Avara is an experienced designer who has been with ThinkPlace for over 5 years. They believe design plays a crucial role in developing positive long-term outcomes for social, environmental and cultural wellbeing.

Avara has worked on a range of projects across a variety of sectors including immigration (primarily concerning former refugees and migrants), health, education, social services, procurement and primary industries. They are passionate about making change for Aotearoa in the social and cultural equity space.

Avara’s expertise lies in community engagement, research and synthesis, service design and prototyping, systems thinking, policy design and communication design. Avara’s previous experience in the public sector means that they have great insight into the constraints and opportunities within organisations.

Avara has a Master of Design with Distinction and First Class Honors in Industrial Design. In 2017, their collaborative WoolFresh product was launched and earned them a Red Dot Award. In 2015, their Experience of Childbirth honors project earned them a Gold Best Award and was a finalist in the James Dyson Awards. In 2014, a collaborative project Pliant Earthquake Resilience received a Bronze Best Award. In 2015, they were also recognized as the New Zealand Industrial Design Graduate of the year.