Our People

Our 2025/26 committee is made up of a cross-section of industry leaders within the built environment who are passionate about helping to create more equitable housing for all.

Bronwen Newton

I have been a member of the THIS committee for the past 2 years. I am one of the founders of the Urban Habitat Collective, a resident led cohousing apartment project in Wellington. My background is in law, property development and community projects. I believe that THIS has huge potential to improve the environment for collective housing projects. For Aotearoa New Zealand to have a vibrant housing ecosystem we need a variety of housing typologies and ways to create them. Without support and recognition projects that create thriving communities find it hard to get off the ground. I would be honoured to be part of creating a collective housing sector that energises diverse and effective projects.

I am impressed at the Maori renaissance occuring in iwi based and papakainga housing. Partnership that utilized matauranga Maori and the international experiences of the collective housing movement would create a unique response to the challenge off meeting individual and community needs in modern built environments. This opportunity exists no where else in the world. We will all be poorer if we do not take it.

"The secret of change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new." - Socrates. Let's get building.

Greer O’Donnell

Greer is the co-founder and Managing Director of The Urban Advisory, a consultancy dedicated to creating healthier and more equitable homes, neighbourhoods, towns and cities. She has been involved in developing the cooperative housing model and supporting a range of groups to progress affordable housing and alternative tenures, and working with government and councils to understand how they can support the collective housing sector. 

 In 2018 Greer was part of the group who started the Housing Innovation Society, so that there was a forum where people interested in delivering or living in collective housing could come together. After some time out to have her first child, Greer is still keen to keep supporting the THIS kaupapa.

Irene Boles

Irene is an architectural graduate from Italy who has been living in Ōtautahi (Christchurch) since 2010. Currently teaching architecture at Ara Institute of Canterbury, she holds a teaching qualification and embed her knowledge of Te Ao Māori into her educational and research practices. Irene is also pursuing a PhD at the University of Canterbury, focusing on her passion for collective housing. Irenes tenure as chair of LiVS from 2013 to 2018 provided her with extensive experience in governance, fundraising, event organization, project management, and stakeholder collaboration.

With solid connections within the architectural industry both in New Zealand and overseas, Irene is well-equipped to navigate multicultural environments. Her professional network extends to the main architecture schools across New Zealand, enhancing their influence within the academic and professional communities. Irene is enthusiastic about contributing to the organization of the next CohoHui in Christchurch, aiming to leverage her expertise and passion to make the event a success.

Caragh Kennedy

An Architectural Designer based in Auckland, with a career that began as a flooring installer on building sites, which sparked a deeper interest in architecture. Completing a Bachelor of Architecture in Christchurch, an elective on Co-Housing with Irene Boles revealed the exciting possibilities and challenges of Collective Housing. This experience fostered a deep appreciation for the values and dedication of those striving to realize such projects.

Having served on the boards of various community groups, Caragh is looking forward to collaborating with like-minded individuals to advocate for Co-Housing awareness and explore ways to positively impact the architectural environment.

Briar Fleming

Briar is an experienced Associate Development Manager for the residential housing sector working in Tāmaki Makarau. She worked for 4 years on the Three Kings Quarry redevelopment across land development and apartment delivery, and is now working on infill housing, new subdivisions, and assessing new opportunities predominantly in West Auckland. Briar is deeply committed to regenerative design and completed The Regenerative Practitioner training through Regenesis in 2021. In 2019 Briar developed and launched the Fletcher Living sustainability strategy, and has worked over the last 18 months to develop their initial biodiversity strategy which will be a leading approach for residential development in NZ.

Briar really cares about our current reality and our future, and wants to see an evolution of housing offerings to connect people to nature, to each other, and to set us up for a changing future where we are resilient, grounded and nourished by te taio.

Vincent Revell

Vincent is co-founder and development lead at Circle Living, a mission-driven development company creating replicable, community-focused housing across Aotearoa. One of the main projects currently being delivered is the Takaka Cohousing neighbourhood in Golden Bay, which takes a regenerative and community-building approach to delivering almost 100 homes in a staged development.

