Upcoming Events

A unique opportunity to have a sneak peek inside some of New Zealand’s best studios and see what goes on behind closed doors.

Open Studio™ - Keeping it Local is an event where studios from Kitchener St to Quay St open their doors to the design community.

Inviting them in to take a nosey and maybe an insight or two, where they can relax, sip a drink and share some stories. 

Join us on Wednesday 29th March as we take a walk together as a group, starting Richards Partners on Kitchener St and head down to Quay St and the harbour exploring studios along the way.

*Everyone will be givne a little fold out brochure that includes a map with the location of each studio.

Richards Partners

(Pictured: Client - Hayden & Rollett, 75 Years Together)

Richards Partners work at the intersection of Strategy and Design, developing ideas that deliver incredible change. They have been working with major global brands for more than 30 years helping tell their stories to the world. In a world full of ordinary products and services, they work with like-minded leaders to inspire the incredible and make it credible.

Monk Mackenzie

(Pictured: Client - Auckland International Airport Ltd | Foodstuffs North Island, Food Stuffs North Island Headquarters)

Monk Mackenzie is a highly creative, multi-disciplinary studio of architects and designers. The studio is an award-winning architectural practice with a record of designing and delivering unique architectural solutions.  The studio aims to make a lasting contribution to the built environment in a sustainable and environmentally intelligent manner.

CAAHT Studio

(Pictured: Residental Beach Front House, Takapuna Beach)

Established in 2009, CAAHT studio is a young and energetic practice focused on delivering creative solutions tailored to their clients’ needs. They believe good architecture comes from a process of open collaboration between client and architect which responds to a broad understanding of the project brief and context.

Y – 6

(Pictured: Client - Sofitel Hotel, Auckland)

Y – 6 is a specialist Interior Architecture & Design studio. Their designs are completely unique and focus heavily on creating end user experiences based on a tailored made narrative. Their belief is that quality design evokes emotion and cognitive responses that are memorable and timeless. Their specialty however is Hotel and Hospitality design and they take great joy in creating memorable stays for their clients and their guests all over the world.

Revealing the ways in which exceptional design changes behaviour, maximises impact and delivers an undeniable value to people, the environment and organisations.

This Value of Design Speaker Series will see eminent local and international industry leaders shine a light on the ways in which design adds value to organisations and the people, families and communities they serve.

Design enhances the physical and digital worlds, and dramatically changes the way communities, families and individuals feel, think and act.

Along with partners, DINZ was part of a collaboration that conducted research into the substantial contribution of the design sector to the New Zealand economy. The first ever attempt to put an economic value on design in New Zealand, the 2017 report details a highly skilled, creative, knowledge intensive sector which added an estimated $10.1b (4.2% of GDP) to New Zealand’s gross domestic product.

The Value of Design Speaker Series will revisit this research with a current outlook, critiquing the role design has played in magnifying essential value to the New Zealand economy, and seek to answer:

How does design deliver different types of value?
How do we measure the impact of what we design?
How do we story-tell this value?
How do we ensure continuous investment into design?

Watch this space, more details to come soon.

The Best Design Awards are a major feature of the local design calendar and some of last year's winners are touring the country to offer first-hand insights into their projects.

Best of the Best Designers Speak:
Hold the Date - more information to come

Auckland1 - Graphics, Digital & Motion
Wednesday 3rd May - 6.00 - 8.30pm
Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki

Auckland2 - Spatial
Wednesday 17th May - 6.00 - 8.30pm
Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki

Christchurch
Tuesday 23rd May - 6.00 - 8.30pm
Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū

Wellington
Wednesday 24th May - 6.00 - 8.30pm
Wellington City Gallery Te Ngākau

Auckland3 - Product
Wednesday 31st May - 6.00 - 8.30pm
Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki

Auckland4 - Toitanga
Wednesday 14th June - 6.00 - 8.30pm
Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki

Designers of Wellington, the drinks are on us!

This is an open invite to all designers in Wellington, to come together for a relaxed drink and a yarn.

We call it... Designer Yarns.

We'll talk design, geek out and have a laugh – this Thursday 20th July, upstairs at Fortune Favours, Leeds St, Wellington.

The first round is on DINZ. Simple as that, see you there!

If you missed out Designer Yarns don't panic as there will be another on:
Thursday 19th October

Great design can flow both ways across the ditch. Designers Speak® — Across the Ditch is a collaborative event of the Australian Graphic Design Association (AGDA); Design Institute of Australia (DIA) and Designers Institute of New Zealand.

Watch this space for more details.

Designers of Wellington, the drinks are on us!

This is an open invite to all designers in Wellington, to come together for a relaxed drink and a yarn.

We call it... Designer Yarns.

We'll talk design, geek out and have a laugh – this Thursday 19th October upstairs at Fortune Favours, Leeds St, Wellington.

The first round is on DINZ. Simple as that, see you there!

Best Week

The lead up to our most prestigious night of the year is the ideal time to bring the design community together to reflect and connect. During Best Week we hold a series of events that build towards the industry's big night out at the Best Design Awards.

Designers Speak®

The more we talk about design in New Zealand, the more robust the conversation becomes. Our Designers Speak events give our members the chance to hear top designers sharing insights into their work.

Designers Speak® Across the Ditch

Great design can flow both ways across the ditch. This event encourages that trans-Tasman design dialogue, and is a collaboration between the Australian Graphic Design Association (AGDA) and DINZ.

Folio Night

Supported by design schools and studios, Folio Night is an initiative from the DINZ Student Council. Each event is a prestigious opportunity for nominated students to present their work for discussion and critique.

No Borders

Good design can transcend geography’s barriers. And many inquisitive and ambitious New Zealand designers have made the brave and uncertain move of shifting overseas. At No Borders, they return home to share what they have learned.

Open Studio™

We all have a natural curiosity about the spaces in which designers create. Open Studio offers a rare opportunity to enter these private worlds, and see the inner workings of some of New Zealand's best studios.

Pixel to Product

With digital technology, design is in a state of constant change. This event series gives designers a forum to discuss how this impacts on their innovation process; how they push ideas from the abstract into the real; and on how quickly they bring products to market.

The Form Forum®

This series of informal events is primarily a forum for spatial designers to meet and share insights. A broad range of relevant topics are presented and discussed including useful tools and tips, the latest design trends and best industry practice.

The Graphics Forum

This series of informal events is primarily a forum for graphic designers to meet and share insights. A broad range of relevant topics are presented and discussed including useful tools and tips, the latest design trends and best industry practice.

The Product Forum

This series of informal events is primarily a forum for product designers to meet and share insights. A broad range of relevant topics are presented and discussed including useful tools and tips, the latest design trends and best industry practice.

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