The seven day event provides a stage for designers spanning various disciplines — spatial, architectural, interiors, product, fashion and more — from all over Tāmaki Makaurau.

Flipping the traditional fair model, ADW will host a series of speaker events, tours, workshops and screenings, culminating in a safari-style event in partnership with furniture, interiors and product showrooms.

Installations will blend various design disciplines to create dynamic and immersive experiences for attendees, whilst demonstrating the prowess of our design community. Alongside this, there will be a focus on innovative, ethical and sustainable solutions shaping the future of our spaces and communities.

ADW director, Jen Jones is a passionate design advocate having, for over 10 years, worked alongside leading designers to develop and deliver a diverse range of design and build projects with commercial businesses including Auckland Airport, BNZ, Flight Centre and Lumino; as well as a portfolio of high-end residential clients. This experience has led Jen to develop a deep appreciation and understanding of the power of design to transform the nature of place, space and our experiences within them. 

“Despite being a city that loves design — and our tendency to punch above our weight on the global stage — the events that champion local and international design are few and far between. The calendar for design events in New Zealand are either highly specialised or exclusively for professionals. Auckland Design Week will be a window into our culture, to our work, and an open and inclusive invitation to come on in.”

There will be three Design Districts as part of the first ADW. Grey Lynn, Parnell, and Mt Eden /Uptown, enabling visitors to explore installations a short walking distance from each other, with an annual overarching curatorial theme. A central hub, the Design Depot at Ponsonby Central’s Sapphire Room will provide a space for brands and designers from outside the Districts to exhibit — with a biophilia-inspired concept, the Depot will reflect brands with a focus on sustainability and those with a connection to nature.

2024’s ‘Bold & Brave’ urges a departure from the prevailing white-on-white aesthetic and encourages vibrant expression through daring choices in colour, shape and materiality. More than visual, Bold & Brave extends influence to environmental responsibility — calling for designers to challenge the status quo of how we design. To prioritise the use of recycled and sustainable materials that demonstrate innovation and positive environmental impact.

Auckland Design Week 2024 will run from Sunday 10–Saturday 16 March 2024. Tickets are available for purchase here. Follow @aucklanddesignweek for updates.

More information about the event including partner showrooms, exhibition showcases, installations, and programme can be found at aucklanddesignweek.com. Special mention to Resene, Forté Flooring and Cosentino for being early supporters of the ADW concept.

^{Note from AGM, the publisher of Architecture NZ, ArchitectureNow and Urbis:}

^{If this event sounds very familiar to you then you are right, the idea, structure and concept are all copied from Urbis Designday and Designday Pro. A series of events AGM ran for a decade. Sadly, when Urbis ceased publishing, the event was also mothballed. The idea was good then, as it is now, and we, the team at AGM, wish the organisers and participants success and importantly, sunny weather!}