Hudson Ross takes NZ Student honours

An expansive architectural design project envisaging a four-day walking trail across Otago Peninsula has been named 2026 New Zealand Student Winner at the 40th Dulux Colour Awards.

Otago Polytechnic School of Architecture ākonga Hudson Ross received the 2026 New Zealand Student Winner award at a gala event on Wednesday night at the Sydney Opera House.

The Master of Architecture (Professional) student was rewarded with seeing his project hot&cold selected as the category winner at the Dulux Colour Awards by a judging panel of 5 design and architecture experts.

This was Hudson’s second year being named as a finalist for the prestigious Australasian awards.

Auckland-based judge Buster Caldwell, Creative Director of Wonder Group, was enthusiastic in his formal comments on behalf of the panel:

"Programmatically ambitious, this regenerative walking trail in Dunedin is a sophisticated project of considerable scope, underpinned by a balanced and highly intentional approach to colour.

Its title draws on the children’s game of hide‑and‑seek, a reference grounded in its dramatic setting on the Otago Peninsula, a landform shaped by an extinct volcano - and expressed through a sequence of structures that deepen in tone as walkers move closer to the volcano’s core.

Conceived as a four‑day journey, the trail leads participants from beach to peninsula, across harbour and into hills, weaving environmental education into the experience. Along the way, walkers are invited to actively participate in the landscape’s regeneration through activities such as pest trapping, native planting and ecological restoration.

Colour is introduced in small built elements with the lightest of architectural footprints dispersed along the route - a vivid yellow boardwalk, burnt‑orange stripes within a rest platform, rust‑red on a viewing tower and warm beige interiors within accommodation huts.

These moments form a considered, sequential language, with each hue carefully specified to respect both the sensitivity of the site and the intellectual rigour of the project. The result is a quietly powerful synthesis of landscape, colour and environmental stewardship."

Buster Caldwell, Dulux Colour Awards judge

Hudson was flown to Sydney for the awards, alongside classmate and fellow Master of Architecture (Professional) ākonga Ryno Von Wielligh.

It was a double celebration for the School of Architecture students, with Ryno being named runner-up in the New Zealand Student category for his project, The Lighthouse Entertainment Precinct.

Ryno's entry proposed a series of major redevelopments to bring life to a section of North Dunedin through day and night activity zones. His masterplan spans performance and study spaces, hospitality venues, and a multi-use indoor skate park and nightclub.  

A total of 96 finalists were selected across all the categories from a record number this year of more than 540 entries from Australia and New Zealand for this year's Dulux Colour Awards.