It was a night of celebration, innovation, and architectural excellence as movers and shakers from the New Zealand property industry gathered at the new New Zealand International Convention Centre in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland for the 2026 Property Council New Zealand Rider Levett Bucknall Property Industry Awards, the country’s most prestigious recognition of achievement in the built environment.
Now in its 36th year, the national awards programme has been spotlighting the very best in property development, design, and investment since 1991, with Principal Sponsor Rider Levett Bucknall backing the event since 1997. The awards span a wide range of sectors and design disciplines, honouring projects that deliver exceptional returns, create long-term value, and elevate the communities they serve.
This year, the coveted Rider Levett Bucknall Supreme Award went to Mareanui – 90 Devonport Road in Tauranga, developed by Willis Bond for Property Income Fund. The judges hailed it as a project that achieves a compelling commercial outcome while delivering measurable environmental leadership and declared it nothing less than a blueprint for the next generation of New Zealand property development.
Mareanui also claimed the Resene Sustainable Building Property Award and the RCP Commercial Office Property Award, making it the standout project of the night.
Equally celebrated was the New Zealand International Convention Centre in Auckland — the very venue hosting the awards — which took out the Holmes Tourism and Leisure Property Award. The judges praised the project as among the country’s most significant tourism investments this century, rising resiliently from extraordinary complexity and a catastrophic fire to stand as a bold symbol of ambition and long-term growth.
Read on for the full list of winners and a look behind the scenes of the industry’s biggest night.
Rider Levett Bucknall Supreme Award
Also winner: Resene Sustainable Building Property Award and RCP Commercial Office Property Award
Mareanui, Tauranga
90 Devonport Road, Tauranga
- Owner: Property Income Fund
- Developer: Willis Bond
- Construction: LT McGuinness
- Architect: Warren and Mahoney
- Structural engineer: Dunning Thornton Consultants
- Service/mechanical/fire engineer: Beca
- Building enclosure engineer: Mott MacDonald
- Quantity surveyor: Rider Levett Bucknall
- Project manager: Willis Bond
Mareanui – 90 Devonport Road stands as a defining benchmark for property excellence in New Zealand. Already recognised in both the commercial and sustainability categories, it exemplifies the very best of what this industry can achieve when vision, partnership and performance align.
Aotearoa’s largest modern mass timber office building, the 10,400m² eight-storey development brings Tauranga City Council’s entire workforce together in a single high-performance workplace. More than 2,700m³ of Cross Laminated Timber and 900m³ of Laminated Veneer Lumber — sourced from Rotorua and Nelson — replace conventional steel and concrete, achieving a 60 per cent reduction in lifecycle carbon emissions and storing over 2,700 tonnes of CO₂. Cultural narratives are woven throughout in deep collaboration with mana whenua.
Completed on time and under budget, fully tenanted and pre-sold, the project holds a 6 Star Green Star Design rating and targets 5 Star NABERSNZ and WELL Gold certification. Mareanui is more than a building — it is a catalyst for Tauranga’s regeneration and a credible, inspiring model for low-carbon development at scale across New Zealand.
Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei Judges' Choice Award
The Court Theatre, Christchurch
129 Gloucester Street, Christchurch
- Owner/developer: Christchurch City Council
- Construction: Hawkins
- Architect: Athfield Architects, Haworth Tompkins
- Structural engineer: Ruamoko Solutions
- Service/mechanical engineer: Stantec
- Building enclosure engineer: Mott MacDonald
- Quantity surveyor: AECOM
- Theatre services: Charcoal Blue
- Acoustic engineer: Marshall Day Associates
- Project manager: Octa Associates
A special discretionary award recognising an extraordinary project that reflects Property Council’s mission — Together, shaping cities where communities thrive — the Judges’ Choice Award went to The Court Theatre in Ōtautahi Christchurch.
Delivered through an extraordinary coalition of public investment, philanthropic funding and community commitment, the project provides a permanent home for New Zealand’s largest professional theatre company and a powerful anchor within the Performing Arts Precinct. More than a building, it is a place of connection — bringing performance, creativity and public life together, enlivening surrounding laneways and outdoor areas, and extending its cultural reach well beyond the stage. As a catalyst for regeneration and cultural identity, The Court Theatre is a compelling example of how property can shape cities where communities truly thrive.
