Wingates is delighted to welcome Rachel Venables to the team as 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐩𝐚𝐥 𝐀𝐫𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭. With nearly three decades of experience in design and master planning, Rachel brings a wealth of expertise to our practice.
She has held leadership roles in top architectural firms, guiding teams to deliver well-considered, commercially successful developments. Known for her exceptional eye for detail, Rachel is passionate about designing spaces that are highly functional and enrich lives—aligning perfectly with Wingates’ mission of 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐥𝐲 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫.

Her career spans leading practices and her own firm, giving her a strong commercial and management background. She has received industry recognition for her work, including awards for residential and furniture design. Notably, Rachel led the development of standard house types for Kāinga Ora, enabling the scaling up of social housing across the country. She has also collaborated with community housing providers in both design and review capacities.

Beyond her architectural achievements, Rachel is actively involved in governance and education. She currently serves on the 𝐁𝐨𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐓𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐅𝐚𝐫𝐦 𝐂𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐞 and was previously 𝐀𝐮𝐜𝐤𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐃𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 Te Kāhui Whaihanga NZ Institute of Architects - Auckland Branch 𝐁𝐨𝐚𝐫𝐝. She is also a 𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐭𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐃𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐬, an 𝐍𝐙𝐆𝐁𝐂 𝐇𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫 𝐀𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐨𝐫, and was made a 𝐅𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐍𝐙𝐈𝐀 𝐢𝐧 2010.

At Wingates, Rachel will focus on all design stages of medium to high-density residential developments, strengthening our ability to deliver outstanding architectural solutions across Aotearoa New Zealand.

𝐑𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐥 𝐕𝐞𝐧𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐉𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐖𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬
"My wide range of design and on-site experience has given me a broad and deep knowledge of the industry, providing a solid foundation for delivering resolved and sustainable design. I look forward to helping Wingates further develop its highly respected body of work."

David Wingate, 𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐃𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫, 𝐨𝐧 𝐑𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐥’𝐬 𝐀𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭
"We have enjoyed collaborating with Rachel over the past few months. Her attention to detail and professionalism impressed us so much that we had to offer her a role! We are thrilled to have her join the Wingates team as a Principal Architect in our Auckland studio. The team will benefit immensely from having a senior architect to share ideas with, mentor in-house talent, and support training and registration. Rachel has a keen client service focus and is a pleasure to have in the office."

Please join us in welcoming Rachel to the team!