Skip to content
About us
Get to know the New Zealand Green Building Council
Membership
Meet and join our community
Our network for students and young professionals
News and advocacy
Keep up to date
Green buildings
Getting started
Certify a commercial building project
Certify a community development
Certify a building's operational performance
Operate at Net Zero
Green homes
Certify the design and construction of a new home
Improve your existing home
Training and events
Upcoming events
Professional development
Cart
Find a professional
Login
Search

Search

Popular Content
Architect and biomaterial expert Maria Walker named Future Thinker of the Year for 2023
Future Thinkers Circularity Panel Discussion

Future Thinker

of the Year

Celebrating the students and recent graduates making waves in sustainable building

 

FTOTY banner
Future Thinker of the Year is awarded annually to a student or recent graduate who has demonstrated environmental knowledge and leadership.

This could be through activism, research, or achievements in and out of work. The award recognises success and passion for green buildings, and offers an opportunity to make a real difference across Aotearoa’s built environment. 

Future Thinker of the Year 2024 announced!

“I’m thrilled that, as finalists, NZGBC provided this platform for us to share our innovations and our challenges to the industry last night. For my own vision and mahi to have been acknowledged is an honour. To optimise the impact of green initiatives, we need to build trust, exposure, and data exchange between academia, practice, and disciplines. I look forward to connecting with other agents of change in a bid to transform industry mindsets regarding biomaterials and digital design, and to make experience-rich learning more accessible to young people,”
Maria_Walker_NZGBC_BioPicture

Maria Walker
Future Thinker of the Year 2023

Open to apprentices, students and anyone who graduated in the last 4 years, Future Thinker of the Year awards our young leaders who are passionate about sustainability, can champion the values of the NZGBC, and who will help inspire change in our built environment. 

This year we had an incredibly strong set of applicants, with six shortlisted: Elizabeth Norris, Oluwatobi Oyefusi, Ryan Simpson, Mike Murray, Francisco Carbajal and Widi Auliagisni.

Four finalists; Elizabeth Norris, Francisco Carbajal, Mike Murray and Widi Auliagisni were chosen by our independent panel of judges and each joined us at our awards evening on April 30 held at the Annex, thanks to venue sponsor Precinct Properties.

Meet our previous winners

maria-walker

Future Thinker of the Year 2023

Maria Walker

Senior Consultant Sustainability and Climate Change - Aurecon

 

Read more
Housing-335

Future Thinker of the Year 2022

Eloise Blewden

Master of Architecture student at Victoria University of Wellington
Read more
TUANovember2020-41

Future Thinker of the Year 2021

Meredith Dale

Urban strategist with The Urban Advisory and University of Auckland graduate - Masters in Urban Planning and Urban Design
Read more
AGM_2020_(13)

Future Thinker of the Year 2020

Tessa Meyer

Corporate responsibility advisor at Eke Panuku
Read more
1822519

Future Thinker of the Year 2019

Kate Boylan

Sustainability engineer at Tonkin + Taylor
Read more

Thanks to our Future Thinker sponsors

Mott
Mott MacDonald
Find out more
Resene
Resene
Find out more

Become a Future Thinker

Join our network of students and young professionals passionate about a sustainable built environment
Sign up

Upcoming events

Check out our calendar of coffee catch ups and networking opportunities
Future Thinker events