Warren and Mahoney Civic, Health and Arts Property Award
Te Rua Archives New Zealand, Wellington
2–12 Aitken Street, Pipitea, Wellington
- Owner: PSPIB/CPPIB Waiheke
- Developer: Dexus
- Client: Department of Internal Affairs
- Construction: LT McGuinness
- Architect: Warren and Mahoney, Tihei
- Structural engineer: Aurecon
- Service engineer: NDY
- Building enclosure engineer: Façade – Arup; Tanking – Kaizon, Oculus
- Quantity surveyor: Rider Levett Bucknall
- Project manager: RCP
- Facility management strategy: WT New Zealand
A 26,450m² high-performance archival facility in Wellington’s parliamentary precinct, Te Rua was purpose-built to house some of Aotearoa’s most significant taonga. The 10-storey building includes specialist repository, conservation and digitisation labs, processing areas, workplaces and public spaces, all connected to the National Library via a link bridge.
Delivered as a once-in-a-generation Public Private Partnership, Te Rua is designed as the southern hemisphere’s most seismically resilient civic building — capable of remaining fully operational for at least 48 hours following a major seismic event. Completed on time and on budget, it unites technical innovation, cultural storytelling and national identity in a single extraordinary structure.
Other winners in this category:
Excellence: BNZ Theatre (Hamilton) | Endoscopy Auckland, Kipling Ave (Auckland) | Kaweka Hospital Stage 2 (Hastings) | New Zealand International Convention Centre (Auckland) | Pacific Lakes Village – The Pavilion (Mount Maunganui) | Parakiore Recreation and Sport Centre (Christchurch) | Te Ara Mātauranga – Waihī Beach Library and Service Centre (Waihī Beach) | Te Matapihi ki te Ao Nui – Wellington Central Library (Wellington) | The Court Theatre (Christchurch) | The Mill (Queenstown) | Wellington Airport Fire Station (Wellington)
Merit: Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki (Auckland) | Oceania Meadowbank Retirement Village Stage 6 (Auckland) | Southern Cross Wellington Hospital Redevelopment (Wellington) | Starship Hospital Atrium Redevelopment (Auckland) | The Rutherford Clinic (Wellington) | Toi Tauranga Art Gallery (Tauranga) | Waikeria Prison Development (Waikeria)
Kāinga Ora – Homes and Communities Community and Affordable Housing Property Award
Our Whare Our Fale, Porirua
18 Castor Crescent, Porirua, Wellington
- Owner/developer: Central Pacific Collective
- Construction: Southcoast Construction
- Architectural lead: Elyjana Roach (CPC)
- Architecture consultant: First Light Studio
- Structural engineer: Certa
- Quantity surveyor: Ortus International
- Project manager: Central Pacific Collective
Our Whare Our Fale reimagines the Pacific village in Aotearoa, transforming life outcomes for Pasifika communities in eastern Porirua through the opportunity of homeownership. Anchored by a central malae and common fale on a 3,000m² site, the project delivers the first 18 intergenerational, affordable and sustainable homes in a development that will ultimately build up to 300 houses for Pacific families.
Led by Central Pacific Collective in partnership with Ngāti Toa Rangatira, the project is grounded in the Pacific principle of vā — the relational space between people, place and environment — and the belief that true value lies not in the house itself, but in the relationships that bind it together. Standing as a light of hope and a model for portable Pacific wisdom, Our Whare Our Fale is a compelling demonstration of what community-led development can achieve.
