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The Best Design Awards is an annual showcase of excellence in graphic, spatial, product, digital and motion design. It also includes three special awards - Value of Design, Public Good and Toitanga.

In the Graphics, Digital, Public Good, and Toitanga categories, the college received three gold, two silver and five bronze awards.

Master of Design student Samuel Dunstall, Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāti Tūwharetoa, won a gold award in the student Toitanga category for his design .

This kaupapa Māori research project responds to Ngāti Hinewaka’s call to imagine a place for manaakitanga, kōrero and wānanga on their wāhi tapu. Nestled amongst a māra rākau tīpuna, the material language of the proposed whare and boardwalk embody the whakapapa of the site, connecting to the waka voyages of tīpuna and the vitality of mana and mātauranga. Welcoming visitors to Mātakitaki-a-Kupe, the whare provides a platform for the significance and deeper appreciation of these sites to be shared with visitors to the area.

Samuel says the award is wider recognition within the design community and is a credit to Ngāti Hinewaka hapū and the Ngā Rā-a-Kupe wānanga rōpū.

“What this kaupapa has demonstrated is a method of working that is inherently indigenous, now within our design spaces. Wānanga has allowed me both the freedom and parameters through which Te Papa noho-a-Kupe could form its shape, weaving the kōrero of Ngā Rā. It has been an absolute privilege to be so immersed in whakapapa and te ao Māori through my mahi. Thank you to Ngāti Hinewaka hapū for having me on board this kaupapa; for your guidance, your manaaki and for sharing your mātauranga and taonga so generously.”

One of the competition judges commented that Samuel’s project stands out for its deep integration of cultural narratives and mātauranga into modern architectural practice.

“The ability to weave together the spiritual, historical and environmental aspects of Ngāti Hinewaka’s connection to Kupe showcases a profound understanding of mana motuhake and mātauranga Māori. The design is not just a physical structure but a vessel of storytelling, rich in toi Māori and imbued with ancestral wisdom.”

Bachelor of Design alumna Kimiora Whaanga, Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāpuhi, Ngāi Tahu, Ngāti Mamoe, Waitaha, also won a golds in the Toitanga and Digital categories for her design .

He Tātai Arorangi provides a digital storytelling experience for the next generation of Māori astronomers. Kimiora wanted to create and share with her peers the beauty and wonder of the night sky, to enable them to reconnect with ancestral knowledge and potentially provide opportunities for them to learn about different mātauranga Māori and practices related to nature, the environment and the cosmos we live in.

Kimiora says it was a privilege to work alongside leading astronomical experts Professor Rangi Mātāmua and Associate Professor Pauline Harris.

“I am extremely thankful to both of them for their guidance, patience, knowledge and willingness to share their mātauranga in the development of He Tātai Arorangi. This work is an homage to their ongoing commitment and dedication to the revitalisation of Māori astronomical knowledge for future generations.”

One of the judges said her project was a beautifully crafted resource that meets the urgent need for tools to enhance awareness of Māori astronomy.

“It successfully merges tradition and technology, offering a digital storytelling experience that is both educational and inspirational.”

In the Product category, Industrial Design students won four golds, two silvers and four bronze awards.

Senior Lecturer Emma Fox says, “This is an outstanding result for our student work and, in terms of gold wins, unprecedented in the category for a single institution.

“The awards in Industrial Design signify excellence in delivering feasible and innovative solutions across emergent areas for the field, including women’s health, public health, workplace health and more traditionally associated areas like lighting and furniture. Of the Massey Industrial Design student finalists, 89 per cent received accolades. This is significant and outweighs any other product or Industrial Design programme in Aotearoa.”

In the Spatial Design category, Massey won one gold, three silver and two bronze awards.

Senior Lecturer Meg Rollandi won gold in the Spatial: Exhibition and Temporary Structures category for her design .

Gravity & Grace is a large-scale stage adaptation of feminist author Chris Kraus’ novel Aliens & Anorexia. Brimming with intellect, humour and rich visuals, the theatre show follows Kraus through the production of an ill-fated film in Auckland in the 90s, her bold move to punk New York in the 70s and to a disastrous appearance at a Berlin film market. Along the way, she has encounters with some of the greatest artists and philosophers of the 20th century.

One of the competition judges said that Meg’s theatrical expression was compelling and presents an experience that elevates an audience’s participation.

“The presence of technical creative storytelling on stage is revealed beautifully through the art form, with a design approach that is brave, persuasive and visually immersive.”

Massey also won a bronze award in the Concept Design (Digital) category.