Te Ao Nui receives property awards

Te Ao Nui, a new modern office development on Victoria Avenue, Palmerston North came second in the ‘commercial office property’ category of the National Property Industry awards held in Auckland on Thursday 12 November.

Te Ao Nui houses the Manawatū-Whanganui Civil Defence and Emergency Management (CDEM) Group and Horizons Emergency Operations and Coordination Centres and has been built to seismic resilience level 4, meaning it can operate immediately after an earthquake or other seismic event (technically referred to as Importance Level 4).

Opened in late 2019, Te Ao Nui also features a high thermal performing building envelope, solar assisted water heating, electric vehicle charging points, and sophisticated heating and cooling systems, allow the region’s emergency management functions to operate off the grid during a disaster. 

Horizons Corporate and Governance group manager Craig Grant accepted the award on behalf of the owners - MWRC Holdings Ltd. Mr Grant says having a purpose built building in a disaster such as flood, earthquake, slips and tsunamis is crucial to a quick response and recovery for the region.

The name Te Ao Nui signals a place where we are bound together, for the people, for the environment, and for the world in which we live.

In addition to being the only commercial building to reach these high specifications in the Manawatū, Te Ao Nui won the New Zealand Institute of Architects 2020 Western Architectural Award in the commercial architecture category in July 2020. The New Zealand Institute of Architects describes it as an exemplar for commercial development in the provinces.