Other winners in this category:
Excellence: Community Lane (Auckland) | Greenslade Crescent Medium Rise Apartments (Auckland) | Te Ara Ki Te Atua (Kaikohe) | Te Pākau Maru (Christchurch) | The Avenue (Auckland)
Merit: 86–92 McKenzie Road (Auckland) | Cambridge Terrace (Lower Hutt) | Dominion Road Housing Development (Auckland) | Nield Road (Auckland) | Peake Mews (Cambridge) | Sullivan Crescent (Hamilton) | Three Lanes Lyttelton Street (Christchurch) | Whakatō (Auckland) | Zion Apartments by Elaman Property (Auckland)
Colliers Project Leaders Education Property Award
Kōawa Post Production Building, Christchurch
129 Waimari Road, Christchurch
- Owner/developer: University of Canterbury
- Construction: Southbase Construction
- Architect: Ignite Architects
- Structural engineer: Holmes
- Service/mechanical engineer: Powell Fenwick
- Building enclosure engineer: BG&E
- Quantity surveyor: Rider Levett Bucknall
- Project manager: Rubix
- Acoustics: Marshall Day Acoustics
New Zealand’s most advanced film, gaming and mixed reality learning environment, the Kōawa Post Production Building brings together commercial-grade production spaces with teaching and collaboration areas at the University of Canterbury, enabling students to work alongside industry on real-world projects.
As the South Island’s premier production hub, the facility supports capstone projects, research and innovation in film, gaming and immersive media. Developed in partnership with industry and aligned with the New Zealand Screen Production Rebate, it is designed to drive regional and national economic growth — delivering industry-ready skills for the creative and technology sectors of the future.
Other winners in this category:
Excellence: Te Kura Rau Iti (Auckland)
Merit: Aquinas College – Joy Block (Tauranga) | Diocesan School for Girls – Shrewsbury Building (Auckland) | Motueka High School (Motueka) | Northcote College – Tech Block (Te Toka Tū Moana) (Auckland) | Old Choral Hall (Auckland) | Otago Boys High School – Shand Building Redevelopment (Dunedin) | Te Aratai 16 Teaching Space Block Stage 2b (Christchurch) | Te Kura Matua o Wainuiomata – Wainuiomata High School (Lower Hutt) | Te Uho o Te Nikau Primary School Expansion (Auckland)
Naylor Love Heritage and Adaptive Reuse Property Award
BNZ Theatre, Hamilton
198 Victoria Street, Hamilton
- Owner/developer: Waikato Regional Property Trust
- Construction: Foster Construction
- Architect: Jasmax
- Structural engineer: Holmes
- Service/mechanical engineer: eCubed
- Quantity surveyor: Kingstons
- Project manager: RDT Pacific
BNZ Theatre renews Hamilton’s cultural heart through a contemporary 1,300-seat theatre combined with the adaptive reuse of the historic Hamilton Hotel and upgrades to surrounding public spaces. The 8,700m² development, located on the site of previous performing arts venues including the Embassy Theatre, is designed for touring productions, local performers and community programmes.
The restored 100-year-old Beaux-Arts hotel façades sit alongside contemporary performance spaces, balancing heritage with modern functionality. Welcoming entries, generous foyers and improved public areas enhance safety and activate the southern CBD beyond show nights, while cultural narratives embedded through materials, wayfinding and public art reinforce continuity across generations. Opened in January 2026, the precinct supports community participation, audience diversity and long-term cultural and economic value.
Other winners in this category:
Excellence: Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki (Auckland) | Diocesan School for Girls – Shrewsbury Building (Auckland) | NZR Co. Building (Christchurch) | Old Choral Hall (Auckland) | Te Matapihi ki te Ao Nui – Wellington Central Library (Wellington)
Merit: Annie Stevenson Building (Dunedin) | New Zealand International Convention Centre (Auckland) | Otago Boys High School – Shand Building Redevelopment (Dunedin) | Pūtahi Teia (Tauranga) | Te Iho Bowen House (Wellington) | Unilodge (Auckland)
CBRE Industrial Property Award
DHL Supply Chain, Auckland
15 Te Kapua Drive, Auckland
- Owner/developer: Auckland International Airport
- Construction: Macrennie Commercial Construction
- Architect: Williams Architects
- Structural engineer: Day Consulting
- Service/mechanical engineer: Mesh Consulting
- Quantity surveyor: Rider Levett Bucknall
- Project manager: RDT Pacific
- Geotechnical engineer: Initia
- Fire protection: Protech Design
DHL Supply Chain’s purpose-built life sciences and healthcare facility at The Landing Business Park sets a new benchmark for specialised industrial development at Auckland Airport. The 30,000m² development offers seamless air-and-road connectivity and has been engineered to the sector’s most demanding standards, featuring temperature and humidity-controlled warehousing, secure storage for controlled drugs and dangerous goods, and specialised co-pack and technical rooms.
