speakers

ICUH 2025 has the honor of hosting prestigious thought leaders from around the world to convene in Wellington to tackle some of the most prevelant issues in global urban health. We are proud to host five distinct plenary sessions throughout the conference week that will feature expert panels, poignant keynote moments, and interactive discussions that follow our five conference themes.

This year, we have developed an additional important moment: a unique government roundtable that will convene national and local government leaders from across Aotearoa New Zealand and their international counterparts to explore together how urban policy and governance can drive health, equity, and climate resilience in our cities.

Together, these sessions will highlight diverse perspectives, showcase innovative solutions, and spark dialogue across disciplines, sectors, and regions to inspire actionable strategies that bridge local experience with global impact.

Additional speakers to be announced soon!

PLENARY 1

HEALTHY BUILT ENVIRONMENTS: BUILDING EQUITABLE, CLIMATE-RESILIENT CITIES

  • Skye Duncan is the Executive Director of the Global Designing Cities Initiative (GDCI). Skye and her team produced the award-winning Global Street Design Guide and its recent supplement, Designing Streets for Kids. In support of these global resources, GDCI has provided technical assistance to more than 60 international cities on transforming streets and mobility to support safe, sustainable, equitable, and healthy cities for everyone.

    Skye is an urban designer with 20+ years of experience in architecture, urban design, planning, and transportation, and has been recognized as one of TUMI’s Remarkable Women in Transportation. Previously, she was a Senior Urban Designer at the New York City Department of City Planning, an International Urban Design Consultant, and an Associate Professor at Columbia University in New York City, where she studied as a Fulbright Scholar.

  • Professor Mark Stevenson is an epidemiologist and Professor of Urban Transport and Public Health at The University of Melbourne. He has worked on numerous national and international projects that have influenced transport policy and worked with both Federal and State Governments in Australia and internationally.

    He has led many research groups and is internationally recognized in the field of transport and public health. Prof Stevenson is the director of the Transport, Health and Urban Design Research Lab at The University of Melbourne.

  • Sindhu Ravishankar is the Vice President of Global Health Strategy at the Fast-Track Cities Institute the International Association of Providers of AIDS Care. For the past decade, she has worked on the Fast-Track Cities initiative which is global partnership between over 550 cities around the world and four core partners, including IAPAC, UNAIDS, UN-Habitat and the City of Paris, aimed at accelerating local HIV, tuberculosis (TB), and viral hepatitis (HBV and HCV) responses to achieve Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3.3 by 2030. Sindhu has lived and worked in the United States, South Africa, India, and the UK, and has primarily focused on HIV and intersecting health issues including mental health, substance use, reproductive health, and more recently, environmental health. She holds an MPhil in Development Studies from the University of Oxford and is currently a PhD candidate at the George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health.  

  • Mike Davies is Professor of Building Physics and Environment at University College London (UCL). His research interests lie in the provision of healthy and comfortable built environments in the context of a changing climate.  

    He was the founding Director of UCL Institute for Environmental Design and Engineering and has been the Principal Investigator or Co-Investigator on over 60 research projects.  The outputs of this body of work have impacted on a range of key national and international policy formulations. 

    For over 15 years he has led an extensive programme of research aimed at informing the scientific understanding of the systemic nature of a sustainable built environment.  This work is founded on intimate collaboration with researchers from health and other disciplines, and has sought to understand the complex relationship between the built environment and health.   

    Through such transdisciplinary research, a highly productive, multi-skilled team has been developed which has sought innovation in responding to the world’s urban health challenges. They have helped articulate the multiple underpinning connections and opportunities for healthy sustainable development. 

  • Associate Professor of Environmental Health and Exposure Disparities

    Bloomberg Center for Cities

  • Cross-cutting Lead Urban Health, World Health Organization, Geneva

    Nathalie Röbbel is the Lead for WHO’s work on Urban Health at the WHO, in the Department on Determinants, Health Promotion and Prevention. She is currently in charge of developing a comprehensive guide for decisionmakers on now to take an integrated approach to urban health. She is also leading the development of a comprehensive training course on urban heath capacities and related assessment tools.  

    Prior to this she was leading WHOs work on air pollution and housing in the Department for Environment, Climate Change and Health. One of her main areas of work was the development of WHO Housing and Health Guidelines and WHO’s efforts to address slum upgrading through housing policies and other social policies and interventions. 

