16th June 2025 By Paul Yandall | paul@propertyticker.co.nz | @propertyticker
The Hiwa Recreation Centre at the University of Auckland has taken the top prize at the Property Council New Zealand’s prestigious Rider Levett Bucknall Property Industry Awards.
The venue took home the Rider Levett Bucknall Supreme Property Award at the gala event, held at Auckland’s Spark Arena on Friday night.
The 26,000 square metre facility, owned and developed by the university, sits between Symonds and Princes streets and it also won the Colliers Project Leaders Education Property Award.
“Hiwa is truly a world class facility that has transformed the heart of the University and will continue to be pivotal in its global standing as an educational institution,” Property Council chief executive Leonie Freeman said.
“Hiwa is a physical manifestation of the importance the University places on the holistic wellbeing of its student cohort; and the project sits at the heart of a strategy to encourage student activation and engagement on-campus.”
The Deloitte Centre at 1 Queen Street in Auckland was another multiple-award winner, taking home the RCP Commercial Office Property Award, the Holmes Group Tourism and Leisure Property Award and the Naylor Love Heritage and Adaptive Reuses Property Award.
Owned and developed by Precinct Properties, the mixed-use scheme is also home to the 139-room InterContinental Hotel.
Chief judge Andy Evans said the building’s rooftop bar is a “stand-out venue with exceptional views of the Waitematā Harbour”.
“It has become a go-to destination for hotel guests, business meetings and lunches as well as post-work drinks for office workers from the building and surrounding offices,” he said.
Auckland Airport’s retail scheme Mānawa Bay won the Yardi Retail Property Award and Thermosash Commercial’s Henderson property, 158 Central Park Drive, picked up the CBRE Industrial Property Award.
Infinity Investment Group and Accessible Properties New Zealand chair Andrew Evans won the 2025 Member Laureate Award. His governance experience includes the boards of Argosy Property Limited, Vital Healthcare Property Trust, and Holmes Group.
The full list of winners from Friday night’s Rider Levett Bucknall Property Industry Awards:
Rider Levett Bucknall Supreme Property Award
Hiwa Recreation Centre, Auckland
Owner/developer: Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland
Warren and Mahoney Civic, Health and Arts Property Award
Te Hurihanga Ō Rangatahi – The Youth Hub, Christchurch
Owner/developer: The Youth Hub Trust
RCP Commercial Office Property Award
Deloitte Centre, Auckland
Owner/developer: Precinct Properties Holdings
Kāinga Ora – Homes and Communities Community and Affordable Housing Property Award
Warren Place, Whangārei
Owner/developer: Habitat for Humanity Northern Region
Colliers Project Leaders Education Property Award
Hiwa Recreation Centre, Auckland
Owner/developer: Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland
Naylor Love Heritage and Adaptive Reuses Property Award
Deloitte Centre, Auckland
Owner/developer: Precinct Properties Holdings
CBRE Industrial Property Award
158 Central Park Drive, Auckland
Owner: RIH Properties
Hawkins Multi Unit Residential Property Award
One Saint Stephens, Parnell
Owner: 1 St Stephens Ave / Developer: Countrywide Residences, Experiences by Coopers
Yardi Retail Property Award
Mānawa Bay, Auckland
Owner/developer: Auckland International Airport
Oceania Retirement Living and Aged Care Property Award
Burlington Village, Christchurch
Owner: Burlington Village / Developer: Qestral Corporation
Resene Sustainable Building Property Award
Ngā Mokopuna (project previously known as: The Living Pā), Wellington
Owner/developer: Te Herenga Waka – Victoria University of Wellington
Holmes Group Tourism and Leisure Property Award
Deloitte Centre, Auckland
Owner/developer: Precinct Properties Holdings
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