The Best Design Awards Purple Pin represents the pinnacle of New Zealand design achievement, awarded to the single best project in each discipline. To win one is exceptional. To win two, and for both to come from the same city, is extraordinary.
Te Whare o Rehua Sarjeant Gallery - Purple Pin, Spatial
Warren and Mahoney Architects have been recognised for their transformative work on the newly reimagined Te Whare o Rehua Sarjeant Gallery. Long closed for earthquake strengthening and redevelopment, the gallery's reimagining has been worth every year of the wait.
In the judges' own words: "So much poetry in this project. A cultural landmark that holds who we are." They highlighted the deep integration of Māori cultural narratives, expressed through form, material, and symbolism. Noting that it transforms the gallery into a living expression of partnership and place.
It is architecture that tells a story of past, present, and future while restoring and upholding the building's enduring mana.
Whanganui UNESCO City of Design - Purple Pin, Digital
Sons & Co. and Extended Whānau have been recognised for the brand identity created for Whanganui's UNESCO City of Design designation. The judges were clear in their admiration.
"Flawless in its design and craft from start to finish," they wrote. "A true reflection of where we are as a design community."
What makes this win especially meaningful is what the work represents: a brand built to carry the identity of a city defined by design. The judges noted it was "impossible to imagine coming from anywhere else". An authentically New Zealand piece of work, grounded in place, expressed with consistency and elevated across every medium.
There is a certain poetry in a city winning a design award for the very brand that declares it a city of design.
Whanganui: A city where design belongs
Together, these two Purple Pins speak to something significant about Whanganui's place in the New Zealand design landscape. This is not a major metropolitan centre and yet, in 2025, no city in the country has a stronger claim to design excellence.
From the sheer presence of a restored cultural landmark to the precision craft of a digital brand identity, Whanganui has demonstrated the full breadth of what great design can be: purposeful, place-specific, and impossible to ignore.
For a city that holds UNESCO City of Design status, this is what living up to the designation looks like.
The Best Design Awards (https://bestawards.co.nz/) are presented annually by the Designers Institute of New Zealand, recognising outstanding achievement across all design disciplines.
