Local buildings among best

Two commercial buildings in Wairarapa are finalists in the prestigious Rider Levett Bucknall Property Industry Awards, and will find out on June 7 if they are successful, after a judging process spanning three months.

Carterton Events Centre and Fresh Choice Supermarket in Greytown have been selected along with 76 other finalists for the awards organised by Property Council New Zealand.

The awards are recognised as the country's most esteemed commercial property awards and acknowledge properties that "add real value to New Zealand's built environment".

Carterton Events Centre is a finalist in two categories, an education and arts property award and a heritage and adaptive reuses property award.

Fresh Choice supermarket is in the retail property award category.

Award winners will be named at a black tie awards gala dinner in Auckland on June 7.

Chief judge John Dunn said the judging panel completed site visits of every finalist and reviewed properties against a stringent submission criteria.

The highest-scoring property in each category is recognised with a Best of Category Award and becomes eligible for the Supreme Award.

Carterton Events Centre in Holloway St is already an award-winning building, having won several other awards.

Fresh Choice supermarket in Greytown opened in the middle of last year, taking up much of the old Bouzaid and Ballaben clothing factory site on the corner of Hastwell St and West St.