    Before joining WHO HQ, she worked as a technical officer at the WHO Regional Office for Europe, in Bonn and Copenhagen, where she was responsible for environmental health performance reviews and involved in several urban health related projects. Ms Röbbel holds a Ph.D. from the Rheinische-Friedrich-Wilhelms University in Bonn, Germany.

  • David E. Jacobs, PhD, CIH is Chief Scientist at the National Center for Healthy Housing & Adjunct Associate Professor at the University of Illinois Chicago School of Public Health. With over 120 peer-reviewed papers and more than 20 book chapters, he has conducted studies on lead poisoning prevention, health and other effects of green healthy housing, ventilation, asthma, indoor environmental quality, and relationships between science and policy.  

    He is former director of the US Collaborating Center on healthy housing for WHO. He previously was appointed Director of the Office of Lead Hazard Control and Healthy Housing at the US Department of Housing and Urban Development. For more than a decade, he has served as board president of Lincoln-Westmoreland Housing, a non-profit housing provider for more than a hundred low-income families in Washington DC.  He is principal author of the US lead poisoning prevention strategic plan in 1999 and a Report to Congress that launched the nation’s Healthy Homes Initiative. Many of his publications are here. 

    His book, "Fifty Years of Peeling Away the Lead Paint Problem: Protecting Our Children's Future with Healthy Housing," was published in 2022. He holds degrees in Environmental Engineering, Technology and Science Policy, Environmental Health, and Political Science.

PLENARY 2

NOURISHING LANDSCAPES: NATURAL ENVIRONMENTS & FOOD SYSTEMS

  • Connie is a passionate advocate for food, community wealth building, and inclusive entrepreneurship, with over 25 years of experience in placemaking, hospitality, and local economic development.

    In 2025, she was named one of Aotearoa New Zealand’s Top 50 Women in Food & Drink by Cuisine.

    Connie spent the last 15 years in Auckland’s urban regeneration landscape at Auckland Council working to balance economic benefit and public good outcomes. Connie played a key role in curating and managing waterfront destinations including North Wharf, Queens Wharf, Shed 10 and The Cloud. She championed Eke Panuku’s priority location town centre and local business resilience covering the Waterfront, North, South and West Auckland.

     In 2018 she created and continues to lead Auckland Council’s food incubator programme The Kitchen Project, supporting emerging food entrepreneurs-particularly Māori, Pacific, Indigenous, and women-led ventures-with a focus on mentorship, sustainability, and customer-driven growth. At the core of TKP is the strong belief that we all have a responsibility to ensure our kai reflects the communities we serve and supports the life of our planet. Success should be driven by opportunity, ability, determination, vision and by being brave.  

    Her work also includes developing food education and engagement programmes at Peter Gordon’s Homeland, the Franklin Local Board, and the University of Auckland-connecting local food stories across Aotearoa.

    An experienced awards judge, Connie sits on the panels of The NZ Outstanding Food Producers, The NZ Ice Cream, Top 100 Iconic Eats, Metro Restaurant of the Year, Onehunga Proud Business and 2 Degrees Auckland Business Awards.  For the last 24 years, Connie chaired and has served on the governance board of Auckland’s hospitality Oscars The Lewisham Awards.

  • Steve Davies co-founded Project for Public Spaces (PPS) and continues to be an advocate for public spaces, placemaking and public markets through the Place Solutions Group, which he formed in 2018. His work takes him around the world as a consultant, facilitator, educator, researcher and speaker. He is also currently President of The Placemaking Fund.

    ​Steve joined the then fledgling Project for Public Spaces (PPS) in 1978 and guided the development of the organization for 40 years as a member of PPS’s senior leadership team. Working closely with Fred Kent and Kathy Madden, Steve helped to build PPS into an organization with remarkable depth and influence. It was in this capacity that he became one of the world’s experts on public spaces and their contribution to the revitalization of cities and communities.

    Today, much of his work as a consultant to PPS and other clients focuses on public markets and the role they can play in building community, and how placemaking supports local economies. Recent projects include a project in Hanoi to revitalize traditional "wet" markets and a placemaking plan for the landmark DL&W Terminal in Buffalo, New York.

    ​With over 500 major projects on his resume during his long tenure at PPS, however, Steve has built a broad-based portfolio of transformative placemaking projects which have been catalysts for community revitalization in the U.S. and abroad.

