A principal and Kaihautū Whaihanga at Jasmax, Heta’s nomination by Ngā Aho, which was supported by Te Kāhui Whaihanga New Zealand Institute of Architects, will see her represent Aotearoa New Zealand at the International Union of Architects (UIA) World Congress of Architects, taking place in Copenhagen from 2-6 July, where she will participate in the Global Architecture Exchanges (GAE) @ UIA2023 panel.

Speaking alongside nine design leaders from around the world on Tuesday 4 July, Heta will bring an indigenous voice to the panel, which will explore the theme: Carbon and Beyond: How do we address embodied and operational carbon in our attitude designs for the built environment.

As co-directors of the International Union of Architects Indigenous Peoples Work Programme (UIA IPWP), Heta and Patrick Stewart (Nisga’a; Founding Principal of Patrick Stewart Architecture, Canada) will also host the programme’s inaugural event Indigenous views on sustainable design from around the planet, sharing what indigenous design means in their respective nations.

Held every three years, the UIA World Congress of Architects is celebrating its 75th anniversary in 2023 and is the world’s largest event on sustainable architecture. The UIA was founded in 1948 to unite key professional architecture associations, and now includes over 100 delegations from around the world. UIA is recognised as the only global architecture organisation by numerous United Nations agencies, including UNESCO, UNCHS, ESOSOC, UNIDO, WHO and WTO.

En route to Denmark, Heta is also speaking with Chris Cornelius at an American Institute of Architects (AIA) event tomorrow evening in New York City, where the two will discuss their experiences as indigenous designers and the methods by which they are seeking to change the built environment to embed a more meaningful connection to place. Cornelius is a citizen of the Oneida Nation of Wisconsin, Professor and Chair of the Department of Architecture at the University of New Mexico and the founding principal of studio:indigenous, a design practice serving indigenous clients.

A changemaker and leader in indigenous design in Aotearoa New Zealand, Heta was also bestowed with a prestigious Te Kāhui Whaihanga New Zealand Institute of Architecture President’s Award in 2022.