With a background in civil engineering and project management, Vincent brings both systems thinking and hands-on experience to the delivery of innovative housing. Having spent several years living in Germany, he is passionate about intensification done well, human-scale neighbourhoods and reimagining how we live together. Vincent shares regular insights on housing, transport, and urban design and brings this perspective to support the work of the Housing Innovation Society.

Zola Rose

Zola Rose is an expert in regenerative community led housing and the Director of Common Ground, a social enterprise that provides training, consulting, facilitation to enable community-focused/collective housing developments that create regenerative outcomes.

She works with local government, Community Housing Providers (CHPs), commercial & for-purpose housing developers, Community Led Housing (CLH) groups, collective housing project leaders, and community development/social/environmental justice organisations.

Qualifications:

- Masters degree in International and Intercultural Management with a focus on training for social change, Schools for International Training
- Bachelors degree in Sociology & Anthropology, Guilford College
- Regenerative Practitioners Certificate, Regenesis Group
- Essentials of Engagement certificate, International Assoc of Public Participation Australasia
- Ecovillage Design Education Certificate, Gaia Education
- Permaculture Design Certificate, Permaculture Research Institute
- Environmental Educators certificate, Wildlife & Environment Society of South Africa
- Te Reo level 2 (Māori language and culture)
- Housing-related work
- Supported the establishment of the Waikato CLT in 2019
- Contracted by local government in NZ & Australia to help with affordable housing strategy
- Designed and coordinated the Women Revolutionising Housing network and hui from 2021 to present
- Author of The Case for a Community Land Trust (CLT) as a means for perpetually affordable housing in NZ Aotearoa & Enabling Housing for Ethnic Women
- Coordinated several Cooperative Living and Affordable Housing hui and learning events
- Served on the committees of The Cooperative Housing Society of NZ

Her home and neighbourhood:
She currently lives in a 10x3m double story tiny home on wheels in an 83-year old intentional community called Riverside in Te Tauihu (top of the South Island) Aotearoa New Zealand. She dreams of living in a collective cohousing tiny home ecovillage, pocket neighbourhood, and/or vegan agrihood.

Fun facts:
Zola built her own off-grid house, with her own hands (and then-husband), in rural South Africa out of mostly recycled and natural materials and grew a lot of her own food and medicinal plants around the home. She called her place the Rainbow Sustainability Homestead and Commons to invite others to share in the immersive living and learning experience. She lived, worked, and home educated her children there for 9 years.

She built yurts for guest accommodation and eventually had 5 yurts and a caravan that she lived in with her two children and partner in South Africa.

Zola has lived in 12 countries and visited 48 countries. She grew up as a diplomatic dependent with the U.S. Foreign Service.

Sobering fact:
Since arriving in Aotearoa in 2016, Zola has experienced a lot of housing insecurity and unaffordability as a solo parent—she’s lived in 16 types of accommodation in 9 years and experienced periods of hidden-homelessness (couch surfing with friends or short-term accommodation) with her two teenagers after the break-up of her civil partnership.

 Past Committee Members

• James Whetter, Architect & Principal at Jasmax.

• Natalie Allen, Urban Strategist & Director at The Urban Advisory.

• Blair MacKinnon, Director of 26 Aroha Housing.

• Jules MacKinnon, Director of 26 Aroha Housing.

• Zola Rose, Director at Common Ground

• Mark Southcombe, Associate Professor & Architect at Victoria University of Wellington, Faculty of Architecture & Design.

• Veronica Eastell, Urban Development Strategist & Photographer

• Donna Howell, Project Director at the University of Otago Christchurch Campus Redevelopment, Director & Project Manager at Green Light Projects and Architect

• Imogen Schoots, Urban regenerative leader, affordable housing specialist

• Ben Preston, Project Director at MOTIF Agency, Regenerative Design Specialist

• Jimmi O’Toole, Director & Architect at AHHA

• Robin Allison, Founder Earthsong

• Nikki Harnett, Consultant of Regenerative and Resilient Design, Affordable and Collective Housing