Making smart use of limited space, the Hiwa Recreation Centre at Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland has been transformed from a tight site into an inspiring recreational hub at the heart of student life.
Top to bottom, the Hiwa Recreation Centre is designed to support wellbeing and connection. It includes an aquatic hall with dive tank and an eight-lane, 33-metre pool, gym and workout facilities, a running track, climbing wall, a rooftop multi-sport turf and social area, and the Southern hemisphere’s first glass sports floor with LED markings (providing easy set-up across a range of sporting needs).
At the building’s entrance, Bleachers is a popular social hub for students to hang out, study or catch up for a chat over lunch.
“Hiwa is a world-class facility of real quality, important not only to the university, but also to Auckland and New Zealand.”
From the outset, the university’s intention was to create a vibrant campus destination that attracts and retains students and staff while supporting sport and recreation at all levels, says Simon Neale, chief property officer, University of Auckland.
“Hiwa is a world-class facility of real quality, important not only to the university, but also to Auckland and New Zealand,” Simon says.
“We are proud of the role it is already playing in enhancing student and staff achievement and strengthening the university’s international reputation.”
This impressive centre recently took out the Education category award along with a gold at the 2026 New Zealand Commercial Project Awards. The judges’ comments highlighted the building’s clever use of space and its extensive array of facilities, stacked to fit within a small footprint (on a 6500sqm site).
They noted that delivering a project of this scale in a live campus setting called for strong planning, close teamwork and constant coordination to ensure safety. The project’s forward thinking showed a clear focus on energy performance through structural optimisation so as to deliver long-term value.
“This is a bold and impressive facility that sets a new benchmark for recreation facilities in New Zealand,” the judges said.
Opened in time for the full 2025 academic year, Hiwa recorded more than one million visits in year 1, with over 26,000 unique students using the facility.
“These statistics provide strong evidence of the facility’s relevance and impact,” says Sean Smith, associate director for sport and recreation at the University of Auckland.
“With the university now recording all-time-high student numbers and record on-campus visitation for orientation, Hiwa has become one of the key assets supporting this success. Hiwa has also hosted major teams and events, including the All Blacks, the French rugby team, and trans-Tasman sporting tournaments, further demonstrating its value as a high-performing campus and community asset.”
A growing list of accolades for the centre includes:
The Rider Levett Bucknall Supreme Excellence Award at the 2025 Property Industry Awards, plus the Colliers Project Leaders Education Property Award and an award for Excellence in the Holmes Group Tourism and Leisure Property category
2025 Best Design Award – Gold
Outstanding Project Over $500,000 – 2025 Recreation Awards
The 2025 International Olympic Committee Architecture Prize
It also won the sports architecture category at the 2025 World Architecture Festival
Project partners for Hiwa were Beca Limited, Colliers Project Leaders, Hawkins Limited, Rider Levett Bucknall, Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland, and Warren and Mahoney Architects.
© Waterford Press Ltd 2026 – Independent Print Media New Zealand
