One hundred of the best home builds in New Zealand have been named as National Gold Reserve Finalists in the Registered
Master Builders 2018 House of the Year competition.
Almost 340 new builds and renovations across the country were assessed by an expert panel of judges, with regional
award-winners announced at nine events during July and August.
Registered Master Builders Association Chief Executive David Kelly says residential building is fuelling the
construction boom, and House of the Year sets the standard of what is possible in the industry.
“The building and construction sector is interwoven into New Zealand’s social fabric – it contributes to the wellbeing
of every New Zealander. As New Zealand’s prominent house building competition, House of the Year showcases how our
industry is continually evolving and adapting to meet the changing needs of our society – both demographics and
expectations,” he says.
“Our decision last year to introduce two new categories, one for multi-units such as apartments, and one for volume and
group housing, continues to reflect the landscape of residential building.
“What we are building is changing as we move to higher density housing. Growth in apartments and townhouses have
increased three times more than traditional homes in the past five years. Building consents for new townhouses, flats,
and units have also increased by 36%, which is a 23-year high.”
All the Gold Reserve National Finalists have consistently demonstrated impeccable craftmanship and attention to detail.
These top 100 builds show the diversity of what can be achieved in a range of price categories - from cost effective
builds and renovations, to luxury home builds, to apartments.
“One of the award-winning homes preserves local history by using red brick sourced from Invercargill’s Lorne Hospital.
Another home was a complete and complex renovation of a family home that suffered significant damage after the
Canterbury earthquakes,” says Kelly.
The Gold Reserve National Finalists represent the top entrants from this year’s regional competitions, which were held
in July and August. They will now be re-judged by the national judging panel to find the National Supreme House of the
Year and National Supreme Renovation of the Year.
Finalists can also win one of the 14 National category awards, as well as separate awards for four lifestyle categories
– outdoor living, kitchen, bathroom and sustainability.
National winners will be announced at a gala dinner in Auckland on Saturday 24 November.
The Awards are made possible through the support of PlaceMakers, Master Build 10-year Guarantee, GIB, Nulook, CARTERS,
Plumbing World, Resene and Bunnings Trade.
For more information about the competition, visit