Dr Diane Menzies Becomes First Indigenous Landscape Architect to Win Sir Geoffrey Jellicoe Award

Dr Diane Menzies ONZM has achieved a historic milestone for Indigenous design, becoming the first Indigenous person and the first recipient from Oceania to be honoured with the Sir Geoffrey Jellicoe Award. The accolade, widely considered the highest international distinction in landscape architecture, was presented to Dr Menzies on Wednesday, 28 October 2026, at the Global Congress of the International Federation of Landscape Architects (IFLA) in Hong Kong. Of Rongowhakaata and Te Aitanga a Mahaki descent, Dr Menzies is now based near Gisborne. Her career spans more than five decades, beginning with her qualification from Lincoln University in 1974. She has since served in diverse roles, including as an Environment Court Commissioner, a lecturer, and an adjunct professor at Unitec. The IFLA award places her among a select group of only 18 practitioners globally to receive the honour since its inception in 2005, and she is only the fifth woman to be so recognized. Throughout her tenure, Dr Menzies has been a prominent advocate for the integration of Indigenous knowledge and cultural identity into environmental design. She served three terms as President of Tuia Pito Ora New Zealand Institute of Landscape Architects (NZILA) and later led the international body as President from 2006 to 2010. NZILA President Ralph Johns described her as a national treasure whose work has profoundly influenced international thinking on cultural inclusion and environmental ethics. Dr Menzies has previously been recognised for her contributions to the field within Aotearoa. In 2018, she became the first woman to receive Kāhui Whetū status from Ngā Aho, the national network of Māori design professionals. This latest international recognition underscores her lifelong dedication to ensuring that landscapes are understood as places shaped by history, identity, and the natural world.