About us Ko wai mātou

The New Zealand Health Design Council (NZHDC) is a network of professionals dedicated to advancing quality in the design, planning, and management of New Zealand’s health facility infrastructure. The NZHDC meets on a regular basis, generally on the third Tuesday of each month.

Our committee Tā mātou rōpū whakahaere

Our committee is made up of representatives from our industry who have put their names forward to attend monthly committee meetings and contribute to the many aspects of running the NZHDC. Any member can be nominated to be on the committee 28 days prior to the AGM usually held in October.

Rachael Rush

Chair

Klein Architects Managing Director. NZ Health Design Council Foundation member 2011 and Chair since 2022

Adam Flowers

Secretary

Director and health sector lead at CCM Architects, with over 20 years’ experience working on a wide range of healthcare and infrastructure projects across New Zealand. NZHDC committee member since 2016.

Rich Ferretti

Treasurer

Argon Constructors - Quantity surveyor / Director who specialises in healthcare construction. He has worked in Auckland since 2012 after working as a project manager and consultant abroad. Serving as treasurer of the NZHDC since 2023.

Andrew Chaney

Committee member

Business Development Manager at MacDonald Industrie, specialising in healthcare facilities design and product selection with 25+ years' experience. NZHDC committee member since 2023.

Kirsty Bowyer

Committee member

Director, NZ at Vital Healthcare Property Trust. Specialist healthcare developer with 15+ years of experience delivering ~$2.5 billion worth of real estate across Australasia. NZHDC committee member since 2023.

Matt Cameron

Committee member

Principal and Technical Director – Structural Engineering at Beca. NZHDC committee member since 2023.

Rhys Williams

Committee member

Associate Principal at Architectus New Zealand, with over 20 years’ experience in the design and construction of Health Facilities. NZHDC committee member since 2023.

Simone Sharp

Committee member

Director and National Health Sector lead at Rubix. 25+ years’ experience in Health Sector in clinical and project management. NZHDC committee member since 2023.

Te Ari Prendergast

Committee member

(Ngāi Tahu, Te Whanau ā Apanui, Ngati Porou) Associate Principal at Warren and Mahoney, specialising in Māori and Indigenous Health Design in Aotearoa and abroad, NZHDC committee member since 2024.

Leon Thomas

Committee member

Associate at Aurecon, with nearly 20 years of experience delivering complex, large-scale infrastructure projects across healthcare, transport, industrial, and commercial sectors in the UK and New Zealand. NZHDC committee member since 2026.

Edith Chan

Committee member

Associate at Jacobs, with over 21 years of experience designing and delivering complex projects across New Zealand with a Healthcare focus over 12 years. Her work includes ICUs, children’s hospitals, and surgical facilities, often in live hospital environments. NZHDC member over 10 years, committee member since 2026.

Natalie Graham

Committee member

Senior Health Planner at Jasmax,
with over 17 years’ experience across a wide range of clinical environments as well as considerable experience in review and post-occupancy evaluation processes. NZHDC committee member since 2026.

Melanie Mason

Committee member

Principal at Jasmax and has spent 20 years dedicated to the health sector, her comprehensive project portfolio spans a wide range of space typologies, and she is a specialist in the design of mental health facilities. NZHDC committee member since 2026.

Chris Innes

Committee member

National Health Sector Lead at TSA Riley and has over 18 years’ experience working as an Advisor and Project Manager on Property and Infrastructure projects across Australia and New Zealand. NZHDC committee member since 2026.

Mark Holmes

Committee member

Principal and BIM & Drawing Manager at Lab-works Architecture is involved projects across the science sector including GMP clean room facilities, hospital laboratory containment facilities. NZHDC committee member since 2026.

Our why Tā mātou take

We were inspired by similar groups overseas that create space for open sharing and learning. Seeing their impact, we felt there was a need for something similar here. The NZ Health Design Council was set up to bring people together to share ideas, experiences, and challenges — all within the unique context of Aotearoa New Zealand. It's about learning from each other to improve how we design for health.

Our constitution Te ture matua

Our Constitution is being updated and will be available soon.

Our partners & sponsors Ō mātou kaitautoko

Supporters

Professional associations

Join us in shaping the future of healthcare design Hono mai

Join now today to gain full access to the NZHDC network. Membership is free.

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