Future Thinker of the Year is back for 2021 and we're thrilled to announce this year's finalists!
A huge thank you to everyone who got involved and put forward their entries for Future Thinker of the Year 2021. We were thrilled to receive lots of brilliant applications which showcased some great work going on around Aotearoa and an incredible amount of passion, leadership and initiative.
Congratulations to our four finalists for the Future Thinker of the Year 2021! The judges were very impressed with the talent, mahi and passion of all of our shortlisted candidates, especially that of our finalists. We’d love for you to be there when our judges decide on a winner - join us for the Awards Evening on the 13th of April 2021.
We are delighted to announce this year’s finalists:
Sophia Olo-Whaanga, Negin Imani, Meredith Dale, Madison Fleming, Thao Bui (Alice), Fred Smithers, Jas Qadir
For those new to the award, Future Thinker of the Year is awarded to a student or recent graduate passionate about green building who demonstrates leadership and knowledge about driving change in Aotearoa. Whether they're an researcher, activist, student, or work in the sustainable building space, it's a chance for us to help amplify their voice and provide a platform to make a real difference across our built environment.
Our finalists will be invited to present at the award evening, come along and be inspired by the impressive mahi of the young people in our industry. Register for our free event here.
Meet our incredible judging panel who will be joining us on the evening:
Jade Kake (Ngāpuhi (Ngāti Hau me Te Parawhau), Te Whakatōhea,Te Arawa) – Matakohe Architecture & Urbanism
Warner Brunton – Mott MacDonald
Fiona Short – Warren and Mahoney
Michael Gillon – Bayleys Real Estate
Tessa Meyer – Kiwi Rail, Future Thinker of the Year 2020
Read more about our finalists and shortlisted candidates, and watch their video submissions:
Sophia Olo-Whaanga
Tena koutou katoa. He uri tenei nō Te Akitai o Waiohua, Waikato-Tainui, Ngāti Kahungunu ki Wairoa, me Ngāti Hamoa hoki. Ko Sophia Olo-Whaanga ahau.
My mother tongue is Samoan, and Te Reo Māori is my secondary language so when I started school at 5 years old in the mainstream system I knew no English. I have grown up with a deep spiritual and physical connection to the environment, guided by my grandparents, and was the first grandchild from both sides of my family to graduate university. At the University of Auckland I studied a Bachelor of Science, majoring in Marine Science and Psychology, and a Postgraduate Diploma specialising in Environmental Science. I have since worked alongside many iwi, hapū and communities to develop conservation programmes and amazing projects that restore and protect the environment for future generations.
I have recently stepped into a new role as Social Responsibility Manager at Dempsey Wood,which looks at Sustainability as a whole, how everything interacts between the environment, social, cultural and economy. It is so exciting to be part of the change happening in the construction industry, creating better outcomes for our Māori and Pasifika people, reducing emissions and waste, having a deeper connection with the community you work in and protecting the environment. Protection begins with understanding the connection we have to the environment and reconnecting to its life force. In my spare time you can find me out in the environment, diving, fishing and planting trees for the next generation to sit under.
Toi tu te kupu, toi tu te mana, toi tu te whenua.
Mauri Ora!
Negin Imani
Negin Imani achieved her PhD in sustainable architecture from Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington. She holds a Master’s degree in Architectural Engineering and a Bachelor’s degree in Architectural Science. Her interest in biological sciences motivated her to pursue interdisciplinary research to bridge the gap between architecture and biology.
For the past ten years her research has been focused on biomimetic building design. Her interests in the biological world have been reflected in her design projects. She has collaborated with many reputable architectural and engineering consulting companies.
Her most recent contribution to energy-efficient biomimetic building design has involved the development of a comprehensive thermo-bio-architectural framework (ThBA) for connecting the thermal performance requirements of a building to relevant biological solutions in a systematic way.
She is the founder of Biomimicry New Zealand, an organisation that aims to introduce and spread innovative ideas and promote research excellence focused on bio-inspired design.
Meredith Dale
Kia ora, ko Meredith Dale tōku ingoa. Nō Kotirana, Aerana me Ingarangi ōku tīpuna. Nō Kirikiriroa ahau, kei te noho au ki Tāmaki-makau-rau. I am an urban strategist with The Urban Advisory. I am passionate about improving urban development systems, processes and approaches to deliver more sustainable, inclusive and equitable built environment outcomes for communities and whānau. I have unique experience and expertise in urban design, urban planning, transport and land development engineering that has developed my integrated and interdisciplinary understanding of the built environment, across the scales, contexts and stages of the development journey.
