Who We Are

The core aims of Architecture+Women•NZ are; visibility - to provide a support system which helps make visible the hard work of A+W•NZ members, and inclusiveness - to remove or reduce as many barriers as possible, (class, religion, culture, sexual orientation etc) working from the strong platform of gender, for the benefit of all those who work in architecture.

A+W•NZ do this via four strategies;

1. Networks - online database, Facebook page, Twitter, Newsletters, mentoring events etc

2. Events - Exhibitions, Awards, Symposiums, Lectures etc

3. Research - Publications, Journal articles, Magazine articles, Oral Histories, A+W•NZ Timeline etc

4. Policy - Guidelines for Institutes, Practices, submissions etc

A+W•NZ is free and accessible to all who meet the 3 criteria as listed in the Rules below;

1. Architecture: To have trained to the equivalent of a Bachelor Degree in architecture or similar.
2. Women: To identify as female or non-binary,
3. New Zealand: To have either trained in New Zealand or reside in New Zealand.

A+W•NZ is a non-profit Incorporated Society. It was initially founded in May 2011, with the website launch in November 2011. A+W•NZ became an Incorporated Society in January 2013 (certificate number 2573642), and Annual General Meetings are held each year in May - AGM minutes and financial reports are available.

The purpose of this website is to provide a current database and network of female-identifying people trained in architecture and associated with New Zealand, for the benefit of the broader architectural community. Our database makes its members visible to the wider public, media, the profession, and the expanded fields of architecture.

This website is a resource for everyone interested in architecture. It is a platform for strengthening the architectural community through events, research, networks and policy - with all events open to all genders.

Individuals who meet our criteria are encouraged to upload their details to build this growing database. Watch the pie chart on the Home page change as more join the database. Information collected will create a relevant and important resource of statistical information displaying how women make architectural lives, whether in the profession or in expanded fields. You may be working within New Zealand or elsewhere in the world, or currently not working in the architectural field. Whatever your relationship to architecture, your information counts to us, and we would like to help
keep you connected and visible.

The relationship of Architecture and gender changes throughout the decades, as recent research by Professor Errol Haarhoff, Paola Boarin and Natalie Allen from the Auckland University School of Architecture and Planning, has indicated. We can also compare the New Zealand situation with Australian statistics, and are lucky to have access to excellent data and analysis published by (New Zealander) Gill Matthewson for Parlour. Issues of gender have themselves changed over time, with the restrictive gender categorisation calling for a change in binary-based language.

All of our events, our newsletter and research are always open to all genders. For those who do not meet our three criteria, please sign up for our newsletter and connect with our community - you are welcome.

Wherever, whenever and however you work - we want you to be a part of A+W•NZ. The organisation is free and accessible, if you meet the three criteria (listed below in the Rules, 2.0) then please upload your profile onto our website. We will keep you updated with news and events via our monthly email newsletter. Check out our Mentoring Page and social media pages as well, links are under 'Networks' of this website.

A+W NZ is a radical and inventive organisation, which seeks to remove social and professional barriers through the design of its many activities and platforms.

Following the success of the original 1993 exhibition "Constructive Agenda" the A+W•NZ Exhibition 2013 was held to mark the passing of 20 years since that event. It provided another snapshot of the activities of women in architecture, so that the issues of what has changed, and what hasn't, since that event can be seen. A publication, Snapshot 500, accompanied the four exhibitions, held in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Queenstown. (For documentation of the exhibitions, see the Articles and Exhibition sections.)

Since then, we have established an awards programme, designed mentoring events, created a drawing archive, focussed on publication, and more.

A+W NZ supported Elizabeth Cox with her important book Making Space (Massey University Press, 2022), which was proudly launched in October 2022.

On 18 November 2022, A+W NZ was awarded the inaugural Te Kāhui Whaihanga New Zealand Institute of Architects John Sutherland Practice Award.

Please note that all information on each A+W NZ Database profile page is controlled by the person who created it, A+W NZ cannot accept responsibility for misrepresentation.

(additional to the Auckland-based core teams above )

2018: - 2019 Sarah Bookman, Bron Phillips, Chloe Coles
2013: - 2017 Marianne Calvelo, Peggy Russell, Ariana Pia, Kirsty Jones, Bridget Lensen, Amanda Kissling

2018: Maria Chen, Jessica Short (Johns), Abigail Hurst
2013: Jane Rooney, Brita Corbett, Chloe Coles

2017: Virginia Barlowe, Anne Salmond,
2013: Hannah Sharp

2017: Emily Batchelor, Nicole David-Rees, Vanessa Elliot, Melanie Hansen, Trudie Hudson

2017-2018: Courtney Vuicakau, Renee Woods

Megan Rule, Lynda Simmons, Sarah Treadwell, Julie Wilson, Nicole Stock, Lindley Naismith, Elisapeta Heta, Kathy Waghorn, Christina Van Bohemen, Ainsley O'Connell, Jane Aimer, Raukura Turei, Wendy Shacklock, Sara Lee, Linda Tyler