The facility also introduces DHL’s first New Zealand goods-to-person automation system, lifting efficiency, accuracy and service levels across the operation. Achieving a 5 Star Green Star Design and As Built v1.1 Design Certified Rating, the project is a standout example of how industrial development can deliver both operational excellence and genuine environmental leadership.
Other winners in this category:
Excellence: Americold Pātaka Makariri Cold Storage Halwyn Drive (Christchurch) | Asmuss Warehouse (Auckland) | Daikin Park Christchurch | Hanger 4 and Workshops (Auckland) | L’Oréal Distribution Centre and Dangerous Good Store (Auckland) | NZ Safety Blackwoods Automated Distribution Centre (Auckland) | Roma Road Estate (Auckland)
Merit: Burnham Maintenance Support Facility – The Forge / Te Toki (Christchurch) | Cain Road (Auckland) | Daily Freight O’Rorke Road (Auckland) | Hempel (Wattyl) Warehouse and Dangerous Goods Store (Hamilton) | KiwiRail Hillside Depot (Dunedin) | Mainfreight Beach Road (Auckland) | Mainfreight Hawkes Bay (Napier) | Monte Christo Production Winery (Clyde)
Hawkins Multi Unit Residential Property Award
Coastal View Lifestyle Village – Yacht Club and Stage 4, Nelson
50 Clarence Drive, Nelson
- Owner: Coastal View Lifestyle Village
- Developer: Qestral Corporation
- Construction: Yacht Club – Gibbons Naylor; Stage 4 – Brendan Murray Construction
- Architect: MAP Architects
- Structural engineer: TM Consultants
- Service engineer: EW Smith Electrical, MacMillian Plumbing
- Mechanical engineer: Degree AC
- Quantity surveyor: Kensway Consultants
- Project manager: Kensway Consultants
- Interior design: Mostra Design
- Landscape architect: Morgan and Pollard
A next-generation retirement village anchored by the new Yacht Club wellbeing hub, Coastal View in Nelson sets a compelling standard for residential living at any age. The Yacht Club is conceived as the social and spatial heart of the community, a low-profile, single-storey building defined by a fully glazed rear façade that frames expansive views across Tasman Bay toward Tāhunanui Beach.
A carefully planned sequence of indoor and outdoor spaces — including dining, wellness and social areas — supports intuitive movement and accessibility throughout. The residential units across this stage impressed judges with their generous proportions and high quality of finish, combining thoughtful design with a strong sense of place.
Other winners in this category:
Excellence: 22 Karori Crescent (Auckland) | Cannington Place (Dunedin) | Franklin Village Stage 1 (Auckland) | Hyde Lane Apartments (Wellington) | Moire West (Auckland) | One Three Five Victoria (Wellington) | Toi (Auckland) | Unilodge Auckland Central (Auckland)
Merit: Elementum at Long Bay (Auckland) | Kōanga (Auckland) | Oaken Residences (Auckland) | The Bay (Wellington) | Tupuarangi Student Accommodation, University of Canterbury (Christchurch)
Yardi Retail Property Award
IKEA Auckland Store, Auckland
10 Clemow Drive, Mount Wellington, Auckland
- Owner/developer: IKEA New Zealand
- Construction: Naylor Love
- Architect: Leffler Simes Architects
- Structural engineer: BGT Structures
- Service/mechanical engineer: NDY
- Building enclosure engineer: Commercial Façade Consultants
- Quantity surveyor: Naylor Love
- Fire engineer: Jensen Hughes
- Automation: Swisslog
- Project manager: Naylor Love
IKEA’s 52,684m² GFA flagship Auckland store is a standout retail development — an international concept transformed into a bespoke, complex multi-level build on a 33,000m² site, complete with full undercroft parking, a mezzanine showroom, and extensive external works.
Following a five-month resource consent delay, the delivery team adopted a staged construction and handover strategy coordinated through a collaborative live programme with key subcontractors. This proactive approach mitigated subsequent delays and protected the original completion date, with staged spaces handed over fully commissioned and defect-free. The result is an outstanding retail outcome and a fitting addition to Auckland’s commercial landscape.
