Nineteen architectural projects have been deemed the very best in Te Kāhui Whaihanga New Zealand Institute of Architects’ Local Awards for the Southern region this year, including community pools, a retail precinct in urban Dunedin, and nearly a dozen homes across Otago.
The Roxburgh Pool by Hierarchy Group was a winner in the Public Architecture category for seamlessly blending practicality, sustainability, and sculptural design into the riverside facility for a small community in Central Otago. Jurors noted how the simple geometry of the changing pavilion complemented the rugged Teviot Valley landscape, while the golden hue of the faceted screen served as a year-round reminder of autumn colours.
On a larger scale, the George Street, Dunedin Retail Quarter by Jasmax won the Planning & Urban Design category for a project that began as an infrastructure upgrade but became an ambitious initiative to revitalise the city’s retail quarter. Working in collaboration with Kāi Tahu, the project aimed to make mana whenua history and narratives visible within the retail quarter, offering a more authentic representation of Dunedin’s cultural history beyond its widely recognised colonial architecture.
“The jury was particularly impressed this year with projects that demonstrated innovation, whether that was new ways of working or use of new technologies,” says jury convenor and architect Mark Mawdsley. “The new sustainability judging criteria added this year helped us uncover projects with high-performance building envelopes, use of electric power technologies, and an emphasis on sourcing low-carbon or local materials. The best of the high-performance homes we saw were around ten times more energy efficient than a typical home built to code.”
The jury awarded 11 homes in the Housing category this year, with an emphasis on projects that connected to the landscape and took advantage of the natural beauty the region is known for. From rural Lawrence to the top of the Crown Range, the number of winners in this category reinforces the renown of Otago as an ideal canvas for architects to express their design creativity and artistry.
In Commercial Architecture, the upgrade to the O’Connells building by McAuliffe Stevens was recognised for injecting energy into the retail landscape of central Queenstown. In addition to seismic strengthening, colourful interior updates and new visual connections at ground level are complemented by the façade and canopies that reference the surrounding jagged landscape.
Mawdsley was joined on the jury by Geoff Lentz (Paua Architects), Tim Ross (Architype) and lay juror Sarah McCallum (Otago Polytechnic School of Architecture).
The winners received their awards at an event at the Cargo Collective Brew Hall on 13 June.
Full list of 2025 Southern Region Architecture Awards winners by category:
Commercial Architecture
• O'Connells by McAuliffe Stevens*
Education
• Trinity Catholic College Music and Art Suites by McCoy and Wixon Architects
Heritage
• The Lakes District Museum by Origin Heritage
Housing
• Roger's House by Anna-Marie Chin Architects
• Curio by Ben Hudson Architects
• Penrith Peaks by Condon Scott Architects
• Scout by Intuitive Architects
• Openfield House by Keshaw McArthur and Matheson Whiteley in association
• Manukard Gård by Mason & Wales Architects
• Brick House by Rafe Maclean Architects
• Kaka Pod by Rafe Maclean Architects
• Beacon Point House by RTA Studio
• Kārearea House by RTA Studio
• Glenayr Farm House by Vaughn McQuarrie
Housing - Alterations & Additions
• Weather Watcher by ahha
Housing - Multi Unit
• The Village by Arête Architects
Planning & Urban Design
• George Street, Dunedin Retail Quarter by Jasmax
Public Architecture
• Roxburgh Pool by Hierarchy Group
• Te Kāika Wellbeing Hub by McCoy and Wixon Architects
Note: * denotes Resene Colour Award winner.
