Setting the standards in commercial construction

Two of New Zealand’s most impressive commercial builds have taken top honours at the 2026 New Zealand Commercial Project Awards, with projects in Wellington and Canterbury recognised for their ambition, complexity and quality. 

LT McGuinness won the Supreme Over $10 million Award for Te Matapihi Ki Te Ao Nui (Wellington Central Library), while Leighs Construction was awarded the Supreme Under $10 million Award for The George Forbes Building (Stage 3) at Lincoln University. 

This year also saw the Infrastructure Project Category presented for the first time, recognising major transport, utilities and public works projects across New Zealand. 

Owned by Master Builders, the New Zealand Commercial Project Awards recognise the teams behind the country’s leading commercial builds, celebrating the skill, collaboration and innovation required to bring complex projects to life. 

Supreme Over $10 million Award  

In 2025, LT McGuinness won the Supreme Over $10 million Award for Ngā Mokopuna, formerly The Living Pā.  

This year, the team excelled again, taking out the same award for Te Matapihi Ki Te Ao Nui (Wellington Central Library), a rare achievement in the competition’s 13-year history.  

The win recognises the successful renewal of one of Wellington’s most important public buildings, a project that has returned a much-loved community icon to the city and helped restore energy to the surrounding civic precinct. Its reopening has been more than a construction milestone, reconnecting Wellingtonians with a central gathering place and breathing new life into a part of the city that had long felt its absence. 

“What made this project exceptional was the way every challenge was met with calm, coordinated delivery. From complex engineering to cost control, the team worked collaboratively to achieve an outstanding result,” the judges noted. 

“From innovative use of mass timber to low-impact systems and materials, we’ve seen green thinking integrated across a wide range of projects. These awards continue to recognise the strength of collaboration across the industry - and this year, they also reflect a real shift in how we’re designing and building for the future. Congratulations to all involved.”  

CARTERS Commercial Project Award 

This year’s CARTERS-sponsored category winner, for best national commercial project went to Building 11 Central Park, a hub for the Auckland city rail link and rail network. Submitted by Macrennie Commercial Construction, with project partners including Envelope Engineering, JCY Architects, Macrennie Commercial Construction and TSA Riley, this was built to Importance Level 3 (IL3), with a structure incorporating full-service redundancy, including transformers, generators, and a communications network.  

The project overcame significant challenges, including a basalt rock foundation addressed by cased unreinforced piles drilled down to the rock. It was also delivered on time, achieved a Greenstar 5 certification, and is targeting a NABERS 5-star rating. 

Judges said, “Building 11 Central Park delivers critical infrastructure for Auckland’s transport network, housing the operations hub responsible for managing the city’s rail system, including the soon-to-be-opened City Rail Link.  

“The three-level structure is designed to maintain operations under extreme conditions. The park features fire separation and full-service redundancy to ensure the continuity of operations and enable handover to the Wellington office in the event of a disruption. The project’s achievement of a Green Star 5 rating demonstrates a strong commitment to environmental performance. Delivered through a highly complex construction programme, the result is impressive and reflects a well-coordinated approach.” 

The New Zealand Commercial Project Awards are made possible thanks to the support of CARTERS, Altus Windows Systems, GIB, SpecAdvisor and Mitre 10 Trade.  

The judges particularly praised the level of planning and coordination required to deliver the refurbishment beneath six occupied floors, with work carefully scheduled around classes and daily campus activity. “This was a challenging project that demanded strong communication and control at every stage, and it was delivered with care, precision, and respect for the existing building,” the judges said. 

Original brick columns were retained and integrated into the new design, strengthening the connection between old and new, while the finished spaces feel open, light-filled, and inviting. 

“This project, which won a Supreme Award in the under $10m category, is a great example of Leighs Construction delivering on budget and ahead of schedule, while six floors above where still activity utilised. I admire the carved entrance feature, which strengthened connection between Lincoln University and Iwi,” Parker says, “the Leighs Construction team have done an outstanding job.” 

New Infrastructure Project Category 

This year, the new Infrastructure Project Category shone a light on the major horizontal construction projects helping to keep New Zealand moving, connected and supported, from transport and utilities to public works.  

These are complex, high-impact projects that demand exceptional coordination and technical expertise, and this year’s winners reflect the calibre of work being delivered across the sector. Congratulations to all the winners and project teams.” 

Master Builders CEO, Ankit Sharma, says this year’s winners reflect the depth of skill, collaboration and innovation shaping commercial construction in New Zealand. 

“This year’s entries show the breadth of work being delivered across the sector, from complex civic and education projects to large-scale industrial and infrastructure builds.”