LT McGuinness wins second successive supreme $10m+ Master Builders commercial project award
First, it was Ngā Mokopuna for Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington.
Now, it is Te Matapihi Ki Te Ao Nui Wellington Central Library.
Wellington-headquartered LT McGuinness has just had two successive $10 million-plus Master Builders commercial project annual prize wins.
The third-generation, 75-year-old family-owned builder won last year for the new uni building and now this year for the $217m library job after the project’s cost has climbed from an initial $187m estimate.
Master Builders said LT McGuinness had excelled, deserving the award last year as well as this year.
That was a rare achievement in the competition’s 13-year history, it said.
The win recognised the successful renewal of one of Wellington’s most important public buildings.
That had returned a much-loved community icon to the city and helped restore energy to the surrounding civic precinct.
Its reopening was a construction milestone that had also reconnected people with a central gathering place.
The work breathed new life into a part of the city that had long felt its absence.
The library only reopened on March 14 this year.
Wellington Mayor Andrew Little cut the ribbon.
Judges in the Master Builders’ competition said of the LT McGuinness work: “What made this project exceptional was the way every challenge was met with calm, coordinated delivery”.
“From complex engineering to cost control, the team worked collaboratively to achieve an outstanding result.”
By choosing to strengthen and renew the building rather than demolish it, the project had preserved a significant civic landmark.
It had also reduced waste and embodied carbon, achieving a five-star Green Star rating.
LT McGuinness also won the $25m+ commercial project and the civic project category awards for the library project.
The Hubexo Construction League named the builder as the fourth largest in New Zealand, based on the value of work it won in 2025.
LT McGuinness is behind Naylor Love, Hawkins and Classic Group.
Some of the major projects LT McGuinness started in 2025 are:
- Te Papa Tongarewa biodiversity research centre, Wellington
- Palmerston North Airport
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs head office
- Wellington City Council offices
- Ireland St development, Freemans Bay
- Work at Sylvia Park, Mt Wellington
- Heretaunga House, Hawke’s Bay
- Pitt St, ex-Beca office, Auckland sold to billionaires Anne and David Norman
Second winner - Leighs
Leighs Construction, founded by Anthony Leighs, won the Master Builders’ under-$10m commercial project award.
That was for stage three of the George Forbes Building, Lincoln University, Christchurch.
The project was delivered on time and ahead of schedule.
It had transformed the university’s main entrance without disrupting campus life, judges said.
Outdated areas were removed, new spaces created, and the arrival experience for visitors was reshaped to be more welcoming and intuitive.
The judges praised the level of planning and coordination in the refurbishment.
Work was scheduled around classes and daily campus activities.
“This was a challenging project that demanded strong communication and control at every stage, and it was delivered with care, precision and respect for the existing building,” the judges said.
- The full list of 2026 Master Builders’ prize winners can be found at commercialprojectawards.co.nz
Anne Gibson has been the Herald’s property editor for 26 years, written books and covered property extensively here and overseas.
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