Jacqueline is a founding member of GDSNZ, its first treasurer, a past chairperson, and currently
serves on the Society’s Accreditation Board. She spent much of her career as a landscape educator
at Unitec in Auckland, and when she left in 2009 to move to the USA, was the Head of Department
of Landscape Architecture. One of her main research interests while at Unitec was developing
strategies and techniques for recovery of Pacific landscapes and communities after devastation by
cyclones, an interest she continued in the USA working with underserved neighbourhoods shattered
by hurricanes. She also developed an archive of the plans and drawings of internationally recognised
garden designer Ted Smyth, in order to record and preserve his work. The archive became the basis
for a book that she co-wrote with Rod Barnett: The Modern Landscape of Ted Smyth. This was first
academic book solely dedicated to a New Zealand landscape designer.

Jacqueline spent 11 years in the USA, firstly as an Adjunct Professor of Landscape Architecture at
Auburn University where she taught into both the Master of Landscape Architecture and the
Bachelor of Environmental Design. She then moved to Missouri to teach in the prestigious
Washington University in St Louis, where she taught landscape theory and led design studios at both
the graduate and undergraduate levels. Her students have won numerous design awards from the
American Society of Landscape Architects, including the 2020 Design Award of Excellence – only one
of which is awarded on a national level each year. See the winning submission here -
https://www.asla.org/2020studentawards/1775.html

On return to New Zealand in 2020, she settled with her husband in Kāwhia in the Waikato. From
2021-2025 Jacqueline taught in the landscape programme at Wintec in Hamilton, initially teaching
landscape graphics and design studio, she quickly moved to lead the programme and was asked by
Te Pūkenga to re-write the National Diploma in Landscape Design. This was approved by NZQA and
taught for the first time in 2024.

While at Wintec her design students enjoyed significant success in the student design category of
the Registered Master Landscapers National awards – gaining the top design award each time.
Jacqueline has retired from teaching but still continues to practice landscape design with her
husband and is actively working with environmental groups in Kāwhia to protect the Moana and
enhance the township.