Other winners in this category:
Excellence: Derby Square, Takanini Town Centre (Auckland)
Merit: Good Day, All Day Dining and Bar (Wellington) | Woolworths Taupō Central (Taupō)
Holmes Tourism and Leisure Property Award
New Zealand International Convention Centre (NZICC), Auckland
101 Hobson Street, Auckland
- Owner/developer: SkyCity Entertainment Group
- Construction: Fletcher Construction Company
- Architect: Warren and Mahoney, Moller Architects, Woods Bagot
- Structural/service/mechanical engineer: Beca
- Building enclosure engineer: Mott MacDonald
- Quantity surveyor: Rider Levett Bucknall
- Project manager: Beca
- Fire engineer: NDY
- Acoustic engineer: Marshall Day Acoustics
Among the country’s most significant tourism investments this century, the New Zealand International Convention Centre (NZICC) was conceived as a catalyst for prosperity — designed to grow high-value business events and energise Auckland’s visitor economy.
Spanning 88,000m² in the CBD, the vertically integrated, city-connected development delivers 32,500m² of flexible event space, including 8,100m² of divisible exhibition halls and New Zealand’s largest 2,850-seat theatre. This capability positions the country to host global congresses, exhibitions and cultural events previously out of reach. Rising resiliently from extraordinary complexity and a catastrophic fire, the NZICC stands as a bold symbol of ambition, long-term vision and the transformative power of the built environment.
Other winners in this category:
Excellence: Parakiore Recreation and Sport Centre (Christchurch) | Whāriki Auckland Airport – The Welcome Mat (Auckland)
Merit: Stadium Taranaki East Stand (New Plymouth) | The Mill (Queenstown)
Property Council New Zealand Members' Laureate
Chris Gudgeon
The Property Council New Zealand Members’ Laureate is the organisation’s highest individual honour, recognising those who have made an extraordinary and enduring contribution to both Property Council and the wider property industry.
This year, the award was presented to Chris Gudgeon, a leader whose 30-plus-year career has helped shape some of New Zealand’s most significant property assets and organisations.
Chris served as chief executive of Kiwi Property from 2008 to 2018, steering the company through a period of substantial transformation. During his tenure, the business transitioned from an externally managed listed REIT with an Australian-owned manager to an internally managed company with an entirely New Zealand-based team. He also led the rebrand to Kiwi Property, setting a clear strategic direction and building the foundation for long-term growth through landmark retail and workplace developments.
Prior to that, Chris held senior roles including general manager property at Auckland International Airport and chief executive of Capital Properties in Wellington. He continues to contribute at governance level as chair of Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei Whai Rawa and as a director of National Infrastructure Funding and Financing and New Zealand Railways Corporation.
A Fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors and a past national chair of Property Council New Zealand, Chris has served the organisation across many initiatives, including seven years on the Property Industry Awards judging panel. Property Council congratulates Chris on this richly deserved recognition.
Resene Sustainable Building Property Award
Other excellence and merit winners (category winner listed above):
Excellence: Beca House – Te Paeroa o te Kawau and Pipiri Lane, Wynyard Quayside (Auckland) | Franklin Village Stage 1 (Auckland) | Hanger 4 and Workshops (Auckland) | One Three Five Victoria (Wellington) | Te Iho Bowen House (Wellington) | Te Rua Archives New Zealand (Wellington) | The Court Theatre (Christchurch) | Tukutuku (Auckland)
Merit: Auckland Airport Transport Hub (Auckland) | L’Oréal Distribution Centre and Dangerous Good Store (Auckland) | Monte Christo Production Winery (Clyde) | Roma Road Estate (Auckland) | Unilodge Auckland Central (Auckland) | Woolworths Taupō Central (Taupō)
RCP Commercial Office Property Award
Other excellence and merit winners (category winner listed above):
Excellence: Beca House – Te Paeroa o te Kawau and Pipiri Lane, Wynyard Quayside (Auckland) | Formery (Auckland) | Horotiu Office (Hamilton) | Te Iho Bowen House (Wellington)
Merit: Ōtepoti (Dunedin) | Tinline (Nelson)
For media enquiries, contact Kelly Taylor, Head of Communications via kelly@propertynz.co.nz