A nationwide snapshot: Inside the 2026 NZIA shortlists
Written by
23 March 2026
•
8 min read
The 2026 New Zealand Architecture Awards shortlists have been announced, offering a nationwide snapshot of the buildings shaping how Aotearoa lives, learns and builds.
Spanning Wellington, Canterbury, the Southern region, aikato and Bay of Plenty, the Western region, Nelson and Marlborough, and Gisborne and Hawke’s Bay, the selected projects reflect a profession increasingly defined by responsiveness, where architecture is grounded in climate, culture and context.
Across housing, civic, education and commercial work, a clear direction emerges: design that is considered, enduring and closely tied to place.
Within this broader landscape, a number of practices from the ArchiPro network feature across the shortlists, contributing to a collective standard that continues to elevate the industry. Their presence across multiple regions and categories signals a consistent commitment to thoughtful, well-resolved architecture.
Below, we highlight a selection of these ArchiPro members and the projects recognised across this year’s regional awards.
Auckland Architecture Awards shortlist
Housing
Double Courtyard House by Roberts Gray Architects
Jack's House by W3 and Cede in association
Open + Shut by Rogan Nash Architects
Origami House by RTA Studio
Piringa House by Studio2 Architects
Sandtrap by Lloyd Hartley Architects
Shadow Box by Jack McKinney Architects
Tahi House by Patterson Associates
Te Arai Home by Studio John Irving
Housing – Alterations and Additions
Dolly by Studio John Irving
Long Play House by Megan Edwards Architects
Onetangi Pavilions by Sayes Jackson Architects and Lynda Simmons Architect
Yansane McMillan House by Bonnifait + Associates Architects (Atelierworkshop)
Red Threads by Pac Studio
Under Rimu by Pac Studio
Housing – Multi-unit
Community Lane by Architectus
Greenslade Court by Monk Mackenzie
Kaweka by Construkt Architects
The Collective - Hipster by Crosson Architects
Waipapa Apartments by Herbst Maxcey Metropolitan Architects
Interior Architecture
Auckland Buddhist Centre by Stevens Lawson Architects
Small Project Architecture
Bunker Bar by Studio John Irving
Twenty Seven by Robin O'Donnell Architects
Roseman Whare by Sunday Architects and Burgess Treep & Knight Architects in association
Hospitality
Hotel Indigo & Apartments by Dalman Architects, Studio.SC and WMK Architects in association
Ocean Restaurant by Studio John Irving
Bistro Saine by Dalman Architects, Ewert Leaf and Ingram Associates in association
Education
St Patrick's Chapel, Dilworth School by Jasmax
Te Ara Mātauranga – Auckland Grammar School Library by Jasmax
Toi Manawa by Patterson Associates
Enduring Architecture
Clifford-Forsyth House (1995) by Architectus
Moturua Island House (1999) by Pete Bossley Architects
Heritage
Auckland Art Gallery Kia Whakahou, Kia Whakaora by Ignite Architects and DPA Architects in association
Diocesan School for Girls’ Chapel of Our Glorified Lord and St Barnabas’ Chapel by Salmond Reed Architects and Creative Arch in association
Gardener's Rest by Megan Edwards Architects
St James Apartments by Gel Architects
Commercial Architecture
Air New Zealand – Hangar 4 by Studio Pacific Architecture
Atlas Headquarters by JWA Architects
Wellington Architecture Awards shortlist
Housing
H House by Parsonson Architects
House Beside the Tōtaras by Edwards White Architects
Kāpiti House by Studio Pacific Architecture
Parenga House by Tennent Brown Architects
Housing - Alterations and Additions
Totara Renovation by Patchwork Architecture
Housing – Multi-unit
Waka Ama Street Housing by Studio Pacific Architecture
Mahora Te Aroha by Novak+Middleton
The Bay by Novak+Middleton
Our Whare Our Fale by First Light Studio and Central Pacific Collective in association
Interior Architecture
Executive Wing – Level 3 Ministerial Suites by Studio Pacific Architecture
Social Project Wellington CBD by Designgroup Stapleton Elliott
Enduring Architecture
Aratoi Wairarapa Museum of Art and History (2001) by Studio Pacific Architecture
Pātaka Art + Museum (1998) by architecture+
Education
St Patrick's College - Resilient Renewal by Designgroup Stapleton Elliott
Te Wānanga o Aotearoa, Te Ao Mārama Campus, Porirua by APG Architects
Te Kura Matua o Wainuiomata - Wainuiomata High School Rebuild by S&T Architects
Commercial Architecture
Te Aumihi, Marine Base by Makers of Architecture
Te Puna by Studio Pacific Architecture and Tihei in association
Wellington International Airport Fire Station – AFS by Designgroup Stapleton Elliott
Canterbury Architecture Awards shortlist
Housing
Fendalton by PRau
200 High – Residence by AW Architects
Beach House by Anna-Marie Chin Architects
Loburn Pavilions by Three Sixty Architecture
Wairarapa Stream House by Three Sixty Architecture
Housing - Alterations and Additions