  • Dr. Gayle Souter-Brown is an award-winning urban health consultant whose pioneering work combines research, policy and practice. Taylor Francis named her a 'global thought leader' for UN Sustainable Development Goals #3 Good Health and Wellbeing, #11 Sustainable Cities and Communities, #13 Climate Action and #15 Life on Land. Her innovative multidisciplinary approach bridges landscape architecture, public health and ecology.

    As a practicing Landscape Architect and Community Wellbeing consultant, Souter-Brown serves as Special Envoy to International Society for Urban Health (ISUH) from International Federation of Landscape Architects (IFLA), CoDirector of IFLA’s Urban Health Working Programme, and Founder + Director of Greenstone Design UK and Greenstone Design NZ. Recognized as a visionary pragmatist, she authored the text Landscape and Urban Design for Health and Wellbeing – Using Healing, Sensory and Therapeutic Gardens, establishing her as a leading authority in the field.

    Her research and practice examine human-nature interaction and its effects on chronic stress and non-communicable disease, physical activity, diet, and wellbeing. Interested in addressing health equity, climate change and biodiversity loss, she is a holistic systems thinker. Using robust methodology and with statistically, clinically and socially significant results, Souter-Brown’s work supports decision-making, enhances service delivery, and addresses community priorities.

    Souter-Brown’s professional background spans diverse scales, environments and sectors, from sub-arctic to tropical, healthcare to tourism, and public to private space, within varied cultural tradition and economic circumstance. Her academic research connects her with organisations ranging from the World Health Organization to international universities, local authorities to workplace wellbeing initiatives. Through CPD and teaching programmes in landscape architecture and public health, she shares knowledge with the next generation.

    Dr. Souter-Brown researches, writes, speaks, advises organisations, and teaches globally. Dr. Souter-Brown operates both remotely and in-person, maintaining bases between London, England, and her farm in rural Canterbury, New Zealand.

  • Dr. Seeseei Molimau-Samasoni (Seei) is the new Head of International Development at Group Plant & Food of the Bioeconomy Science Institute of New Zealand. Seei joins BSI after more than 15 years in research (for development) in Samoa, where she led national and regional research projects focused on enhancing food security and livelihoods in Samoa and the Pacific.

    Although technically trained in molecular chemical genetics and traditional medicine, Seei quickly found a passion in agricultural research for development witnessing the challenges and potential for impact of this work on the ground.

    At BSI, the International Development Unit works to enhance the delivery of development programs across the Pacific, Asia and the Caribbean, harnessing the wide scope of technical expertise at BSI to support development efforts in our partner countries.

  • Hanaa A. Hamdi, Ph.D., is a systems scientist and equity architect dedicated to strengthening social, economic, and community relationships that promote equitable health and well-being. With more than two decades of experience in research, practice, and policy, she has developed transformative approaches to equity for historically socially and economically disadvantaged communities.

    Hanaa is Co-Founder and Principal of Healthy Resilient People and Places (HRPP), a consulting firm working at the intersection of health, climate, and community development finance. HRPP partners with communities, philanthropic institutions, and financial actors to strengthen civic infrastructure, mobilize capital, and design systems that sustain long-term wellbeing.

    Dr. Hamdi also serves as a Visiting Scholar at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, where she collaborates with local partners to build community health strategies centered on the vital conditions for wellbeing. She leads efforts to expand access to integrated capital, strengthen local food systems, and foster multisector collaboration, with a focus on enterprises led by historically disadvantaged communities.

    Her career spans academic medicine, public agencies, financial institutions, and environmental organizations, where she has advanced strategies that embed equity into the systems shaping daily life. Across these roles, her work has consistently aligned capital, civic infrastructure, and multisector partnerships to create conditions for health equity and resilience. She extends this systems perspective through service on the Board of the Children and Nature Network and the Investment Committee of Potlikker Capital.

    Hanaa divides her time between New York City and the Bay Area, California.