Prior to working at The Urban Advisory, I held roles in the public and private sector as a civil engineer providing specialist input to resource consents, and designing infrastructure for small to medium scale residential land development projects. In these roles, I developed an interest in urban design and insight into other disciplines which highlighted the wider system challenges of urban development, and the risks and limitations of engineering expertise seeking to resolve urban issues alone. I wanted to meaningfully participate in addressing these complex and systemic development challenges, to create better outcomes for communities. For this reason, I chose to complete a Masters in Urban Planning and Urban Design at the University of Auckland. While studying I held several roles supporting Council urban design teams in Christchurch and Auckland, and later joined The Urban Advisory as an Urban Strategist.
Madison Fleming
My passion for architecture was one that developed over my early schooling years. Moving from a small Primary School to a High School with a large campus, I was exposed to a new typology of modern buildings. The newly completed library and teaching blocks made me realise the impact our built environment has on us. Large open foyers became multi-functional spaces for socialising and collaborative learning, the teaching spaces supported all learning styles, and campus master planning created a heart in the school and a sense of community. As I pursued my passion for architecture at University, completing my Bachelor of Architectural Studies at Victoria University, my interest in how architecture can impact people was deepened and extended to the environment. I was fortunate that sustainability was a large focus of our studies, and I began to grasp the large impact our buildings have on our environment and our finite resources. I further focused my interests for my Master of Architecture, where my thesis explored embodied carbon in medium density housing, and how this could be reduced through design. This saw the integration of my creative and scientific skills, where data informed design.
During my final years of study, I was interned at Jasmax, and upon completing my Master’s I stepped up into a graduate role. I have been fortunate to continue my passion for sustainability and carbon in my career and was part of the establishment of the Carbon Working Group here at Jasmax, including the creation of our Pathway to Net Zero Carbon Design Framework. Work I have done calculating carbon data of our existing Jasmax projects is crucial in understanding the detail of where the carbon is and how we can meet our goals for future projects.
Carbon data is becoming a new metric for design decision making – evidence based design is our future.
Thao Bui (Alice)
My name is Thao Bui (Alice). As a PhD candidate in Construction, I am currently working on my research project at the School of Built Environment, Massey University. Coming to New Zealand to study for my PhD, with a fully-funded Doctoral scholarship at Massey University, I am conducting research to examine the current practices of building refurbishment towards the zero carbon target. I am designing a tool to support decision making in the refurbishment process. My research will help owners, designers, councils, governments and other stakeholders to understand what options there are for refurbishing their buildings to meet lower carbon targets. My research has already been reported in BRANZ Build (see Build 182, Refurbishing for net-zero carbon). The research results are expected to support the New Zealand construction industry to achieve the net zero carbon target by 2050.
My research aims to better understand how the built environment sector responds to climate change. My research interests include Climate Change and Resilience, Carbon Reduction in the Built Environment and Sustainable Building and Infrastructure. Climate change mitigation for the construction sector is very important to me. Growing up in a family of building engineers, I have naturally always been interested in the built environment and wanted to contribute to improving building resilience and tackling climate change, particularly in Vietnam – my home country. With the majority of its population living in coastal areas and low-lying deltas, Vietnam is unprotected from numerous natural disasters comprising river and coastal flooding, severely resulting from the impacts of climate change.
Prior to starting my PhD in Construction, I worked in civil engineering and construction project management and have a demonstrated history of working within the construction industry and am skilled in Structural Engineering, Quantity Surveying, Project Management, Procurement and Supply Chain Management, and Visualisation. I did my MSc in Project Management in Construction at The University of Salford, Manchester, United Kingdom graduating with Distinction. I also have a bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering which I completed at the Thuyloi University in Vietnam.
Fred Smithers
I am a born and bred Melbournian, a sustainability advocate, and outdoor activities enthusiast. In 2015, I commenced a Bachelor of Environments (with an Environmental Geography major) at the University of Melbourne. During my undergraduate degree, I was fortunate to spend a year studying overseas on exchange at Uppsala University (in Sweden). At Uppsala, I studied climate change, economics, philosophy and politics at Uppsala University’s Centre for Sustainability (CEMUS). A highlight of my exchange was being selected to attend the 2017 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change intersessional meeting in Bonn, Germany. I attended as an observer where I developed my knowledge and concern for climate issues. Following my exchange, in mid-2018, I moved to Tāmaki Makaurau where I interned in the Auckland Council’s Chief Sustainability Office. While there, I worked on the preliminary development of Te Tāruke-ā-Tāwhiri: Auckland's Climate Plan.