Hillside Modern by Site Architecture
Kererū Corner by Shaw & Shaw Architects
Timber Taco by Shaw & Shaw Architects
Interior Architecture
GymMaster Fitout by AW Architects
Context Studio Fitout by Context Architects
Buddle Findlay Christchurch by Jasmax
Public Architecture
Chapel of St Thérèse of Lisieux by Bull O'Sullivan Architecture
MacMurray Endoscopy and Specialist Centre Christchurch by Wingates
Small Project Architecture
Education
Commercial Architecture
200 High by AW Architects
Donnithornes by IKON Architects
Kahurangi - Te Whatu Ora Child, Adolescent and Family Community Project by IKON Architects
Nectar One by Wilson + Hill Architects
Riccarton Road Hospitality by Dalman Architects
The Regent by Wilson + Hill Architects
Southern Architecture Awards shortlist
Housing
Māori Point Road House by Rafe Maclean Architects
Central Otago House by Wilson and Hill Architects
Courtyard House by Anna-Marie Chin Architects
Housing - Alterations and Additions
Pointy Flat House by Chaney & Norman Architects
Blending Old With New by Gary Todd Architecture
Commercial Architecture
Skyline Carpark by Wyatt & Gray Architects
Skyline Queenstown - Top & Bottom Gondola Terminal by Wyatt & Gray Architects
Mount Cardrona Station – Homestead by Leuschke Group Architects
Education
Arthur Street School Redevelopment by Ignite Architects
Small Project Architecture
Aluume Spa by Hyndman Taylor Architects
Hopsitality
Noodle Bar by Three Sixty Architecture
Waikato & Bay of Plenty Architecture Awards shortlist
Commercial Architecture
Te Puna Hauora Ki Uta Ki Tai by Design Engine Architects
The Lake House by DCA Architects of Transformation
The Wedge – Head Office Building by Sheppard & Rout Architects
Education
Te Wharekura o Mauao - Science and Technology Block, Pukewhanake by Wingates
Tongariro School Redevelopment by RTA Studio
Heritage
BNZ Theatre by Jasmax and Charcoalblue in association
APG Offices (The Old Lodge) by APG Architects
Hospitality
Huka Lodge Gym, Spa and Wellness by Christian Anderson Architects
Housing
Hauparu Bay by DCA Architects of Transformation and Yvette Jay Interior Design in association
Pōhutukawa House by Sumich Chaplin Architects
Awatere House by Chow:Hill Architects
Housing - Alterations and Additions
Spolia by Architecture Bureau
Housing – Multi-unit
The Muse by Construkt Architects
University of Waikato Knighton Road Student Apartments by Chow:Hill Architects
Interior Architecture
Holland Beckett by Wingates
Public Architecture
Bay Oval – Craigs Investment Partners Pavilion (Phase 2) by Jasmax
BNZ Theatre by Jasmax and Charcoalblue in association
MacMurray Gastroenterology and Endoscopy Centre Tauranga by Wingates
Merivale Community Centre by Designgroup Stapleton Elliott and Wingates in association
Small Project Architecture
Western Architecture Awards shortlist
Commercial Architecture
Toitū House by Gibbons Architects
Education
Ngā Huia, School of Veterinary Science by CCM Architects and Labworks Architecture
Housing
Clulee-Elliott House by Designgroup Stapleton Elliott
Outlook House by Gibbons Architects
Rammed Earth House by Boon
Waitī House by Crosson Architects
Housing - Alterations and Additions
Interior Architecture
Ngā Huia, School of Veterinary Science by CCM Architects and Labworks Architecture
Public Architecture
Stadium Taranaki East Stand by Boon and GHD
Small Project Architecture
Lath House by 242am Architects and Team Architects
Nelson & Marlborough Architecture Awards shortlist
Education
Tāwhaki Nui-a-Hema / Motueka High School Maths and Horticulture Block by Arthouse Architects and Sheppard & Rout Architects
Housing
Black Brick House by Tony Karsten
Ngaio Bay House by Monk Mackenzie
Oak and Stone by Redbox Architects and Lume Design in association
Plum Location by Redbox Architects
Tata Beach House by Chaplin Crooks Architects
Tasman Gables by Stufkens + Chambers Architects
Housing Alterations and Additions
Black Millar House by Three Sixty Architecture
Sharlands House by Fineline Architecture
Public Architecture
Port Tarakohe Management and Amenities Building by JTB Architects
Small Project Architecture
Wee Gannet by Wright & Gray Architects
Bunk, Bath & Beyond by Shaw & Shaw Architects
Gisborne & Hawke's Bay Architecture Awards shortlist
Education
Tamatea Intermediate / Te Kura Takawaenga o Tamatea Rebuild by Pacific Environments Architects
Mangapapa School by DCA Architects of Transformation
Lytton High School Hall - Te Hīnātore by Architects 44
Eskdale School by DCA Architects of Transformation
Hospitality
The Loft and Kitchen Refurbishment – Craggy Range by RTA Studio
Housing
Mangakuri Home by Makers of Architecture
Housing - Mulit-unit
Bledisloe Social Housing by DCA Architects of Transformation
Public Architecture
MTG – Hawke’s Bay Museum Research & Archives Centre by RTA Studio
Hawke’s Bay Airport Fire Station by RTA Studio