About
Criterion

Who we are
Criterion was founded by architect James Burgess on the belief that successful developments require both creative thinking and commercial understanding.

From international projects in London to leading major developments in New Zealand, James brings a rare combination of architectural expertise, development understanding and commercial awareness.
Our people
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Why Criterion
Criterion brings together architectural expertise and development advisory to help clients make informed decisions from the earliest stages of a project.
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By understanding feasibility, yield, planning constraints and commercial objectives, we help create developments that work both architecturally and financially.
Our expertise
Architectural master plan showing building layouts and surrounding landscape in a resort design.
Hand-drawn floor plans showing two mirrored units with terrace, lounge, entry, bedroom, and bath areas.
Hand-drawn floor plan sketch showing rooms, furniture layout, and dimensions labeled 10m by 10m.
Hand-drawn architectural section sketch showing stepped building levels with interior spaces and exterior terrain.
Hand-drawn floor plan sketch of a resort layout including buildings, pathways, and surrounding foliage.
Architectural pencil sketch showing a layered building cross-section on a sloped terrain.
Hand-drawn floor plan sketch of an L-shaped building with rooms, outdoor seating, and a docked boat.
Hand-drawn sketch of a building floor plan with multiple rooms, tables, and seating areas.
Hand-drawn floor plan sketch showing room layouts, furniture arrangements, and doorways.
Rough pencil sketch of two adjacent buildings connected by a walkway with staircases and scattered details.
Our team
We're a tight team, focused on delivering exceptional commercially-sound architectural outcomes.
Let's chat
Smiling man with short hair wearing a white button-up shirt and dark pants against a gray wall.
Founder &
Director
James Burgess
Smiling blonde woman in a black sweater and white pants stands against a gray textured wall.
Director &
CFO
Sarah Burgess
Smiling man wearing a white shirt and dark pants standing against a gray wall background.
Associate &
Registered Architect
Noel Thijs
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Senior Designer &
Project Leader
Kate Walker
Let's discuss your project.
Get in touch to learn how Criterion's combination of architectural expertise and development thinking can support your next opportunity.
Contact us
Email
james@criteriongroup.nz
Phone
+64 27 399 0363
Location
Devonport, Auckland

Understanding your criteria of success.

© Criterion Group 2026, All Rights Reserved
Site Credit

James Burgess

Founder & Director
Smiling man with short hair, wearing a white button-up shirt and black belt, standing against gray wall.
Email
james@criteriongroup.nz
Phone Number
+64 27 399 0363
Location
Devonport, Auckland
James Burgess is an architect, development strategist and business leader with over 15 years of experience delivering complex residential, commercial and mixed-use projects across New Zealand and internationally.
Returning to New Zealand, James joined Buchan, where he became a Principal and helped lead the Christchurch studio from 2015 to 2021. During this period he delivered major retail, commercial and mixed-use projects while building a reputation for combining strong design thinking with commercial understanding.

In 2021, James joined Winton as Head of Vertical Living, leading the design and delivery of large-scale residential, commercial and retirement developments. Working from the client side provided valuable insight into development economics, project feasibility, risk management and investment decision-making, experience that continues to shape Criterion's approach today. 
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James is a regular industry speaker, presenting at Property Council New Zealand retail and residential conferences, and is recognised for his ability to bridge the gap between architecture, development and commercial outcomes. 
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His experience spans the full project lifecycle, from site acquisition and feasibility through to design, consenting and delivery—allowing him to help clients make informed decisions with confidence. 
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Away from the office, James is first and foremost a husband and father. He and his wife Sarah have built Criterion around a simple belief: professional success should not come at the expense of family life. Sarah serves as both a Director of Criterion and Director of Little Black Books, while also keeping a close eye on the financial health of the business as Criterion's CFO. 
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Together they have three children, whose sporting calendars largely dictate life outside work. Weekends are typically spent moving between water polo, football, basketball, netball and hockey fixtures across Auckland. 
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James is known for being an enthusiastic, some might say overly vocal sideline supporter and proudly coaches the Mighty Torpedoes. The same energy, commitment and team-first mindset that drives his family life is reflected in the way he works with clients and project teams. 

Sarah Burgess

Director | CFO
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Sarah Burgess brings 15 years of experience as a management accountant across telecommunications and hedge funds, giving her a sharp commercial instinct and a deep understanding of what it takes to build and sustain a healthy business.
That corporate foundation informs everything she does at Criterion. As Director and CFO, Sarah oversees the financial health of the practice, ensuring that the business operates with the same rigour and clarity that Criterion brings to its clients' projects.
 
Alongside her role at Criterion, Sarah is the founder and director of Little Black Books, a business advisory and bookkeeping practice built on the belief that good numbers and a good lifestyle are not in conflict. That philosophy carries directly into Criterion, where family first and genuine work-life balance are values held by the team, not just stated on a website.

The practice they built together reflects a shared belief — that the best work comes from people who have kept the right things in perspective.
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Noel Thijs

Associate | Registered Architect
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Noel Thijs is a Registered Architect with extensive experience across residential, commercial and mixed-use developments in both New Zealand and South Africa.
Prior to joining Criterion, Noel held senior roles with Ignite Architects and Buchan in New Zealand, following several years with BAM Architects in South Africa. His diverse project background provides a strong understanding of both design development and project delivery across a wide range of scales and typologies.
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James and Noel worked closely together during their time at Buchan, where they collaborated on numerous projects and developed a professional partnership built on technical excellence, reliability and a shared commitment to delivering successful outcomes for clients.
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Noel brings particular strength in documentation, coordination and project delivery. His ability to manage complexity while maintaining clear communication with clients, consultants and contractors makes him a trusted advisor throughout the project lifecycle.
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While technically rigorous, Noel is also a thoughtful designer who understands the commercial realities of development. He consistently balances design quality, planning requirements, construction practicality and client objectives to create solutions that work from both an architectural and commercial perspective.
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At Criterion, Noel plays a key role in translating ideas into deliverable outcomes, ensuring projects are carefully coordinated, thoroughly documented and successfully executed.

Kate Walker

Senior Designer | Project Leader
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Kate Walker is an accomplished designer and project leader with extensive experience
delivering residential, urban and public realm projects throughout New Zealand.
Before joining Criterion, Kate spent seven years at Isthmus, one of New Zealand's leading multidisciplinary design practices, where she progressed to the role of Senior Architectural Designer. During this time she led complex projects across multiple sectors, developing a reputation for design excellence, clear communication and the ability to bring teams together around a shared vision.
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Kate's professional experience is complemented by her contribution to architectural education as a Lecturer at Auckland University of Technology, where she helped mentor emerging designers and foster critical design thinking.

Kate previously worked with James while he was Head of Vertical Living at Winton, serving as Project Lead at Isthmus on a number of residential and apartment developments. This collaboration established a strong professional relationship built on trust, design rigour and a shared commitment to creating successful project outcomes.
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At Criterion, Kate leads multiple projects simultaneously, providing strategic oversight from concept through to delivery. Clients value her ability to communicate complex ideas clearly, navigate competing project demands and maintain momentum through every stage of the design process.
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While equally comfortable leading project teams and engaging with clients, Kate is perhaps best known for her exceptional design talent. Armed with a well-worn 6B pencil, her sketches go beyond simply drawing buildings—they capture the experiences, moments and connections that bring places to life long before they are built.
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