User:Nakul V Raju/sandbox

 Nancy Northcroft  OBE FRIBA ANZIA MNZPI (1913-1980) was a New Zealand town planner. She was the first woman president of the New Zealand Planning Institute (1967-1969). Miss Nancy was instrumental in planning the majority of Christchurch city and is a pioneer in the field of Town Planning in New Zealand. She was also the first recipient of the Town Planning Institute Gold Medal on retirement in 1977.

Early Life
Nancy was born on 23rd March,1913 in Hamilton, and attended a private sonning school until 1921, later her family moved to Auckland where she joined the Auckland Diocesan Girl's School. She graduated from the University of Auckland in 1940 with a Bachelors of Architecture degree. After graduating she returned to Christchurch where her family were currently residing, and showed an early interest in town planning while working with the Christchurch City Council and Canterbury Education Board. In 1942, Nancy took up a British Council scholarship and moved to Britain to study local body housing, and eventually ended up working at the Association for Planning and Regional Reconstruction.

Career
While working in Britain for the Association for Planning and Regional Reconstruction she conducted correspondence courses on town planning for the Allied forces. Tutoring these courses helped her undertake a course in town planning that qualified candidates for membership of Town Planning Institute, London. Tired of the post war situation in Britain she returned to New Zealand in 1947. Upon returning she briefly worked with the Wellington Regional Planning Council, and then joined as the Town planning officer at the Christchurch City Council in 1949. Nancy worked with the council for 5 years and pushed them to establish a Regional Planning Authority for the city of Christchurch where she was later appointed the Chief Planning Officer in 1954.

During her time there her most renowned contributions were:

(i)  The Rural Area Protection Scheme (Urban Fence)                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    (ii)  Master Transportation Study                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    (iii) Approval of scheme for preservation of Port Hills in Christchurch

In 1962, she joined a private practice run by Davie Lovell Smith as a partner, and spent the rest of her professional career with them as a sole practitioner. During her career as a solo practitioner she was elected the first woman president for the New Zealand Planning Institute, and was active member of the New Zealand Geographical Society, the Soroptimist Club of Christchurch, and Board of Te Wai Pounamu Maori Girls’ College. She retired in 1977, and started actively involving in various Woman's organizations.

Awards
Miss Nancy was the first woman to be awarded the Town Planning Institute Gold Medal in 1977. 1978, She was appointed an OBE( Order of British Empire) for her previous contributions in the United Kingdom and in New Zealand. In recognition of the vast contribution by Nancy Northcroft to the New Zealand planning profession, the Institute established the Nancy Northcroft Planning practice award in 1994.