyle and well-being through design and placemaking.

William Hatton has been promoted to Associate Principal. As a landscape architect and a cultural design advisor, William works collaboratively with clients, tangata whenua and consultants, embedding both te ao Māori and te ao Pākehā design and processes to create spaces that reflect local stories, the landscape and the people.

Jaimee Cannon has been promoted to Senior Principal. Her experience as a Planner includes policy planning and resource consenting. Jaimee played a lead role in several district plan reviews, preparing plan changes and submissions on behalf of network utility operators, and consenting a range of infrastructure projects including several airport infrastructure upgrades.

Biosecurity consultant Kane McElrea has been promoted to Senior Principal. He has led the development and delivery of significant biosecurity programmes and partnerships, including the establishment of multiple landscape-scale predator control and eradication programmes. As part of this work, Kane has developed and implemented strategic projects and meaningful relationships with iwi, hapū, community organisations and agencies throughout New Zealand.

Lauren Mackenzie has been promoted to Professional. A biosecurity consultant with expertise in both flora and fauna, Lauren is deeply passionate about protecting native species by removing threats and pests in an ethical and effective manner.

Aquatic ecologists Katrina McDermott and Tanya Cook have been promoted to Principal level. Katrina is an experienced aquatic ecologist who works within both freshwater and marine environments across Aotearoa. Her project work ranges from leading single-discipline ecological assessments to being part of large multi-disciplinary projects. Tanya has worked in Central and local government, as well as in tertiary education. She works on freshwater and terrestrial projects, including stream and lake ecological assessments, water quality and biological monitoring and wetland delineation and assessments. 

Waikato | Bay of Plenty Region: Hamilton and Tauranga

Three ecologists have been promoted to Associate Principal. Amanda Healy is a terrestrial ecologist with a focus on herpetofauna. Her project work includes ecological surveys, monitoring, and fauna salvage; as well as providing ecological advice to ensure that construction work is carried out in an environmentally sensitive way. Karin Sievwright works primarily as an ornithologist, but is often involved in other terrestrial work, and implementing fish salvage and relocation. Jeremy Garrett-Walker provides a wide range of ecology-related inputs to roading, land development, and infrastructure projects, particularly in relation to freshwater and wetland ecosystems.

Tyla Kettle has been promoted to Senior Professional. She has undertaken ecology research and project work integrating mātauranga Māori and Western science, and has experience across marine, freshwater and terrestrial ecology.

Andrew Blayney has been promoted to Senior Principal. Andrew has led ecological assessment, restoration, and effects management projects ranging from large-scale infrastructure to small-scale property scale assessments. His work focuses on the sustainable use of our natural resources through developing robust, ecologically sound strategies to ensure the maintenance and enhancement of biodiversity and ecosystem services.

Planner Katie Huesser has been promoted to Associate Principal. She is IAP2 Certified and enjoy working with the community to deliver better outcomes for projects. Katie's project work includes infrastructure planning, regional consenting and consultation.

Te Pio Kawe has over two decades' experience in working with tāngata whenua, Māori and their representative entities and communities in the environmental development and protection space in Tauranga Moana, Te Moana o Toi (Bay of Plenty) and Waikato regions. He has been promoted to Principal and is the Technical Lead for the Te Hīhiri discipline.

Blair Clinch has been promoted to Principal. His project work encompasses various areas within landscape planning and design, including his high level of proficiency in the use of Building Information Modelling (BIM) for landscape architecture. He contributes expertise in landscape and visual effects assessment, CPTED assessment, project inception and scoping, concept development through to detailed design, contract administration and supervision

Landscape architects Bryan Sanson and Matt Peacocke have been promoted to Senior Principal. Bryan has worked with councils, community groups, primary industry entities and private developers, and successfully led the design and implementation of a number of high-profile community infrastructure and public realm projects in Tauranga and across the wider Bay of Plenty and Waikato Regions, including the award-winning Marine Parade Coastal Pathway in Mount Maunganui. Matt usually works in complex rural, urban and social spaces across a variety of projects. He is a qualified horticulturalist and has a proven track record for leading design and multi-disciplinary teams to successful outcomes, including the Pāpāmoa Hills Cultural Heritage Regional Park.

Southern Region: Christchurch, Queenstown and Dunedin

Landscape architects Laura Pyne and Hamish Cochrane have been promoted to Associate Principal level. Laura enjoys the challenge of combining design creativity and innovation with practicality and functionality. Her experience comprises projects of varying scales from community masterplans and public open spaces to high-density residential developments and rooftop gardens. Hamish has worked on recreational, educational, master planning, and public facility developments. He also coordinates the South Island's BIM implementation and delivery for a broad range of landscape architecture projects. 

Megan Walker has been promoted to Principal. As a landscape architect with experience in CPTED and accessibility, Megan specialises in the design of public spaces, community facilities, commercial landscapes and streetscapes that enhance social and environmental outcomes.

Katie Chilton is experienced landscape architect who thrives working in multi-disciplinary project teams from the initial concept through all stages of design delivery and construction. Katie's experience includes commercial, educational, housing, recreational, playground design, public realm and the development of design guidelines for significant urban spaces. She has been promoted to Senior Principal.

Kaiarataki Te Hīhiri Mapihi Martin-Paul has been promoted to Principal. With a background in landscape architecture, Mapihi has become increasingly involved in weaving together mātauranga Māori (traditional knowledge) with Western science through significant cultural health monitoring and ecological work across Te Waipounamu | South Island projects.

Marine ecologist Tommaso Alestra has a research and consultancy background including ecological impact assessments, habitat surveys and experimental studies in intertidal and shallow subtidal coastal habitats. Tommaso is particularly interested in exploring the role that nature-based solutions for coastal hazards can play in the context of climate change adaptation in Aotearoa New Zealand. He has been promoted to Associate Principal.

Biosecurity consultants Jourdan Lethbridge and Bec Simpson have been promoted to Associate Principal and Professional level, respectively. Jourdan manages a variety of large-scale terrestrial and aquatic pest plant programmes. including stakeholder consultation, contract management, mapping, and reporting. He has played a role in implementing management systems for collecting, manipulating, and reporting data related to the Biosecurity discipline's project work.

Since joining the team, Bec has worked on a wide range of projects across the South Island. These include pest animal control plans, biodiversity monitoring prescriptions, freshwater ecology field work, assisting with LINZ weed control, and wilding pines projects.

"We're proud to recognise the continuous growth of our team in terms of their knowledge, professionalism, and ability to foster exceptional client relationships," says Boffa Miskell chief executive, Kerry Gupwell. "These promotions celebrate the development of our individual consultants, along with the increasing depth of expertise and capability across the company."