Sarai Nathan Ngāti Whātua o Kaipara, Ngāpuhi, Tainui. Gaining experience in both Aotearoa and 4 years in Melbourne, Australia, Sarai has spent the past 7 years refining her knowledge in the commercial Architecture space, with a special focus in the healthcare sector. During her most recent years with TOA Architects, she has been exploring the relationship between the healthcare system and Te Ao Māori values, recently leading the design for Starship Foundation’s new research centre, Whiti Ora.

Anner Chong // Senior Principal, Registered Architect BArch, MA(Housing), RIBA, FNZIA A Registered Architect with work experience in both Hong Kong and New Zealand, Anner believes in creating healing and supportive environments through collaborative design. Passionate about creating health and wellbeing environments, Anner’s empathetic approach to healthcare design sees her deliver projects that blend style with compassion. Appreciating the partnership and methodology inherent in Kaupapa Māori design, Anner strongly believes that narrative and concept will always be the anchor for design development and the final build. Anner ardently champions people-centred design as the linchpin for achieving successful outcomes. She embraces ongoing learning from collaborative endeavours, striving to continually help build communities.

Kevin believes the job of an architect isn’t constrained to a structure. He understands that architecture, urban design, master planning and interior interventions are inextricably connected to the land on which it is sited, and the necessity to explore and honour that connection. Even though Kevin has been a passionate leader of BVN’s Designing with Country strategy, he urges every architect to learn the tools to lead this approach. He values the opportunity to lead large, collaborative, multidisciplinary teams for the opportunity they present to extend beyond what was thought possible. Kevin is a warm source of leadership, guidance and counsel to his project teams, and he encourages others to upskill and take ownership. According to Kevin, only by sharing the knowledge that we possess as individuals can we grow as a practice, as an industry, and as a society.

Recently appointed BVN principal, Kirstie Irwin has over 20 years’ experience delivering technically complex healthcare projects in Australia and the UK. She is a strong conceptual thinker who has played critical roles in developing designs for many notable health projects. Kirstie has successfully led clinical and architectural teams to deliver projects with clarity and attention to detail. Kirstie's expertise spans master planning, health, aged care, mixed-use residential, and commercial schemes. She brings local and international perspectives to a project's clinical planning and design, meeting key objectives whilst reflecting evidence-based design principles and best global practice. Every health project becomes an opportunity to enable collective thinking and embody a regenerative approach. Her goal is to achieve high-quality design initiatives that improve user experiences while enhancing the physical environment.