Celebrating 20 Years at Boffa Miskell: Tim Church

A career defined by integrated and enduring place‑based outcomes, and a strong commitment to achieving high‑quality results for communities.

Tim Church has contributed to an extraordinary range of projects across Aotearoa New Zealand. His work is characterised by its rigour and clarity of thinking, and Tim is known for his ability to work at the intersection of planning, design, landscape, transport, and infrastructure.

Many of the projects Tim has led or contributed to have been recognised through regional, national and international awards, including the National Medium Density Design Guide, which received an New Zealand Planning Institute (NZPI) Best Practice Award; and the Milford Opportunities Project (Stage 2) Masterplan, which received awards from the NZPI, the Resource Management Law Association (RMLA), and the Commonwealth Association of Planners

Tim’s contribution to Christchurch’s post‑earthquake recovery stands out as a defining chapter of his career. He was seconded full‑time to Christchurch City Council during a critical period, supporting central city planning efforts and contributing to landmark initiatives such as the Draft Central City Plan and the award‑winning Share an Idea engagement campaign.

In parallel, Tim undertook assessments and advisory roles for several of the city’s most significant Blueprint anchor projects, including Parakiore Recreation and Sport Centre, Te Kaha – Canterbury Multi‑Use Arena, and the Christ Church Cathedral reinstatement. These projects are of profound importance to the city’s identity and recovery, and Tim’s steady, values‑driven input helped shape their integration into the wider urban fabric.

Tim’s work has increasingly focused on masterplans, spatial plans and structure plans. These complex projects demand creative problem solving, integration across multiple disciplines, and meaningful engagement with mana whenua, communities and stakeholders. These are projects that involve uncertainty and require long-term thinking, and Tim has built a reputation for navigating this with confidence and care.

Notable examples include the Milford Opportunities Project Masterplan, a nationally significant project that balances conservation values with a world‑class visitor experience; the Te Kirikiri / Frankton Spatial Plan, helping guide growth in one of New Zealand’s fastest‑growing urban areas; and the Te Tapuae Southern Corridor Structure Plan, one of the largest priority development areas in the Whakatipu Basin, integrating future urban areas with transport, blue‑green networks and social infrastructure.

Across these projects, Tim’s approach consistently focuses on long‑term outcomes and creating places that are coherent, resilient, and capable of evolving over time.

Within Boffa Miskell, Tim is widely recognised as a key business generator, securing significant, long-term, and often high‑profile projects. He has been an active member of the Partner group and has contributed to a range of internal initiatives that have helped shape the ongoing development and direction of the business.

These roles have also provided opportunities for Tim to explore new ways of working, apply innovative thinking, and help strengthen the integration of Te Ao Māori principles into project processes and outcomes – an area of practice that continues to grow in importance across the company.

Beyond his project and business contributions, Tim has been a highly active and influential figure in the urban design profession. He has served multiple terms on the Urban Design Forum committee, representing Te Waipounamu | the South Island.

More recently, Tim played a leading role in establishing the Urban Designers Institute of Aotearoa (UDIA) and currently serves on its committee. He is also an active member of the Christchurch Urban Design Panel and an approved Christchurch City Council Urban Design Expert Certifier. Through these roles – along with regular speaking, mentoring and teaching – Tim has made a significant contribution to advancing the quality, profile and understanding of urban design practice in Aotearoa.

Tim’s influence can be seen not only in the projects he has delivered, but also in the people he has mentored, the standards he has helped set, and the thoughtful, values‑led approach he brings to every challenge. Tim Church has played a pivotal role in the growth and success of Boffa Miskell’s Urban Design team, bringing with him a deep grounding in urban design theory alongside his qualification in landscape architecture. This combination has underpinned a career defined by thoughtful, integrated and enduring place‑based outcomes, and a strong commitment to achieving high‑quality results for communities.