KEY DATES | AWARDS CEREMONY | HOW TO ENTER | CATEGORIES | JUDGING CRITERIA | ABOUT THE AWARDS | CONTACT US | SPONSORS 

At the Building Institute Aotearoa we are all about people.

Our awards recognise the people across the building and construction industry making a real impact. From our inspiring Next Gen already shaping the future, to those delivering major projects on site and behind the scenes, the awards celebrate excellence at every stage, in every role and at every scale.

The 2026 Building People Awards will take place on Friday 14th August at the New Zealand International Convention Centre (NZICC) in Auckland. We will be accepting entries and nominations from the 14th April 2026. 

Entries now open! 

Before you start, review the Entry Form Requirements Document.

Building Institute Aotearoa members enter for FREE - Enter here

Non-members entry $360 + GST - Enter here

You can complete and save your online entry anytime.

Read about all our 2025 winners here!

Key Dates

Awards Ceremony
Tickets are not currently on sale

5.30pm – 11:00pm, Friday 14 August 2026
NZICC, 101 Hobson Street, Auckland CBD, Auckland 1010

Dress code: Business Formal / Cocktail

Event schedule

Pre-dinner drinks - 5.30pm
Awards ceremony and dinner - 6.30pm
Port, cheese and dancing - 10.15pm

Congratulations to our 2025 finalists! View the list of finalists here. 

How to enter

Eligibility

• Nominees do not have to be members of the Building Institute Aotearoa to enter.
• Nominees need to be based in New Zealand and legally allowed to work here,
• In the 'cost-based' categories the project used by a nominee to demonstrate their performance must be located in New Zealand, and to have been practically completed (the issuing of a CCC is not a prerequisite) during the period 1 January 2025 to 1 August 2026.

Cost 

Building Institute Aotearoa members can enter the Awards for FREE.

The entry cost for non-members is $360 + GST, with the following exceptions:

• Entry is free to a team (i.e. Collaboration category) where at least one team member is an Institute member;
• Entry is free to a nominee entering the ‘Consultants Award’ category who are members of: NZIA, Engineering NZ, or NZIQS;
• Entry is free to a nominee entering the ‘Innovation Award’ category who are members of: NZGBC and OffsiteNZ;

Categories 

Details on Categories here

Judging Criteria  

Details on Judging Criteria here

About the Awards

The Institute has been delivering a popular and respected awards programme since 1994. The 2026 Building People Awards will be the 33rd awards.

Over the years the name, categories and judging criteria have shifted to continue to reflect the changing environment. What hasn't changed is the focus of celebrating excellent people in the construction industry. 

The New Zealand Building People Awards are open to anyone in the building industry, and entries are judged by a panel of senior construction practitioners.

The 2025 winners were celebrated on 8th August at the Awards evening. Take a look at the full list of winners and other placeholders and their citations.  Check out photos from the Awards evening. (Password 2025)

Natasha Possenniskie is the Convener of Judging of the Awards in 2026. Natasha is a passionate construction industry professional with extensive experience in New Zealand and abroad, spanning both public and private sectors. She is the Founding Director of Urban Outcomes Limited.

Contact us

For any questions about the awards get in touch with us at hello@buildinginstitute.nz

Sponsors

AWARDS PARTNER

CATEGORY SPONSORS

PORT & CHEESE SPONSOR                   MC/HOST SPONSOR                

 ENTERTAINMENT/DJ SPONSOR           WELCOME FUNCTION SPONSOR