Te Whare o Rehua Sarjeant Gallery has won awards for architecture and construction.
Four diverse Whanganui buildings, across civic, residential and cultural categories, are among the winners at the 2025 Western Architecture Awards.
Whanganui-based Dalgleish Architects won two awards for Te Ruamātatoru – He Whata Kai, and The Mantles.
The Mantles is an “unusual” house on Durie Hill, made with concrete, timber, plywood ceilings and painted steel beams.
Dalgleish Architects’ Craig Dalgleish said the home was nestled into the hill rather than sitting on top of it.
“The site was very difficult; in fact, most people didn’t realise it was a site, myself included,” he said.
The home follows the slope of the hill with “long” stairs throughout going slightly downhill to reach the living area, the lowest point of the home.
The Mantles has two bedrooms, each with an ensuite, and a deck that sits 3m off the ground and is cloaked with a roof that maintains privacy despite the neighbouring Durie Hill Tower.
The Mantles received the housing award.
“It’s for everybody, not just us – it’s for the builder, the owner, everybody who’s put some sweat into it,” Dalgleish said.
Dalgleish Architects also received the small project architecture award for Te Ruamātatoru – He Whata Kai, a traditional Māori storage shed or pātaka that is believed to be the only one built in Whanganui in the past 100 years.
The pātaka was made for Ngāti Ruaka in Pūtiki, inspired by the materials and dimensions of a collapsed pātaka in the bush at Rānana.
It is being used by the hapū as a teaching space for Te Morehu Whenua, a youth-led environmentalist group established by Ngāti Ruaka hapū.
Wānanga, or knowledge exchange events, for Te Morehu Whenua are co-ordinated by Te Atawhai o Te Ao research institute, with support from whānau and hapū members.
“They’re teaching the kids the old traditional methods of growing food on site, and catching food in the river, learning how to use the food and then giving it to the older people in that hapū,” Dalgleish said.
He was excited to receive both awards but said Te Ruamātatoru – He Whata Kai was unexpected compared to The Mantles, which was a “very architectural, magazine house”.
“It’s what people expect in the programme,” he said.
In comparison, the pātaka is a 19sq m traditional storage shed.
“The jury understood that it’s not only about the building, it’s a vessel for teaching,” Dalgleish said.
“It’s great to get an award because we put a lot of time into it and we’re really pleased with it, but the award is really for the broader story of a hapū group reconnecting with the land and their traditional food growing, harvesting and distribution methods.”
About 30 members of the hapū attended the ceremony and the children performed waiata after the pātaka received the first citation written in te reo Māori from the awards.
The Te Whare o Rehua Sarjeant Gallery earned two awards for heritage and public architecture as a result of the extension unveiled in November 2024.
The building was designed by architecture firm Warren and Mahoney in collaboration with Whanganui iwi.
“The co-design narratives – informed by Whanganui tribal histories – have been interwoven throughout the new extension,” project principal Ralph Roberts said.
The new western wing of the Sarjeant Gallery, Te Pātaka o Tā Te Atawhai Archie John Taiaroa, is dedicated to its namesake, Sir Archie John Te Atawhai Taiaroa, who chaired the Whanganui River Māori Trust Board and was a widely-respected Māori leader.
The western-facing wall is clad in black granite with metal shards to mimic the effect of light shimmering on water, known as kānapanapa, that can at times be seen on the Whanganui River.
“Beyond the architecture, the project fosters social and cultural wellbeing,” Roberts said.
“The redevelopment not only preserves a heritage landmark but also reinforces the cultural identity of Whanganui – providing a dynamic space for artistic and community engagement.”
The Te Whare o Rehua Sarjeant Gallery also earned the Excellence in Concrete for the Community and the Premier Award at the 2025 Concrete Construction Awards on June 5.
The judges chose the gallery as the recipient for the premier award for its “cultural sensitivity and architectural preservation”.
Roberts also had a hand in designing Hāwera’s new civic centre Te Ramanui o Ruapūtahanga, which received a public architecture award at the 2025 Western Architecture Awards.
The $15.5 million building, which opened on November 25, 2024, contains a library, art gallery, AA and isite visitor information centre, cafe and public toilets.
Warren and Mahoney was selected as the architect through a competition.
“The building’s design is quite unique, it celebrates sustainability very strongly, it leverages natural light through a very large hall and large clerestory windows,” Roberts said.
Te Ramanui o Ruapūtahanga was designed to be adaptable, with the potential to be transformed into use for other functions in the future and to be “a catalyst for new work around it”.
Hāwera-raised architect Daniel Thompson was the on-site project architect for the building.
“He was stoked to be asked to run and deliver the building,” Roberts said.
The “large team” that delivered the two projects were “absolutely delighted” to be recognised.
“The NZIA has recognised both buildings equally, they’re both important buildings,” Roberts said.
“The Sarjeant Gallery is a restored heritage building over a very large gestation period which has celebrated a strong co-design ethic, which has made the building stronger and better.
“In Hāwera, the library is a brand-new building so we were starting from first principles, but the building itself is a strong statement to civic architecture in our view and we’re thrilled to be recognised by the awards.”
The fourth Whanganui winner at the Western Architecture Awards was Martins Farmhouse, designed by Energy Architecture and Black Pine Architects.
The New Zealand Institute of Architects said Martins Farmhouse won the housing award for its “resilience, sustainability and a deep connection to the land”.
The sustainability lies in its off-grid systems and the use of low-carbon, natural materials, including clay, straw and timber, in its construction.
The buildings are eligible to be considered for the national New Zealand Architecture Awards shortlist.
Olivia Reid is a multimedia journalist based in Whanganui.