The brief, updated in 2024 to align with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, reflects Lexus’ commitment to sustainability, with over 80% of Lexus vehicles sold in New Zealand now electrified.

Now in its sixth year, Lexus Design Award received 90 submissions from students across four universities: Auckland University of Technology, University of Auckland, Massey University of Wellington and Victoria University of Wellington.

The award’s expansion into Wellington brought four new mentors into the programme: Megan Wyper and Patrick Kennedy, co-owners of ACME Cup, and Gosia Piatek, founder of ethical fashion label Kowtow, alongside her Business Director Emma Wallace. Together with long-standing Lexus ambassadors Simon James and Scott Bridgens of Resident, these mentors offered guidance spanning product design, industrial design, sustainable fashion and creative interiors.

“Sustainability and design are core to Lexus, so it’s important this award continues to profile concepts with environmental and social impact,” says Andrew Davis, Vice President of Lexus New Zealand.

“Every year we’re amazed by the concepts and thinking that come through from students just about to launch their careers. This is more than a design competition; it genuinely gives students an opportunity to be mentored by industry experts and showcase their creative work on a national platform.”

The Wellington showcase celebrated its first-ever winners on the 18th of November at Lexus of Wellington. Clara Chemin from Victoria University of Wellington took first place for Cradle, a circular system designed to restore kelp forests by turning their predators, kina, into value-added products — protecting marine ecosystems while generating economic benefits.

Cameron Murray from Massey University secured the top spot with Lifeline, an inflatable emergency shelter deployed by autonomous drones to provide immediate protection and communication for stranded individuals in places traditional rescue teams cannot reach.

The following night in Auckland at the Simon James Showroom in Mount Eden, Oliver Lloyd from Auckland University of Technology (AUT) won first place for Roll a Rat, a flat-pack biodegradable rat bait station that controls invasive rodent populations while supporting ecosystem regeneration through the inclusion of native seeds.

Marissa Porteous from the University of Auckland won for her Compost Chemigation System, an underground irrigation network that repurposes rainwater and organic fertiliser to improve soil health, manage stormwater and enhance environmental wellbeing.

Runner-up projects also showed an impressive line-up of creativity and innovation. From AUT, Christine Botha’s NiraFlow is a greywater filter that uses wool to capture microplastics, protecting both the environment and human health. Olivia Lee from the University of Auckland won runner-up for The Light Map, a modular light sculpture that activates urban parks at night through interactive lighting, data visualisation and enhanced public safety.

Victoria University’s Maggie McMillan-Perry created Access Bites, a mobile app connecting disabled users to accessible eateries around cities, improving autonomy and inclusion while supporting local businesses. Jack Johansson from Massey University was runner-up for WoolFlow Air Intakes, sustainable automotive components crafted from New Zealand tough wool.

Together, these emerging designers are blending regenerative materials, technological innovation and human-centred thinking to design for a better tomorrow.

All four winners will present their concepts at Auckland Design Week 2026.
Professor Leon Gurevitch, Head of the School of Design Innovation at Victoria University of Wellington, says “This competition pushes students to explore their concepts more deeply and think about how design can solve big problems.”

“The vision was always for LDA to grow in New Zealand, so seeing such strong interest from Wellington in our first year there was fantastic. It’s a real creative hub, and we’re hungry to keep growing and continue to discover more talent,” says Davis.

Since its global inception in 2013, the Lexus Design Award has helped launch emerging designers onto the world stage. Now in its sixth year locally, Lexus New Zealand continues to support homegrown talent, offering mentorship and cash prizes of $3,000 for winners and $1,000 for runners-up per university.

Winners

- AUT: Oliver Lloyd – Roll a Rat
A flat-pack biodegradable rat bait station that controls invasive rodents while dispersing native seeds to regenerate ecosystems.

- University of Auckland: Marissa Porteous – Compost Chemigation System
An underground irrigation network that repurposes rainwater and organic fertiliser to improve soil health, manage stormwater and boost environmental wellbeing.

- Victoria University: Clara Chemin – Cradle
A circular system that restores kelp forests by turning the kina that destroy them into value-added products, supporting marine regeneration and local economies.

- Massey University: Cameron Murray – Lifeline
An inflatable emergency shelter deployed by autonomous drones to give stranded individuals instant protection and communication in areas rescue teams can’t easily reach.

Runners-ups

- AUT: Christine Botha – NiraFlow
A greywater filter using wool to capture microplastics, protecting both human health and the environment.

- University of Auckland: Olivia Lee – The Light Map
A modular light sculpture that activates urban parks at night through interactive lighting, data visualisation and enhanced public safety.

- Victoria University: Maggie McMillan-Perry – Access Bites
A mobile app connecting disabled users with accessible eateries to support autonomy, inclusion and local businesses.

- Massey University: Jack Johansson – WoolFlow Air Intakes
Sustainable automotive air intake components made from New Zealand strong wool.