As we celebrate the start of a new year, and the 12th edition of the Interior Awards, we’re excited to introduce you to our jury for 2023. This year’s lineup brings together outstanding designers and architects with great depth of experience, having worked on a wide range of projects both here in Aotearoa and overseas.

Jon Rennie is a principal of Athfield Architects and heads its Auckland studio. Originally from Wellington, Jon has more than 20 years of postgraduation experience in the design of public architecture and urbanism and has worked in the United Kingdom, Spain, the United States and New Zealand. His experience includes adaptive re-use of existing and listed buildings and new build design of multi-unit residential buildings, theatres, auditoriums and libraries.

Tessa Pawson is a senior associate and the interior design lead for Peddlethorp. With significant experience in both Australia and New Zealand, Tessa delivers projects across the hospitality, residential, retirement and workplace sectors. Her passion is designing bespoke and individual solutions for clients, with a focus on creating experiences rather than simply beautiful spaces.

Scott Compton is a principal at Warren and Mahoney with a uniquely tailored approach to interior design. Scott has extensive project experience in workplace, retail, hotels and hospitality, having worked in the United Kingdom, China and New Zealand. He is focused on producing innovative environments for renowned brands such as TVNZ, MediaWorks, SkyCity, Chapman Tripp and, more recently, Google.

Amber Ruckes (Tūhoe – African American) has several years of professional practice experience, including high-end residential, retail design, commercial office fit-outs and engaging with Māori communities. Amber’s passion for the development of Māori architectural design and practice is currently being extended through her PhD study with Creative Practice at Waipapa Taumata Rau University of Auckland, where she is exploring what a hapū-specific architectural typology could be, inspired by the works of her tūpuna.

Amanda Harkness is the deputy editor and interior editor at Architecture NZ and a former editor of Houses magazine. Her writing has a strong focus on interior projects, ranging from commercial and hospitality to retail and residential. This is Amanda’s third year as convenor of the Interior Awards jury.

The jury is looking forward to celebrating innovation, excellence and design skill as it awards the country’s top projects and people across the programme’s 10 categories.

See here for the categories and key dates for the 2023 Interior Awards programme.