Biography of Richard Harris – Chair of Urban Taskforce

Richard Harris has been a director of Jasmax since 1989. He became the first managing director in 1995 and has been chairman since 2000. Jasmax is New Zealand's largest architectural practice and has been responsible for some of the country’s most influential buildings.

Richard is president of the New Zealand Institute of Architects and a past chairman of the Architects Education and Registration Board. He is chairman of CIL, a company jointly owned by the New Zealand Institute of Architects, BRANZ and the Master Builders Federation to provide technical information to the design and construction industry. He is also on the board of the OMEGA foundation, a not-for-profit organisation promoting opportunities for migrant employment in greater Auckland.

As an architect, he has taken the lead role in a number of Auckland's heritage refurbishments, including the Auckland Town Hall and Civic Theatre projects. He has led the architectural team on the Auckland University of Technology's Wellesley Campus redevelopment, and has been the New Zealand-based director-in-charge of the new Auckland City Hospital, the Sylvia Park Retail development and the Eden Park Trust Board's proposal for the Rugby World Cup.

Richard has been involved in Auckland CBD and master planning projects for over 30 years. His projects have won numerous architectural and property industry awards.

Richard has a Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Auckland, is a registered architect and a Fellow of the NZIA.