Architects are called on to demonstrate leadership, responsibility, and informed decision-making in their entries for these Awards, and ensure that their work actively contributes to Aotearoa New Zealand’s low-carbon future and responds to the escalating climate and biodiversity emergency.

As architects, there is a responsibility to embed embodied- and operational-carbon assessments into design processes and to make energy modelling standard practice. While assembling this information may initially appear challenging, an expanding range of tools and resources is available to support members in preparing and presenting robust performance data.

These updated questions for 2026 support Jurors in assessing how projects demonstrate ethical, environmentally responsible practice—minimising harm while strengthening interconnected ecological systems through design excellence. They are grounded in the principle of kaitiakitanga (guardianship), recognising our responsibility to protect and restore the natural world as we respond to climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution. The aim is to establish a robust framework that will continue to evolve in future years.

As a support for our members, the NZIA has developed a range of resources to help practices build confidence in carbon assessment and energy modelling. The Demystifying Carbon series includes webinars, workshops, and online materials that introduce tools for calculating a building’s carbon footprint. In addition, we are also running a dedicated webinar series on The Importance of Energy Modelling to help members upskill in predictive energy modelling and better understand building performance in design.

We expect by next year we will have a roadmap to begin to introduce incremental changes to the sustainability requirements, aiming for the eventual submission of operational energy, potable water use figures, upfront carbon, embodied carbon and eventually Whole-of-Life Carbon.

Read on to see the questions you will need to complete when submitting your project. Some information is mandatory. However, if a mandatory field does not apply to your project or was not part of the design process, please enter ‘0’ (Zero) where a number is required, or ‘NA’ (Not Applicable) where a description is required. For example, a planning or urban design project may be unable to supply some mandatory data due to the nature of its typology.

As with last year’s entries, all entrants will be required to answer every sustainability question unless it is explicitly marked as optional. We strongly encourage teams to provide supporting sustainability information to strengthen their submission. Entrants are encouraged to include embodied and operational carbon assessments - whether modelled or measured - alongside thermal modelling outputs and any other relevant evidence that demonstrates the project’s performance.

Our Awards team and Sustainability Advisor are on hand to help guide you through the process so if you have any questions related to the awards process please contact awards@nzia.co.nz and if you have questions relating to the sustainability questions, please contact rmacintyre@nzia.co.nz

Guidance documents

Download Sustainability Criteria guidelines (PDF)

Download Kaitiakitanga, Protection of Papatūānuku & Ecological Systems guidelines (PDF)