The Here Awards are now in their third year, after strong showings in 2021 and 2022. We set out to create a set of awards that felt fit for purpose in the 21st century – a programme that was less about budget and more about design and thinking. 

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Each year, we call for entries in a variety of categories, before choosing a shortlist which we go and see in person. We then choose finalists, category winners and Best House Aotearoa. 

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In 2021, that winner was Super Taper by Jack McKinney Architects, in which a 19th-century villa was reconfigured with an ethereal tiled extension. In 2022, the winner was Waimataruru by Pac Studio and Kristina Pickford Design – a sensitive, environmentally minded house borne of a unique relationship between its architects and its designer client.

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We are delighted to be entering our third year of the Here Awards with a continued focus on novelty of design and quality of execution – and, after a summer of climate-related crises, focus on sustainability. While entrants have always had to provide a sustainability statement, there is now also a new Sustainable category – we’re excited to see the projects that come through. 

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The entries are open now, and close on June 30, with judging in September – and we’ll announce the winners and finalists in our October issue. Download an entry pack here for more information, or if you have any questions, email us at hello@thisishere.nz.

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We are grateful to our returning sponsors Città , Resene and Blum, and proud to welcome our new vehicle partner, Hyundai New Zealand.

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Awards

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We're calling for entries in the following categories:

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• New House
• Reuse and Renovation
• Apartment or Townhouse
• Colour, Craft & Detail
• Sustainability
  
• Interior
• Small Project

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All finalists are eligible for Best House Aotearoa 2023.

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How to enter‍

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Enter online here before June 30, 2023. Supply high-res photos and plans, a brief blurb about the project and answer a question on sustainability. Entry packs are available online or by emailing hello@thisishere.nz

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Te Rōpū

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Meet our rōpū – the panel of decision makers driving this year’s awards. A rōpū in te reo Māori means a committee, group or organisation. We’ve used the word deliberately to connote a progressive, thoughtful approach to our awards, with decisions made by respectful consensus. 

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Sarosh Mulla – Pac Studio

A director at Pac Studio, Sarosh is an award-winning architect whose humanist, colourful work ranges from the luxurious to the playful across a wide variety of projects, scales and budgets. He has a particular passion for projects that require innovative solutions – specially low-carbon ones. With Kristina Pickford, Pac  designed Waimataruru – our Best House Aotearoa 2022.

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Kristina Pickford – Kristina Pickford Design

With a background in interior design and the restoration of mid-century classics, Kristina has an exacting eye for composition, form and materials, paired with a fervent dedication to the environment. This is best seen in her commitment to restoring a large piece of land at Ōtama, Coromandel, where she built and co-designed Waimataruru: low-carbon and virtually off-grid.

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Caro Robertson – Spacecraft Architects

Caro is a director of Spacecraft Architects, based in Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington. Spacecraft is known for achieving the impossible – designing  economical homes that possess a rare poetry and a sense of fun for creative clients on difficult sites. She has a particular interest in co-housing – as seen in Block Party (Here 17) which was shortlisted in the Here Awards 2022.

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Simon Farrell-Green – Here

Simon is the publisher and editor of Here, which he started in 2020 during a pandemic lockdown with a desire to make something progressive, different and real. He drives the cars, orders the drinks and carries the bags on the Here Awards judging tour. 

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2023 Dates

April: Call to entry

June 30: Entries close

August/September: Judging

October: Awards announced

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