Spurred by my passion for cities, transport and social and environmental issues, in 2019 I commenced a Masters in Urban Planning at the University of Auckland. During my Masters, I worked part-time as a sustainability specialist for Jacobsen Holdings Limited – a parent company for businesses specialising in the import and distribution of flooring and other products. At Jacobsen Holdings I conducted a greenhouse gas emissions audit, helping the company gain Toitu Envirocare Carbonreduce certification. Later 2020, I returned to Auckland Council, this time in resource consenting. At this time, I was also fortunate to receive a scholarship from the Ministry of Transport to write a dissertation examining the relationship between density and transport patterns in Auckland over the last 15 years. Finally, during the summer of 2020-21, I worked as a research assistant at the University of Auckland, collecting data for a study into the effects of Airbnb on urban economies in Aotearoa and around the world.
My studies in geography and urban planning have lit a passion for social and environmental justice. These values continue to drive my academic and professional interests. I believe that planning must support the transitions of transport, housing and economic systems away from fossil carbon dependence while promoting climate justice and resilience in the face of climate and associated socio-ecological breakdown.
Jas Qadir
Jas Qadir has a background in engineering and project management, mainly in the construction industry of New Zealand. He is currently pursuing his doctoral study in, “Regenerative Design Approaches and Practices in the NZ Built Environment” at AUT’s School of Future Environments. The systems-focused study mainly draws from global and local best practices along with Interviews and Future Inquiry Group Discussions with whole-of-system decision makers. He is also currently a Senior Procurement Specialist at NZ Government Procurement and Property, MBIE leading the AoG Construction Consultancy and Common Capability Property Consultancy Contracts.
Praj Modak
I am currently a Mechanical Engineer in the Sustainable Buildings team at Beca. I started my career at in 2018 after graduating from the University of Auckland with a degree in Mechanical Engineering with honours. I spent my first year working purely as a mechanical engineer in the Building Services team, but I felt something was a little amiss. I wanted to be more involved in fostering positive change within our designs and thinking which made a transition into sustainable buildings a fantastic opportunity for me.
An environmentally conscious way of life was instilled in me from a very young age. My mum was an environmental engineer, so I was exposed to the idea of making a positive contribution to our planet through our actions very early on. I lost that part of myself a little when I moved to Auckland for university, but my role now is giving me a great deal of fulfilment and purpose. It’s given me the confidence to encourage these positive behaviours to my peers and educate them in a way of the changes we should be trying to adopt in our everyday lives.
Outside of my work, I participate in sports (social) leagues to stay active. Being an avid sports fan, I enjoy spectating almost as much as I do playing. I love being outside in the sun. My summers are usually spent on the beach or doing walks in and around the Auckland area. I completed my first great walk this year which has sparked the want to do more – in an ideal world I’d like to tick them all off! Like many, I love to travel and experience new places and cultures and am very much looking forward to the world re-opening itself for travel again.
As in previous years, we asked our excellent shortlist to each create a short video presentation outlining their ideas for the future.
These, alongside their original written applications, were put before a panel of independent industry experts to decide the finalists.
As well as gaining profile among our building and construction sector and opening up opportunities to speak and educate others at industry events and discussions, the winner will receive:
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Entry to the Green Property Summit in Auckland on 6 May
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Free entry to all NZGBC networking events in 2021
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Two NZGBC training courses of their choice
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An invitation to stand on the selection panel for Future Thinker of the Year 2022
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Involvement in numerous events and speaking engagements
You can find the competition's full terms and conditions here
Meet 2020 Future Thinker of the Year Tessa Meyer
Tessa has a Bachelors in Science with a Masters in Urban Resilience and Renewal, and currently works as Programme Sustainability Lead at KiwiRail in Wellington. Previous, she was part of Panuku Development Auckland’s Corporate Responsibility team.
Tessa worked successfully with NZGBC to achieve Green Star – Communities ratings for two of Panuku’s key priority neighbourhoods in Takapuna and Henderson, a first of their kind in Aotearoa. Tessa has also worked to complete Panuku’s Toitū Envirocare Carbon Reduce certification with an emissions inventory and management plan, which includes championing internal sustainable travel.
Tessa’s submission and interview focused on the need to address decarbonisation through community-wide planning and infrastructure, and to establish ways to communicate the long term economic benefits of this.
Sustainability Engineer Kate Boylan became NZGBC's first Future Thinker of the Year in 2019.