  • Ms Tran Thi Kieu Thanh Ha is the Manager of the Livable Cities Program at HealthBridge Foundation of Canada in Vietnam. Since the program’s launch in 2006, she has led planning and implementation of the program, and provided leadership and technical support to facilitate team coordination and collaboration with partners. Ha and her team are now supporting the cities of Hanoi, Hue, Da Nang, Hoi An, and Ho Chi Minh in promoting physical activity environments, healthy food environments, park development, land-use planning and health, and active transportation. Specific activities include developing and implementing research and pilots, and provide assistance to local partners in identifying and applying effective policy solutions. Before working for the Livable Cities Program, Ha was the Media and Advocacy Officer at HealthBridge from 2004 -2006. She studied politics and had four years’ experience working for media organizations.

PLENARY 3

Age-Friendly Environments and Wellbeing: Prioritizing Healthy Aging in Communities

  • Rangimahora Reddy, KSM (Ngāti Raukawa, Ngāti Maniapoto, Waikato Tainui, Ngāti Rangiwewehi, Rangitāne) has led the Rauawaawa Kaumātua Charitable Trust as Chief Executive since 2010, drawing on more than 30 years’ experience in health, education, and community leadership. Grounded in kaupapa Māori principles and kaumātua-led research, she works alongside partners including the University of Waikato and Te Rūnanga o Kirikiriroa on national science initiatives such as Ageing Well and Building Better Homes, Towns and Cities.

    Her leadership has delivered pioneering innovations including Te Puna o Te Ora, a 1941 build that is transforming into a dementia and age-friendly, digitally enabled, kaumātua-led facility; Rauawaawa Enterprise for Kaumātua Aspirations (R.E.K.A.); and the introduction of gerontechnology through partnerships with QuantumTX (Singapore) and Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology, advancing cognitive health tools and BIXEPS technology.

    Her ongoing work with kaumātua housing toolkits and a social enterprise toolkit, led by the University of Waikato, and co-developed with Te Rūnanga o Kirikiriroa and Awarua Ltd, exemplifies whānau-centred solutions that enhance dignity, belonging, and healthy ageing.

  • Thiago Herick de Sa holds a degree in Sports Science, and Masters and PhD degrees in Public Health. He started his career as a physical educator, working with older people at hospitals, primary care settings and households in Brazil. From 2010, Thiago worked as a researcher in Brazil and in the UK, with a track record of scientific publications in high-impact journals.

    Thiago joined WHO in 2017 to support the work around urban, transport and health, including the development of WHO’s Urban Health Research Agenda (2022), the Sourcebook on Integrating Health in Urban and Territorial Planning (2020) and the adaptation for global use of the HEAT tool (2021).

    In 2022, Thiago joined the Department of Social Determinants of Health to lead the work on Age-friendly environments, including the coordination of WHO’s Global Network for Age-friendly Cities and Communities, the development of the guide for National Programs of Age-friendly Cities and Communities and the technical support on age-friendly environments to WHO Member States.

  • Associate Professor Emi Kiyota is an internationally recognized expert in environmental gerontology, participatory design, and inclusive urban development. With over two decades of experience, she is dedicated to creating age-inclusive, resilient communities that promote dignity and well-being across all stages of life. Dr. Kiyota is the founder and director of Ibasho, a non-profit organization that facilitates the co-creation of community spaces by and for older adults in diverse cultural contexts, including Japan, the Philippines, Nepal, and the United States.

    Her academic work bridges research and practice, focusing on the intersection of social infrastructure, design innovation, and community empowerment. Currently serving as an Associate Professor at the National University of Singapore, she collaborates with urban planners, architects, and policymakers to advance sustainable and equitable approaches to urban and regional development. 

    Dr. Kiyota has served as an advisor to various international agencies, including the World Bank, the World Health Organization, and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP). Her participation in the jury panel for the Singapore Institute of Planners reflects her commitment to recognizing transformative planning efforts that build inclusive, sustainable communities for future generations. 

  • Diane Turner, Former Director of the Office for Seniors, New Zealand.

    The Office for Seniors provides information to seniors and is a key advisor to the New Zealand Government about the issues and concerns of older people.

    The Office works to promote the wellbeing and concerns of seniors and raises awareness across government and nationally of the issues facing our ageing population. Ms. Turner recently left the role after 9 years and is currently taking a break.

  • Dr. Pauliasi Tony Fakahau is the Chief Advisor for Taulanga U which is the social service entity for the Free Church of Tonga. Dr Fakahau was born in Folaha, Tonga, grew up in Glen Innes Auckland, before moving to Christchurch.

