The Here Awards are now in their fifth year. We founded them intending to celebrate and progress architecture in this country – but we also wanted them to be a reflection of what was happening in architecture in Aotearoa. Assembling a grab bag of glamorous projects is one thing; seeking entries from thoughtful architects solving problems – and creating beauty at the same time – is quite another.
It will come as no surprise that after five years of crises our 2025 shortlist displays exactly the kind of innovative thinking and response to difficulty we set out to encourage. It’s no secret that times, for many, are tough, and have been for a while. Building is wildly expensive. Interest rates have only recently come down. Property markets are flat. Growing inequality has seen some parts of our society enriched by the past five years, while almost everyone else feels poorer.
How does that play out in architecture? Well, something like the following shortlist. Faced with supply-chain shortages, cost-of-building and cost-of-living crises, and a recession, our favourite architects have still managed to create interesting, responsive buildings that inspire and delight.
We can’t wait to visit them. By the time you read this, we’ll be on the road, travelling the country to experience these fine projects in person – and to do that, we’ll be driving the latest Hyundai SANTA FE hybrid, thanks to our vehicle partner Hyundai New Zealand.
Keep an eye on our Instagram as we tour these fine projects. With grateful thanks as ever to our returning partners Blum, Città and Resene.
Here Awards 2025
PIVOT
Atelier Jones Design
Ponsonby, Tāmaki Makaurau
A compact spatial system that responds to urban density by integrating structural elements with built-in, rotating furniture. Designed as part of Objectspace’s Plinth programme, Pivot transforms a small footprint into a dining area, workspace or social hub. Playful, mobile and efficient.
Small Project
ONE SAINT STEPHENS
MAP Architects
Parnell, Tāmaki Makaurau
A boutique block of 28 apartments with commanding views of the Waitematā. Apartments are expansive: high ceilings, media rooms, generous covered balconies. Communal facilities include a bar, private dining room and swimming pool. Engagement with local iwi has brought greenery to the edges of the building, softening the perimeter.
Density
WASH WORLD
Lloyd Hartley Architects
Saint Lukes, Tāmaki Makaurau
A compact two-storey building is wedged tightly into the only surplus piece of land on a busy car-wash site. A series of interlocking planes, the 40-square-metre footprint provides storage and a north-facing studio on the upper level, connected by an external in-situ concrete stair. A singular moment of architectural clarity within the surrounding environment.
Small Project
TE MĀRA – KERI
Crosson Architects
Mount Roskill, Tāmaki Makaurau
Te Māra means garden, suggesting an emphasis on nature and community wellbeing: a result of the intimate involvement of Te Ākitai Waiohua in this redevelopment of former state housing. The project has created a close-knit community of 31 homes by connecting neighbours through shared spaces and master planning. Front doors engage the public realm; private rear yards offer seclusion. Centralised parking creates a pedestrian-friendly environment.
Density
PASSIVE MODERN
Edwards White Architects
Cambridge, Waikato
A new house for a working couple on the outskirts of Cambridge, perched above the Waikato River, balances intimate spaces with the opportunity of a view. The design response takes the iconic but rigorously constrained double gable form of the country house and carefully tunes it to integrate the existing natural heritage, as well as capitalising on opportunities for outlook.
New House
6X6 HOUSE
Upoko Architects
Petone, Te Whanganui-a-Tara
Only in Wellington: this new house on a tiny subdivided site measures six metres by six metres, with a total internal footprint of 27 square metres, designed to a cost-effective three-metre grid. Surrounded by homes and public walkways, the courtyard’s opening screens create a sheltered outdoor area that provides both privacy and sunlight. The result is a breezy, light-filled home that just feels good.
New House
TAHI
Makers of Architecture
Te Aro, Te Whanganui-a-Tara
An architect-led response to thoughtful central-city living. A mixture of dwelling types with shared gardens and flexible rooms for work, hobbies or storage – a considered alternative to the garage. Two buildings each have their own aspect – one to the street, one to Māori gardening traditions and the mamaku tree fern. Mass timber construction, meanwhile, sequesters carbon.
Unbuilt
WORSER BAY COTTAGE
Guy Tarrant Architects
Worser Bay, Te Whanganui-a-Tara
This isn’t just a renovation: it’s a rebuild with memory built in. An existing house, too far gone to save, was carefully deconstructed, its rimu sarking preserved. A sergeant’s cottage, relocated decades ago, finds new life with a renovation that respects the simplicity of the original structure. A new sleepout features salvaged timber from the original house, offering flexibility as a workspace, studio or guest accommodation.
Reuse and Renovation
WORSER BAY HOUSE
Guy Tarrant Architects
Worser Bay, Te Whanganui-a-Tara
With the sun in one direction and the view in the other, this house steps up the steeply sloping site, enclosing a series of terraces from which views extend through the living areas to the harbour beyond. East-facing glazing maximises morning sun and a north-facing clerestory addresses the site’s sun-challenged position. A children’s wing at the top of the house can be closed off, allowing the house to expand and contract.
Unbuilt
RED PINE VILLA
Fabric
Somerfield, Ōtautahi
An earthquake rebuild captures the essence of the previous villa, retaining its form and connection to the outdoors – but reimagining it as a family-friendly, high-performing sanctuary. The home’s siting and roofline mimic the existing street fabric. An asymmetrical cutout offers an interesting form, light play and glimpses of mature trees. Internally, sliding and opaque screens, alcoves and crafted timber infuse the new home with character.
New House
HEATHCOTE VALLEY HOUSE
Pac Studio
Heathcote Valley, Ōtautahi
A study in simplicity, colour and connection to the landscape. The house steps down through discrete volumes, creating a sheltered courtyard while orienting rooms to the sun, the hill behind, and the shifting patterns of wind. While the exterior is animated by gardens and bright pops of colour from windows brightened with yellow fabric, more muted colours and natural tones gently enliven the interiors, lending the spaces a quiet exuberance.
New House
KAURI TREES HOUSE
Rafe Maclean Architects
Taieri, Otago
Part of a grand vision to establish Aotearoa’s southernmost forest of kauri, this intergenerational design is durable for the ages. Emerging from a knoll in a U-shaped sweep, it hunkers low with a roof of flat pebbles greened by lichen and moss. Subtle gestures soften rectangular geometry. Entry is into a west-facing courtyard. Flexible planning allows future changes of use, while the high-performing building targets Passive House certification.
Unbuilt
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