Our Product Design team are celebrating some "fantastic results" from the recent 2025 Best Design Awards, after their ākonga won an impressive 4 golds and 2 silver awards for their innovative projects.

For Janiqua McCarthy (Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Hako), it was a double celebration.

The Bachelor of Design (Product) student claimed 2 golds for her biodegradable placenta burial kit Whenua ki te whenua, in the Student & Academic Product category and Toitanga category (which recognises outstanding design that acknowledges the origin of Māori storytelling and artistic expression.)

Janiqua's user-centred project was assisted by collaboration and feedback from the wider Otago Polytechnic community, including from a midwifery and te ao Māori perspective.  Her prototypes were produced in conjunction with the Campaign for Wool New Zealand, which encouraged students to rethink uses for NZ coarse wool.

Judges said the product harnessed shape and textile in a refined and considered way.

“The range is an expression of rich story and traditions from across cultures, an embodiment of tikanga Māori, and a contemporary invitation to families to honour connection and return to whenua.”

Graduate Caitlin Easson was rewarded with a award in the Student Academic Product category, for her hemp sound insulation panels, Haerd.

Judges were impressed with what they called “a beautifully considered acoustic system that embodies cradle-to-cradle thinking.”

“Designed to utilise local hemp and be modular, recyclable, and compostable at end-of-life. Its sculptural, biophilic forms bring warmth and visual richness to interior spaces, while its sustainable innovation and acoustic performance reflect a deeply thoughtful approach to design.”

Caitlin is now working at Autex Acoustic Panels in Auckland, a job she also got after impressing the company with her graduate project.

Graduate Zachariah Harrison also won gold in the same category for his Wobly flexible modular public cycling bollards.

Judges described the designs as “a thoughtful evolution of street infrastructure championing safety, visibility, and joy for all road users.”

“Intuitive, modular, and people-centred, Wobly shows clear commercial potential to transform the urban cycling experience.”

Zachariah is now working at Fisher and Paykel in Dunedin office, securing the job after showcasing his design project to the local team.

Third year Bachelor of Design (Product(, William Shinobi Scheffer, was awarded a silver for his native bird & pest monitor system, Eaves Drop.

His bird monitor uses an AI open source network database to identify birds along with bioacoustic predator detection. The system allows for real-time monitoring, and can send alerts to assist residents and predator-trapping teams in setting traps.

Liam Black is also hoping to assist conservation efforts, with his lightweight pest trap, Stack Trap, which won a silver award.

He says trapping pest species like rats, stoats and possums is an essential part of New Zealand's conservation efforts to protect native fauna and flora. However current DOC traps are heavy and bulky, making them difficult to carry over long distances.

Liam's design focuses on stacking the trap housing to reduce weight and bulk and improve transportation, which in turn will help protect Aotearoa’s native species.

Machiko Niimi, Head of Product Design, says the department is thrilled to have the hard mahi of students and staff recognised at a national level.

"These projects highlight our students’ ability to design in collaboration with clients, subject specialists, and the local community to reach meaningful designs with real purpose."

Communication Design

Two ākonga from Communication Design won bronze awards, for their projects in the Student & Academic Graphics category.

Luka Jakich claimed bronze for his work creating bespoke beer can labels for Ōtepoti, Dunedin company Cook Brothers Construction, in collaboration with Otago Polytechnic’s Brew School.

One of the beer can labels was intended as a corporate gift, while the other commemorated the company’s 20-year anniversary. The design blended local cultural values with contemporary visual storytelling.

Luka used a modular design which encourages interaction. When assembled, the four cans tell a unified story, subtly reinforcing themes of teamwork and construction.

And Frankie Robertson won a bronze award for her Company of Strangers campaign, creating a fresh collection of imagery for the fashion brand's permanent ‘Classics Collection’ line of jewellery, which re-imagines the delicate accents of cherished family heirlooms.

The suite of imagery and supporting outputs for her project needed to reflect the brand’s existing aesthetic and communicate the collection’s narrative in a memorable and compelling way.

Frankie says she explored a blend of analogue photography, digital techniques and physical methods of distortion and abstraction for the project.

"Rather than simply showcasing the products, the creative direction explored how jewellery can carry traces of memory, deconstruction and change."

Professor Caroline McCaw, Head of Programme for Communication Design, says her team was proud to celebrate the success of their ākonga.

“Both bronze award winners demonstrated very creative graphic design, employing illustration and photography.”

“In both cases, these award-winning designs were produced in collaboration with local businesses, helping our community shine.”

Otago Polytechnic won an impressive 13 awards in total at the 2025 Best Design Awards, across the Architecture, Product Design, and Communication Design programmes.

The annual showcase is run by The Designers Institute of New Zealand, and saw 18 projects from Otago Polytechnic sellected as national finalists.