The ACE Awards have a long history and we know they have a bright future. As the consulting landscape continues to evolve, we know the ACE Awards need to evolve too. We want them to work for ALL our members, no matter the size of your firm or the kind of work you do.
Following valuable feedback from our members, our Board initiated a comprehensive review to ensure the awards remain relevant, inclusive and aligned to ACE New Zealand’s goals.
It’s been a massive piece of work under the guidance of a dedicated working group led by our 2025 ACE Awards Convenor David Bridges. The review committee – made up of past judges, members from firms of all sizes, a client representative, and a former Board member – have worked hard to shape a refreshed programme that better recognises the breadth of consulting excellence across the sector. A huge thank you to David and the team for their time and effort to modernise our awards and take them to the next level.
The awards have been reimagined to showcase excellence in consulting, elevate both the business of consulting and delivery, and celebrate culturally competent practice and strong client relationships. The new programme features streamlined submissions, transparent judging, and a renewed focus on sector leadership and partnership with Māori.
There will be new categories, including awards for small, medium and large businesses. We’ll continue to celebrate relationships, collaboration and sustainability. And we’ll recognise the consultants making the biggest impact and delivering the best value.
The new awards will incorporate puzzle pieces, which symbolise the essential role each individual or team plays in completing a larger, complex picture. Consulting requires precision, collaboration and a deep understanding of how every component – strategy, execution, client relationships, innovation – fit together seamlessly. Just like a puzzle piece, each contributor adds value that aligns with others to drive the overall success of a project. Using a puzzle piece as a trophy honours the critical importance of integration, adaptability and the pursuit of a perfectly aligned solution – hallmarks of outstanding consulting work.
We’re really excited about the new awards programme – it’s a significant step forward for our sector – and in the coming weeks we’ll share more information about the awards categories, the criteria and the timeline for 2026.
2026 categories
Ace of Small Business
This award recognises small organisations that demonstrate exceptional consulting practice, raising the bar for the profession through specialist expertise, outstanding client value delivery, and meaningful relationship building.
Ace of Medium Business
This award recognises medium-sized organisations that demonstrate excellence across multiple dimensions of consulting practice, raising the bar for the profession through best practice in the business of consulting.
Ace of Large Business
This award recognises large-sized organisations that set new benchmarks for the profession, raising both client and public expectations of the value and contribution consultants deliver, and elevating best practice in the business of consulting.
Ace of Collaboration
This award recognises outstanding consulting outcomes that deliver quantifiable societal, environmental and community benefits through inclusive, collaborative consulting approaches that exemplify best practice in stakeholder engagement and partnership.
Ace of Impact
This award recognises innovative consulting that has resulted in a step change, delivering significant, enduring benefits within the natural and built environment. It celebrates transformational innovation that creates new benchmarks and can be widely adopted across the industry.
Ace of Innovation
This award showcases excellence and innovation that creates a new “norm” for resolving an issue or problem. Each year, the ACE Board selects a focus area to highlight industry challenges and opportunities. This awards recognise consulting approaches that foresee and eliminate issues/problems in a sustainable, value-for-money manner which is both innovative and raises the bar for business-as-usual practice.
Ace of Relationships
This award recognises outstanding and enduring relationships with clients that add measurable and sustainable value to the client’s business.
Ace of Sustainability
This award recognises sustainable development or initiatives within the natural and built environment which deliver against one or more of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. It celebrates consulting that creates lasting positive impact through innovative, collaborative, and scalable sustainability solutions.
Ace of Value
This award recognises consulting excellence in delivering best value in a manner which provides clients with outcomes that justify their investment, deliver business resilience, and minimises whole of life costs. It celebrates consulting approaches that go beyond project delivery to create lasting value and strategic advantage for clients.
He Tohu Auora
He Tohu Aroha: Enduring Commitment to Te Ao Māori in Consulting Engineering embodies the essence of he autaia, he aukaha, he auroa: brilliance, strength and endurance. It honours firms that demonstrate brilliance (he autaia) in their commitment to te ao Māori, strength (he aukaha) in upholding enduring partnerships grounded in Te Tiriti o Waitangi, and continuity (he auroa) through actions that stand the test of time. It recognises transformation that lasts – where relationships with te ao Māori, its mātauranga, people, and whenua are enduring foundations for how we design, lead and give back to Aotearoa.
Ace of the Year
This is a judges’ choice award (you can’t apply for it) chosen from winners of the above categories, that recognises the most impressive or impactful award.
Emerging Leader Award
This award recognises consultants who show excellent leadership skills and a strong commitment to their own personal growth. Importantly, the award acknowledges individuals who actively promote and embody diversity and inclusion in their work environment and communities, with a commitment to advancing both our consulting sector and the communities we serve.
Diversity and Inclusion Award
This award celebrates consultants who exhibit outstanding leadership in their steadfast commitment to fostering diversity and inclusion within their workspaces and communities. This award acknowledges individuals who actively advocate for and embody the principles of diversity and inclusion, thereby contributing to the advancement of both the consulting sector and the communities it serves.
Futurespace Award
This recognises consultants who lead the charge in driving innovation and future-focused practices within their organisations and communities. This award honours individuals who demonstrate a relentless commitment to pushing the boundaries of what’s possible, thus propelling the consulting sector and the communities it serves into a brighter, more sustainable future.
President’s Award
The President’s Award recognises outstanding service or special effort to ACE New Zealand and the engineering and consulting sector. The award winner is chosen by the current ACE New Zealand president.
Key dates
- Awards criteria, submission requirements and key information published: December 2025
- Expression of interest opens: January 2026
- Expression of interest closes: February 2026
- Shortlisted expression of interests notified: March 2026
- ACE Awards submissions open: March 2026
- ACE Awards submissions close: May 2026
- Judging takes place: June, July, August 2026
- Entrants notified: September 2026
- 2026 ACE Awards Gala: October 2026
Contact
For any 2026 ACE Awards enquiries, please get in touch with the team:
Yasmin Rudman-Cruse // ACE Awards Operations Co-ordinator // yasmin@acenz.org.nz
Hannah Bryce // General Manager of Engagement // hannah@acenz.org.nz