    He attended Tamaki College and Wesley College in Auckland before pursuing tertiary study at Lincoln University and later AUT where he graduated with a Doctor of Philosophy in Economics and Public Policy.

    Dr Fakahau has worked in public and private sector organisations as well as NGOs. His area of expertise is in economic analysis and strategic policy development.

  • Housing Manager - Korowai Manaaki

  • Dr. Natacha Berkowitz

    Public Health Medicine Specialist, City Health, City of Cape Town

PLENARY 4

PLACE MATTERS: LOCAL & CULTURAL INSIGHTS FOR URBAN WELLBEING

  • Ethan Kent works to support public space organizations, projects, and leadership around the world to build a global placemaking movement.

    He has traveled to more than 1000 cities and 65 countries to advance the cause of leading urban development with inclusive public spaces and placemaking.

    In 2019 he co-founded PlacemakingX to network, amplify, and accelerate placemaking learning, leadership and impact globally. He builds on more than 20 years of working on placemaking projects and campaigns with Project for Public Spaces.

    Ethan has been integral to the development of placemaking as a transformative approach to economic development, environmentalism, transportation planning, urban health, governance, resilience, social equity, design, digital space, tourism and innovation.

    Ethan has keynoted well over 100 of the top urbanism conferences and has helped organize dozens of placemaking conferences

  • “I te taha o tōku Papa ko Ngatokimatawhaorua te waka, ko Panguru ki Papata ngā maunga Teitei, ko Whakarapa te awa, ko Ngati Manawa te hapū, ko Ngati Manawa te marae, ko Te Rarawa te iwi. I te taha o tōku Mama, ko Ngāti Mahanga, ko Ngāi Tāmanuhiri rātou ko Ngāti Kahungunu ngā iwi.

    Kaye-Maree Dunn, co-founder of Making Everything Achievable, is a renowned Māori tech entrepreneur. Leading Ahau NZ and Indigital Blockchain, she's involved with North Hokianga Development Trust and Āhau Tātai Hono Trust and is a Sir Edmond Hillary Fellow.

    Dedicated to Māori and community development for over 24 years, her roles span Child, Youth, and Family, the Department of Labour, Māori Land Court, and NZ Maori Tourism.

    Active in Te Whare Hukahuka, she uplifts transformative capabilities in New Zealand's economic landscape. Recognised as Māori Entrepreneur of the Year in 2023, her recent pursuits include Social Enterprise Development and Governance Training.

  • Tumu Whakarae - CEO 

    Helmut is an experienced director, executive, and consultant with specialist skills in implementation and change management, business, and economic development, strategic analysis and planning, public policy, and finance. Helmut has extensive consulting experience in a wide range of private and public sectors (particularly health). 

    Helmut’s work over the last 16 years has focused on executive leadership of mergers, turnarounds, and business improvement initiatives, including inaugural CEO of the education sector’s largest systems integrator (TTS Limited), a post-merger industry training organisation (Connexis), the CEO of health sector IT companies (Patients First & Conporto Health), and now CEO of Te Rūnanga o Toa Rangatira. 

  • Gilbert is recognised locally and Internationally as a leading voice in creating great places for people, and is a sought after speaker and facilitator for community engagement activities. He has successfully worked with over 1000 cities, towns, main streets, universities, property developers, government organisations and communities over the past 25 years; crafting a powerful integrated approach to creating vibrant, resilient and loved places.

    He is unique in how he blends commerce, culture, community and ecology to create magnetic destinations that are socially, culturally and commercially successful.

    Gilbert is a skilled facilitator and agent provocateur of positive change and inspiration. His bold ideas and projects have helped make Melbourne the most liveable city, and he is recognised as a leading global voice in Placemaking and City making.

    Gilbert co-founded the EPOCH Foundation promoting the adoption of business ethics. He has been on the boards of Ross House, Donkey Wheel House Trust and Hub Australia.

    Gilbert leads a multi-disciplinary team of Placemakers, researchers and designers - as the Founder and Managing Director of Australia's Premier Placemakers: Village Well. In 2015 he launched the country's first Place Lab, and is thrilled to launch Place School; producing a fun and informative series of events d=featuring local and international keynote speakers, innovators and agents of change.

  • Mrs. Christine Panapa (Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Ngāti Maniapoto, Ngāti Pūkenga, Ngāti Tahu, Ngāti Whaoa, Ngāti Pikiao) was appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit (MNZM) in 2018 for her services to sport and Māori. In May 2025 she received the further Kings Honours Order of New Zealand Merit (ONZM) for her services to Māori.

