Type Professional body Region served New Zealand President Christina van Bohemen | Location Auckland, New Zealand Membership about 3000 | |
Formation 1905, reformed by Architects Act 1963 | ||
The New Zealand Institute of Architects (or NZIA) is a membership-based professional organisation. This body represents 90 per cent of all registered architects in New Zealand and promotes architecture that enhances the New Zealand living environment.
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The organisation was founded in 1905, and provides services to New Zealand architects, such as ongoing professional training, policies and guidelines to promote high quality architectural practice, events and general support for the architectural profession in New Zealand.
It also functions to celebrate outstanding architecture, in part by presenting annual awards for excellence in architecture. These annual awards are named the New Zealand Architecture Awards, and have been sponsored by Resene paints since 1990. They consist of Local Awards, respectively run by each of the Institute's eight branches, and New Zealand Awards, a national level distinction.
From 2016, the New Zealand Institute of Architects' "named awards" replaced the New Zealand Architecture Medal as the country's highest level of architectural achievement. Named awards are conferred in categories of public, commercial, educational and residential architecture. They are named for the influential New Zealand architects Sir Ian Athfield, Sir Miles Warren, John Scott and Ted McCoy, each of whom has, in their own way, made a powerful contribution to the practice of architecture in New Zealand.
The most prestigious award in New Zealand architecture is the NZIA Gold Medal, which is awarded to an individual architect who has made a vast contribution to the field.
The Institute is not responsible for the registration of architects. This is done by the New Zealand Registered Architects Board (NZRAB).
Gold Medal
The (NZIA) Gold Medal is the highest award of the New Zealand Institute of Architects. The Gold Medal is awarded annually to an individual for an outstanding contribution to the practice of architecture, demonstrated through the production of a consistently high-quality body of work over a period of time.