PICTURED L-R: DR BERNADETTE PINNELL, FORMER MINISTER FOR HOUSING HON DR MEGAN WOODS AND TED MANSON AT THE OPENING OF THE WESTLIGHT BUILDING IN GLEN EDEN
Farewell Bernadette
After more than a decade with Home in Place, we farewell Dr Bernadette Pinnell and acknowledge her contribution to the organisation’s work in New Zealand, the Pacific and internationally.
Bernadette joined Home in Place in 2015, leading the organisation’s registration as a community housing provider and establishing its operations. She served as Home in Place NZ Chief Executive Officer, overseeing the delivery of social and affordable housing across Auckland, Wellington and regional New Zealand through partnerships with government, iwi and development partners.
Bernadette consistently emphasised the importance of tenant engagement, with advisory groups, newsletters and training forming part of how tenancies and communities were managed. She noted these approaches supported stable tenancies and strong outcomes for residents.
In 2020, Bernadette’s role expanded from leading Home in Place NZ to Global Business Director, reflecting the organisation’s growing international focus. As part of this role she relocated to the United States Pacific North West, where she shared organisational knowledge, developed international networks and explored opportunities for collaboration and future business growth.
Bernadette played an active role in Home in Place’s engagement across the Pacific. As a member of the steering committee for the Pacific Urban Partnership, she worked alongside UN Habitat and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UN ESCAP), contributing to regional collaboration and knowledge sharing. She also led work to secure Home in Place’s accreditation with Australian Council for International Development, enabling the organisation to participate more formally in international development partnerships.
In 2023, Bernadette joined the Pacific Urban Partnership steering committee for the Sixth Pacific Urban Forum in Suva, where she was also a keynote speaker. The forum brought together governments, traditional leaders, civil society, academia and development partners to progress climate resilient and affordable housing across the region. She remained on the Pacific Urban Partnership steering committee through 2025. A key outcome of this work was the development of long-term peer to peer relationships, including a formal learning exchange with the Fiji Public Rental Board, signed in 2024.
Bernadette’s leadership was informed by research as well as practice. Her PhD examined public housing renewal, focusing on social sustainability and the institutional factors that support successful outcomes. She regularly shared this research through international conferences and sector forums.
Her contribution has also been recognised through sector awards. In 2021, Bernadette won the Executive Excellence Award at the Australian Housing Institute’s jurisdictional Brighter Future Awards in New Zealand. In 2022, she was runner up for Executive Excellence at the Australasian Brighter Future Awards. In the same year she also received the Community Hero Award at the New Zealand Women of Influence Awards, recognising her leadership in community housing and her broader contribution to the housing sector.
Alongside her executive responsibilities, Bernadette served as a Board Director and Chair of the Urban Development Institute of New Zealand from 2020 to 2024, contributing to national discussions on urban development, housing affordability and resilient communities.
We thank Bernadette for her leadership and contribution to Home in Place. Her work helped establish the organisation in New Zealand and strengthened relationships across the Pacific, creating a foundation that will continue to support communities into the future.
We wish Bernadette every success in the next chapter.