    Mrs. Panapa has been a committee member since 1971 and Chairperson since 2000 of Te Mahurehure Cultural Marae Society Inc. Since 2018 she has continued to support Māori housing, economic development and education as a director of Te Kainga Atawhai, a subsidiary of Te Mahurehure Marae.

    Te Kainga Atawhai has completed a number of capital works projects, including Te Taumata O Kupe complex opened at Te Mahurehure Marae in 2023, dedicated to research and teaching of Māori navigational and exploration traditions. Te Taumata O Kupe won the supreme and best in category awards at the Designers Institute of New Zealand’s annual Best Design Awards.

    Mrs. Panapa helped steer the project to completion over four years through the COVID-19 pandemic and other fiscal and supply chain challenges. She also helped Te Kainga Atawhai complete a 14-unit housing complex at the marae in partnership with Kainga Ora and Te Puni Kōkiri.

    She was previously President of New Zealand Women’s Rugby League from 1994 to 2013 and Chairperson of Kiwi Ferns Rugby League from 1994 to 2016. Mrs Panapa is the Tāmaki Makaurau Treasurer for the Labour Party.

  • Dian Tri Irawaty’s research interests are broadly in the subject of social movements, urban politics, and housing. My dissertation project examines resistance to eviction in Jakarta, and grassroots movements fighting for housing justice through insurgent planning.

PLENARY 5

INDIGENOUS SOLUTIONS & REGIONAL INSIGHTS: STRATEGIES, RIGHTS, ACTIONS & EXPERIENCES

  • Professor Emeritus, Keio University 

    President, Institute for Built Environment and Carbon Neutral for SDGs 

    Dr. Toshiharu Ikaga was educated at the graduate school of Architecture, Waseda University. He was working for the world largest architectural design firm "Nikken Sekkei Ltd." as a mechanical engineer for 22 years, also working for the University of Tokyo as an associate professor for 2 years, and then working for Keio University as a professor for 18 years.

    His research focuses on sustainable engineering of building and cities, such as residents’ health, workplace productivity, low carbon and resiliency. He was a vice-president of the Architectural Institute of Japan from June 2020 to May 2022.

    He is now working at Institute for Built Environment and Carbon Neutral for SDGs as a President. 

    Institute for Built Environment and Carbon Neutral for SDGs 

    HB Hirakawacho bldg. 2-8-9. Hirakawacho, Chiyoda-ku,Tokyo, 

    102-0093 Japan 

    TEL: +81-3-3222-6681　FAX: +81-3-3222-6696 

    E-mail Address: ikaga@ibecs.or.jp / ikaga@sd.keio.ac.jp

  • India is a young Maori activist who works in many different areas across the multiple communities she is a part of. India has been conducting her activism in the climate justice space, incorporating kōrero on tino rangatiratanga and indigenous solidarity.

    Currently she is working under Te ara Whatu, the first indigenous youth delegation from Aotearoa - committed to bringing the wealth and learnings from this experience back to Aotearoa and fighting for climate justice.

    India has the joy and privilege of engaging with the UN Climate Talks process since attending the negotiations in Paris in 2015. Since then she has attended as a part of the Pacific team in the International Indigenous Peoples Forum on Climate Change, and as a team member of Te Ara Whatu’s inaugural delegation to COP in 2017.

    Knowing that her home and family will be underwater in her lifetime and witnessing the stress of this on her community, drives India to be deeply connected to the survival of her community and culture through her activism work. For her this gives a whole new lens to Māori land and water theft, asking once again,” How do we connect to a land that is no longer there?”

  • Professor James Ward is a Pitjantjatjara and Narungga man, and Director of the Poche Centre for Indigenous Health at The University of Queensland, a centre focused on Indigenous health research and home to around 60 staff and 20 PhD students.

    He is an infectious diseases epidemiologist and a national leader in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander research.

    With over 25 years of experience, Professor Ward has served on numerous national and international committees including the Communicable Diseases Network of Australia, the Australian National Council on Alcohol and Drugs, the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Protection Sub-Committee and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander COVID-19 Taskforce.

    He has published more than 180 peer reviewed papers, currently leads several large-scale public health and infectious disease studies and has an emerging program centred on the health and wellbeing of urban Indigenous Peoples.

