Te Whare O Rehua Sarjeant Gallery Wins Top Honour At 2025 Concrete Construction Awards

The refurbishment and expansion of Whanganui’s iconic Te Whare o Rehua Sarjeant Gallery has taken top honour at the 2025 Concrete Construction Awards held last night at the Cordis Hotel in Auckland.

The gallery project won the Premier Award and the Excellence in Concrete for the Community category in recognition of extending the structure’s life, preserving architectural integrity, and transforming a nationally significant building into a world-class facility for the community at Aotearoa.

The 2025 Concrete Construction Awards celebrate excellence in concrete design, construction, innovation, rehabilitation and research, with entries judged across nine categories.

Around 275 people attended the awards, including architects, concrete designers, engineers and developers from across Aotearoa New Zealand.

Te Whare o Rehua Sarjeant Gallery reopened in November 2024 after a major redevelopment that strengthened and restored the original 105-year-old heritage-listed structure while adding a striking new wing, Te Pātaka o Tā Te Atawhai Archie John Taiaroa.

Judges praised the project’s outstanding use of concrete to deliver a discreet yet highly effective seismic strengthening solution within a sensitive heritage context. Over 300 stainless steel post-tensioned bars, new composite diaphragms, and meticulously executed concrete tie beams were employed to enhance resilience while maintaining architectural elegance.

The project team behind the Te Whare o Rehua Sarjeant Gallery transformation comprises Clendon Burns & Park, the Sarjeant Gallery Trust, Warren & Mahoney, McMillan & Lockwood, and Contech.

Concrete NZ Chief Executive Rob Gaimster said through hidden concrete interventions the refurbishment and expansion of Te Whare o Rehua Sarjeant Gallery delivered seismic resilience without compromising heritage value.

“The result is a restored gallery that honours its past and safeguards its future; an exemplar of how concrete can respectfully modernise historic infrastructure. This remarkable project sets a national benchmark for how concrete can restore, strengthen, and honour New Zealand’s most significant public buildings,” he said.

Almost 50 projects nationwide entered the 2025 Concrete Construction Awards and were judged in categories ranging from innovation, to infrastructure, sustainability, and landscaping.

“The calibre of award entries this year has been outstanding, emphasising concrete’s role in resilient, low-carbon infrastructure, as well as reinforcing concrete’s position as the durable, low-carbon material of choice for modern New Zealand, Gaimster said.

Category Award Winners and Highly Commended

• Premier Award (overall winner): Te Whare o Rehua Sarjeant Gallery, Whanganui
• Excellence in Concrete for the Community: Te Whare o Rehua Sarjeant Gallery, Whanganui

Highly Commended: Wi Neera Walkway, Raglan

• Excellence in Concrete Infrastructure: Te Ara Tupua, Wellington

Highly Commended: Tauhara Geothermal Power Plant, Taupō

Highly Commended: SH94 Homer Tunnel Avalanche Shelter, Fiordland

• Excellence in Architectural Concrete (Monte Craven Award): Wai Ariki Hot Springs & Spa, Rotorua

Highly Commended: Sylvia Park Build-To-Rent (BTR) Architectural In-Situ Shear Walls, Auckland

• Excellence in Commercial Concrete: Mānawa Bay Premium Outlet Centre, Auckland International Airport
• Excellence in Concrete Innovation: Ecoreef® erosion solution, Akitio

Highly Commended: KiwiKrete for KinaKrete

• Excellence in Sustainable Concrete for the Planet: Shakespeare Bay Log Yard, Marlborough Sounds (NZ’s first major use of Roller Compacted Concrete)

Highly Commended: APD Factory, Auckland

• Excellence in Concrete Remediation and Reuse: Region 3 & 4 Bridge Strengthening Programme, Waikato & Bay of Plenty

Highly Commended: SH1 Mangatoetoenui Stream Bridge Replacement, Desert Road

• Excellence in Concrete Landscaping: Waiaroha Heretaunga Water Discovery Centre, Hastings
• Excellence in Residential Concrete: Iconic 3D Show Home, Hamilton

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