2026 judges panel

The NZ Timber Design Awards has confirmed its 2026 judging panel, bringing together a broad mix of expertise, providing a diverse range of perspectives, from design intent through to technical rigour and performance.

Meet the judges

Tom Webster Headshot

Tom Webster (Registered Architect)

Tom Webster is a New Zealand registered architect and the host of Grand Designs New Zealand. He trained and worked as an architect in the UK and now runs Auckland based Webster Harding Architects. Tom has huge enthusiasm for the depth and breadth of architecture possibilities, having worked on ancient, contemporary, sustainable and hi tech building projects, large and small. Tom loves connecting with people and sees architecture and design as first and foremost a people-centric discipline.

As well as serving as a judge, Tom will MC the Gala event.

Katie Symons

Katie Symons (MBIE: Principal Advisor Engineering)

Katie Symons is a principal advisor in MBIE’s Building System Performance branch. She is a chartered engineer and a Fellow of the Institution of Structural Engineers. She has particular expertise in the embodied carbon of buildings and construction materials. She has written a number of academic papers on the subject, led the development of MBIE’s whole-of-life embodied carbon technical methodology (2022) and was the lead author of the 2020 New Zealand Wood Design Guide on Timber, Carbon and the Environment.

Huia Reriti

Huia Reriti (NZIA President)

Huia Reriti is Perehitini and a Fellow of Te Kāhui Whaihanga New Zealand Institute of Architects, where he became its first President of Māori descent in 2024. He also practises at +MAP Architects in Ōtautahi, Aotearoa (Christchurch, New Zealand) and holds a Bachelor of Architecture degree from the Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland.

David Carradine

David Carradine (BRANZ and returning judge)

David is a senior structural engineer currently leading the Structures Testing Team at BRANZ where he has worked for the past 13 years. Throughout his career he has been involved with all manner of timber buildings, ranging from traditional post and beam structures in the United States to post-tensioned timber buildings that are being implemented around the globe and developed here in New Zealand.  His 30 years of experience include construction, manufacturing, architecture and engineering. David was also a judge in 2023.