  • Tribal affiliations: Te Ātiawa, Taranaki, Ngāti Ruanui

    Liz Mellish is the current Chairman of Palmerston North Māori Reserve Trust and Chairman of Te Raukura, Te Wharewaka. Liz is the Deputy Chairman of the Federation of Māori Authorities and a member of Pouhere Taonga the Māori Heritage Board. Liz has Directorships on Metlifecare Palmerston North, Wellington Uni Professional, Hīkoikoi Management Limited and Haukawakawa Limited.

    Liz is Trustee of Featherston Booktown and Chairman of the Featherston Anzac Club. Liz lives in Featherston with husband Graham and is the mother of three daughters and nine mokopuna, three of whom are currently students at Wellington University. Liz is an avid reader and gardener and enjoys being at the coast.

  • Pengjun Zhao, PhD 

    Prof. Pengjun Zhao is a Full Professor and the Dean of School of Urban Planning and Design of Peking University. He obtained his PhD degree in Spatial Planning at University of Groningen, the Netherlands. His research mostly focuses on urban and transport planning, spatial planning, and sustainable mobility.

    He is the Principle Investigator (PI) for 60 research projects which were funded by international and domestic organizations, such as EP7 (EU), EPSRC (UK), NSFC (CN), etc. He has more than 300 research outputs, including 11 books, and 160 international peer-reviewed papers in SCI/SSCI journals, including PNAS, Nature Cities, Nature Communications.  He was ranked as one of Most Cited Chinese Researchers by Elsevier for 9 Years from 2014-2024 consecutively.

    He is now a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences of UK (FAcSS), a Senior Departmental Fellow of Department of Land Economy at Cambridge University, the Editor-in-Chief, Cities (Elsevier), the Vice Chair of the IGU Commission on Transport and Geography, the Deputy Chair of New Urbanisation and Urban & Rural Planning Committee of Chinese Society of Urban Studies (CSUS), and a committee member of Urban Planning Society of China (UPSC).   

ICUH 2025 GOVERMENT ROUNDTABLE

LOCAL & GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES ON PRESSING ISSUES IN POLICY & GOVERNANCE

  • Paris Kirby, MDes (Dist), PGDipFA, BFA  

    Paris Kirby is a Senior Placemaking and Activation Specialist at Auckland Council’s Urban Development Office, driving initiatives that elevate cultural identity, wellbeing and people’s experience of Auckland’s city centre. 

    Prior to this, for more than a decade Paris directed Social Ritual, a placemaking studio that delivered projects across the public and private sectors—ranging from community-led initiatives and place strategy to landmark programmes such as Summer on Queens Wharf and Love Your Maunga with the Tūpuna Maunga Authority. 

    Paris holds a Master of Design from the University of Auckland, where her research examined human-centred design as a strategy for inclusive planning, narrative building and place leadership. She has also served as a Professional Teaching Fellow in creative entrepreneurship, regenerative design and visual arts, and is an award-winning artist and writer. 

    Paris is a strong advocate for equitable development, grounded in the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and focused on generating lasting social, cultural and economic impact. She is recognised by her peers as a thought leader in urban regeneration, envisioning cities that not only grow, but heal—fostering equity, creativity, wellbeing, resilience and civic pride. 

  • Green MP, portfolios of Local Government, Democracy and Electoral Reform, Tourism and Hospitality, and Associate Conservation.

    Celia has a demonstrated history of working with diverse stakeholders. Skilled in International Relations, Community Engagement, and Policy Analysis.
    Strong professional with Local Government, Education, Outdoor Recreation, Active Transport and Sustainability expertise.

    Green Party list MP based in Wairarapa.
    Auth. by M Ross, Level 5, 108 The Terrace

  • Manager City Design, Wellington City Council

    Vida leads the City Design team at Wellington City Council, a team focused on influencing and delivering people-centric spaces which build on the best of Wellington and transforms the City to be fit for the future.

    Her focus is on ensuring that Councils Strategy and Policy is implemented and the city becomes more sustainable in the whole holistic sense of the word – that densification is done well through empowering Wellingtonians of all ages and abilities to get around safely on foot and by bike, urban greening, public space upgrades and place-based regeneration.

    Wellington City Council is turning strategy into action and are beginning a decade of transformative change.