Hi member,

The REINZ Awards celebrate outstanding achievement across New Zealand real estate – recognising excellence within individual sectors, and the contributions that strengthen the profession as a whole. 

Each year, the awards shine a light on the people, teams and offices who are raising the bar for our industry in communities right across the country. For 2026, we’re introducing a refreshed approach to ensure the awards continue to reflect how real estate is evolving, and the many different ways you deliver success. 

Since last year's Awards, we’ve spent time listening to member feedback on categories, criteria and the overall structure of the awards, and meeting with major brands and senior industry leaders. Those conversations have been thoughtful, constructive and incredibly valuable. 

As a result, the 2026 awards (which are for the Awards Year between 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026) include updates designed with the industry, for the industry. These changes: 

• Clarify and strengthen criteria in a number of categories 
• Introduce a small number of new and exciting categories that better reflect today’s real estate landscape – with further updates and highlights to be shared with members over March and April
• Recognise partnerships, teams and emerging talent in a clearer and more inclusive way 
• Reinforce robust verification and auditing processes that underpin the integrity of the awards 

If you’ve taken part in the REINZ Awards before, a lot will feel familiar: 

• The overall submission process remains the same 
• In most categories, the information required is the same as for previous years 
• For Residential Property Management categories, the format is different – but it’s still information that the majority of RPM members will already hold as part of running your business. 

To support the additional resourcing required for auditing and verification, a nominal entry fee of $25 + GST per submission (with some exceptions) is being introduced from this year. 

If you haven’t entered the REINZ Awards before, this refresh may be the ideal time to consider submitting an entry. With clearer criteria and new categories in some areas, there may be opportunities to showcase your work that didn’t exist previously. 

Find out more

We’ve created a dedicated webpage that outlines what’s changing (and why), and what’s staying the same. You’ll find key dates, FAQs, and a clear summary of the key changes. 

Entries open in early May, and are for the Awards Year, between 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026. Over the coming weeks we’ll share further updates highlighting specific sectors and categories. 

Thank you to everyone who has contributed feedback and insight into this process. These updates build on the strong foundations of the REINZ Awards and ensure they continue to reflect the voices and experience of our members. 

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