Beyond Reform: The Future of Planning Practice in Aotearoa New Zealand

Fast Forward 2026

Semester 2

Date: Wednesday 5 August 2026, 6:30pm

Venue: Lecture Theatre 348, Conference Centre Building 423

Megan Couture, Beca & NZPI (Auckland)

Megan Couture is a Technical Director – Planning at Beca with over a decade of experience across the public and private sectors in New Zealand and internationally. She currently serves as Deputy Chair of Te Kōkiringa Taumata | the New Zealand Planning Institute (NZPI), having previously contributed through the Emerging Planners and Auckland Branch Committees. Megan is also a member of NZPI’s Resource Management Advisory Group, and has recently been appointed as one of NZPI and Manatū mō te Taiao | Ministry for the Environment’s (MfE) System Navigators Group, established to develop a shared understanding of reform and its practical implications for practice change among planning practitioners.

Megan holds a Master of Urban Planning (First Class Honours) from the University of Auckland. She first came to New Zealand as a Fulbright scholar, focused on understanding how cultural values and worldviews shape the country’s planning framework, an interest that continues to underpin her work. At Fast Forward, Megan will speak on the evolution of New Zealand’s planning system, reflecting on recent and proposed reforms, and what they mean in practice for planners, communities, and decision-makers.

10 CPD points available.

Please note that tickets purchased from unauthorized third-party websites are not valid; please use only the approved website (eventbrite.co.nz) for ticket purchases/registrations.

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Getting to the venue:

The main Faculty of Engineering and Design buildings are conveniently located at the heart of the University's City Campus and are easily accessible via many forms public transport. For further information on public transport schedules, visit the Auckland Transport website.

For those driving in, further information on parking options can be found here.