Whangārei civic landscape takes NZILA Supreme Award

Whangārei Civic Precinct has won the George Malcolm Supreme Award at the 2026 Resene NZILA Awards, with judges recognising its integration of buildings, streets and riverside spaces into a connected civic heart

Designed by Littoralis Landscape Architecture for Whangārei District Council, the precinct links the new council building, historic buildings and library with surrounding public spaces and the riverside landscape.

The judges praised the project’s attention to detail, particularly the connections between buildings, plaza, streets and open space. Art, cultural expression, movement, play and urban greening were integrated throughout the development.

“The judges award the Whangārei Civic Precinct the Supreme Award for its design rigour, cultural integrity and enduring contribution to civic identity and public life in Whangarei,” the citation said.

A civic heart for all ages

Urban greening gives the precinct a strong landscape character, while spaces for children’s play, gathering and civic activities cater for people of different ages.

The judges acknowledged the challenges of planning and delivering such a comprehensive development, saying the project maintained a consistently high standard. It also shared the Civic and Urban Design category honours with Hamilton’s Peacocke Strategic Infrastructure Project.

The biennial awards were presented at One NZ Stadium in Christchurch on 5 November. They recognise work across built landscapes, planning, management, research and communication.

Other Supreme honours

Climate adaptation and community involvement were central to the Westport Master Plan – 'Cutting Our Own Track', which earned Isthmus Group the Charlie Challenger Supreme Award for landscape planning.

Developed for Buller District Council with the Westport and wider Buller community, the plan sets out a spatial pathway for resilience and managed retreat. Judges described it as one of New Zealand’s first adaptation master plans, recognising how its participatory design process helped translate complex climate risks into choices and actions grounded in shared community values.

Te Karanga o te Tui Supreme honours were shared by Hamilton’s Peacocke Strategic Infrastructure Project and Auckland’s Ko Te Pūkākī 2040 – Tirotiro Whānui Regeneration Plan.

At Peacocke, Adrian Morton Landscape Architects worked with the Southern Links Tangata Whenua Working Group and Bloxam Burnett and Oliver for Hamilton City Council. The project connects a new river crossing with parkland, streets, waterways and active travel networks, supporting the city’s southern growth.

Judges highlighted how tangata whenua knowledge influenced planning, design and delivery from the outset. Cultural relationships with land and water shaped the project’s underlying decisions and systems, as well as its visible features, establishing a precedent for partnership in major infrastructure.

Ko Te Pūkākī 2040, by Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei and LandLAB, brings ecological restoration, cultural revitalisation and community wellbeing together in a long-term regeneration framework.

Guided by Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei, the plan combines mātauranga, whakapapa, research and community aspirations with a practical pathway for implementation. Judges recognised its expression of kaitiakitanga and mana whenua leadership, alongside its potential to restore mauri, strengthen identity and support generations of renewal.

Other category winners

• Parks, Open Spaces and Recreation: Te Kopikopiko o te Waka – Lucas Associates, Botanic Landscape Architects and Fayne Robinson.

• Play Spaces: Destination Kāwaroa – a partnership between New Plymouth District Council, Ngāti Te Whiti Hapū, Taranaki Foundation and NP Partners.

• Civic and Urban Design, joint winner: Peacocke Strategic Infrastructure Project – Adrian Morton Landscape Architects, in association with the Tangata Whenua Working Group and Bloxam Burnett and Oliver.

• Institutional and Commercial: Auckland Airport – Transport Hub 01 – Isthmus Group.

• Transport: Te Ahu a Turanga – Manawatū Tararua Highway – Te Ahu a Turanga Alliance, in collaboration with Isthmus Group and supporting subconsultants.

• Landscapes of Care: Te Hurihanga ō Rangatahi – Youth Hub Christchurch – Stages 1 and 2 – Botanic Landscape Architects, Field Studio, Wood and Matapopore.

• Resource Management and Strategic Planning: Mount Maunganui North – Plan Change 33: Landscape Qualifying Matters – Isthmus Group and Tauranga City Council.

• Master Planning and Urban Design Strategy: Westport Master Plan – “Cutting Our Own Track” – Isthmus Group.

• Landscape Management, joint winners: Ko Te Pūkākī 2040 – Tirotiro Whānui Regeneration Plan – Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei and LandLAB; and Planting our Place and Waiwhakaiho Wildlink – New Plymouth District Council in partnership with Ngā Hapū.

• Landscape Planning & Assessment: Ōtaki to north of Levin: Te Pae o Tararua Project – visual effects assessment team comprising Aurecon, Beca, Tonkin & Taylor and WSP.

• He Iti Pounamu: Waka Moana Daldy Street Taonga Toi – Graham Tipene and LandLAB.

• Research and Communication: AT blue-Green Infrastructure – Resilio Studio with Auckland Council and Auckland Transport.

• Student: Paihia: where moana, whenua and tangata meet – Olivia Hawtin.

• Enduring Landscape: New Plymouth Foreshore – Isthmus with Richard Bain Landscape Architects; The Landing – The Landing and DJScott Associates; and Waitangi Park – Wraight Athfield Landscape + Architecture.