Design & Architecture celebrate strong Best Awards

A hand-drawn animated film about a little kiwi, a waterfront pavilion styled as a pīwakawaka, and a public bathhouse embracing the volcanic origins of One Tree Hill were among our gold medal winners at the 2026 Best Design Awards.

Nine of our students and graduates won medals at the prestigious national Best Design Awards in Auckland — across Architecture and Design — claiming a total of four golds, two silvers, and three bronze medals.

(L-R - Gold Best Design Award winners Ash McFarlane, Stella Caulton, and Flynn Connolly. (Absent: Eden Rose-Yon))

Bachelor of Communication Design graduate Stella Caulton caught the judges’ eyes with her animation, The Little Kiwi, which she designed “to foster an appreciation for the native wildlife of Aotearoa in young children.”

Her gold-winning entry in the Student Animation category was described as “a beautifully tactile piece of animation that captured the judges' hearts and attention to earn it a gold.”

Lecturer Jon Wilson says Stella did a wonderful job bringing The Little Kiwi to life through her beautiful hand-drawn animation.

“Her illustrations have a real sense of character, and she has told a poignant story with warmth and sensitivity," says Jon.

“It’s been a pleasure to see her develop these skills over her degree and bring them together in such a thoughtful and engaging film.”

Stella is continuing to work on expanding the piece into a longer 10 minute short film, with the aim of entering the work in local and international film festivals.

Fellow Communication Design graduate Ash McFarlane took home a gold medal in the Student Graphics category for his publication Stapled Noise, capturing Ōtepoti’s current alternative music scene and inspired by DIY zines, gig posters, and local bands.

Best Design Awards judges described it as "a genuine piece of community-led design".

“The DIY aesthetic feels inseparable from the culture it documents. Resourceful, authentic and driven by a real sense of belonging.”

Otago Polytechnic’s School of Architecture was also well represented, taking home five medals from its ten finalists this year.

Master of Architecture (Professional) student Flynn Connolly took inspiration from native New Zealand bird the pīwakawaka, in designing a pavilion that could represent Aotearoa New Zealand at the 2029 Venice Biennale Architettura, a major international architectural exhibition.

His gold medal-winning project in the Student Spatial category, Pīwakawaka Landing Next to Water, aims to provide a glimpse of the country’s cultural identity on an international stage through a kinetic pavilion about movement and feeling present.

Flynn's concept uses a mechanical umbrella canopy to embody the bird's dynamic nature in opening and closing its feathers, allowing the structure to echo the bird’s playful movement.

Judges said the design had an “immediately captivating form that completely captures the spirit of the pīwakawaka with lightness and charm… A very endearing project we would love to see go further.”

Fellow master’s student Eden Rose-Yon also won gold for Between Walls and Words, an ambitious project that imagined a large semi-public bathhouse on One Tree Hill.

Her design used the dramatic curvature of basalt rock to embrace the free-flowing volcanic origins of the Maungakiekie site, with bio pools, saunas and ice baths becoming lively places of connection and an escape from the digital world.

Judges called Eden’s entry “a compassionate response to loneliness that shows how architecture can bring people together.”

“An inviting and thoughtful design with a clear sense of purpose.”

Rounding out the podium spots in the Student Spatial category were Erica Morris (Silver – Where People Go), Hudson Ross (Bronze, Te Kore Te Pō Te Ao), and Omea Hall (Bronze, De-institutionalising Dementia Care).

Associate Professor Tobias Danielmeier, Head of the School of Architecture, celebrated all the winning entries and finalists across the Bachelor of Architectural Studies and Master of Architecture (Professional) programmes.

“All of these projects reflect the care, curiosity and sustained effort our students bring to architectural inquiry,” he says.

The School of Design was also delighted to see success for Bachelor of Product Design graduate Janiqua McCarthy (Silver: Industrial Design, Axis Hip Box fly-fishing gear pack) and Jessica McGeorge (Bronze: Student Film, The Power Mix documentary on Ōtepoti's female DJ scene).

Product Design lecturer Tim Armstrong says Janiqua's award is validation of her user-centred approach and a thorough prototyping and testing process.

"An industry-connected project, the Axis Hip Box solves key issues with current women’s fly-fishing gear, and aims to address gender inequalities that are prevalent in sporting equipment markets.

"The result is refined, production-ready, and capable of holding it’s own in the market."

Meanwhile, Communication Design lecturer Jon Wilson was also pleased to see recognition for Jessica's documentary.

"The combination of live-action footage and montage animation gives Jessica's film a real energy and a distinctive visual style."

"It’s a polished, engaging piece of work that would sit comfortably alongside content on platforms like Netflix or TVNZ."