Bernadette Pinnell

Pinnell was raised in Northern Ireland.^[2] She completed a master’s degree in urban planning at the University of Sydney, and a doctorate focused on urban renewal projects at the University of New South Wales.^[3] Pinnell moved to New Zealand to join the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority following the 2011 Christchurch earthquake.^[2]

Pinnell established an affordable housing organisation, Compass Housing New Zealand. In 2015, she joined Home in Place, an Australian non-profit organisation also focused on affordable housing, and established a New Zealand branch of the organisation.^[3][4]

Pinnell was chair of the Urban Development Institute of New Zealand from 2023 to 2024.^[5]