Keegan Aplin-Thane has worked in the placemaking field for Palmerston North City Council in New Zealand for three years, with a planning background from Massey University. Keegan has worked on street-art, event facilitation and central city asset programmes to reinforce a barrier-free Council relationship with retailers, artists, event organisers, and key development partners.

Dave Charnley is the Urban Designer for Palmerston North City Council working as part of a multi-disciplinary planning and strategy unit City Future. An award winning Landscape Architect with a passion for realising shared cultural landscape and reconciliation with nature, Dave has extensive experience across a range of urban projects and has spent the majority of his professional career in private practice before joining PNCC in 2016. Dave's core role at PNCC is to seek quality design outcomes through promoting collaborative city making and co-creation across the organisation, with the development and design community and on community led projects.

This tour will be led by Councillor Rachel Bowen and Property and Parks Planner, Aaron Phillips from Palmerston North City Council. Aaron Phillips is the Senior Property and Parks Planner at the Palmerston North City Council. Aaron started in the Council 17 years ago as the Cycle Officer in the roading team, before moving into policy work and then property and parks planning and assessment management. These days he is a bit lazy and doesn’t commute cycle much but he spends 4 hours a week on a bikes in the dirt for exercise and fun. One of Aarons current project is the Central Energy Trust Wildbase Recovery native wildlife rehabilitation centre that forms part one of the walking tours.

Councillor Bowen chairs the Council's arts, culture and heritage committee and is Deputy Chair of the community development committee. Her Council portfolios include being lead spokesperson for both Children and families and Neighbourhood engagement as well as holding the cultural portfolio. Councillor Bowen has council appointments for Creative Communities New Zealand arts and culture fund committee, Palmerston North Community Arts Council and Wildbase Trust. Her committee membership includes arts, culture and heritage, committee of council, community development and economic development along with hearings committee and planning and strategy.