Eight architectural projects across Gisborne and Hawke’s Bay have been deemed the very best in Te Kāhui Whaihanga New Zealand Institute of Architects’ Regional Awards this year, including a winery restaurant, heritage municipal restrooms, and the Wairoa Visitor Information Centre.

RTA Studio were the big winners on the night, taking home three awards across the Hospitality and Public Architecture categories, plus a Resene Colour Award. Jurors noted how all three projects used materials, layout, and design to create buildings that work for people using the spaces. The resulting buildings felt simple, calm, and well-suited to their purpose and location.

In the Heritage category, the Restoration of the (Former) Napier Women's Restrooms by Ann Galloway and Gavin Cooper in association won over the jury for the depth of care and collaboration shown in the renewal, returning the building to its original purpose as a “valued civic destination.”

“Across the region, the jury was struck by the consistently high calibre of projects, each demonstrating a thoughtful and assured response to context, community, and purpose,” says jury convenor and architect Matt Edmonds of Designgroup Stapleton Elliott. “These works reflect a refinement of design thinking, where careful material selection, craftsmanship, and clarity of intent come together to create enduring, meaningful places.”

Edmonds was joined on the jury by Emelia Atkins (Warren and Mahoney), Simone Bub (Bub Architects) and lay juror Shannon Bray (Wayfinder Landscape Planning).

The winners received their awards at an event at MTG Hawke’s Bay in Napier on 1 May.

Full list of 2026 Gisborne & Hawke’s Bay Regional Architecture Awards winners by category:

Commercial Architecture

• Te Wairoa e Whanake, Ahi Kōmau Gemmell’s on Parade & Wairoa Visitor Information Centre by Collaborative Projects Studio (Wairoa)

Education

• Mangapapa School by DCA Architects of Transformation (Mangapapa, Gisborne)

Heritage

• Restoration of (Former) Napier Women's Restrooms by Ann Galloway and Gavin Cooper in association* (Napier)

Hospitality

• The Loft and Kitchen Refurbishment – Craggy Range by RTA Studio (Havelock North)

Housing

• Lee House by Clarkson Architects (Havelock North)

• Mangakuri Home by Makers of Architecture (Mangakuri, Hawke’s Bay)

Public Architecture

• Hawke’s Bay Airport Fire Station by RTA Studio (Napier)

• MTG – Hawke’s Bay Museum Research & Archives Centre by RTA Studio (Napier)*

Note: * denotes Resene Colour Award winner.