Building Construction ākonga shine in the national spotlight

The rising stars of the building and construction industry were recognised in two prestigious national competitions recently.

Final year Bachelor of Construction ākonga, Dilraj Singh (Construction Management), Okristen Williams (Construction Economics) and Daniel Turner (Construction Management and Construction Economics) were selected for this year’s ARCHENGBUILD competition.

The trio competed in three of the ten teams that took part in an intense 72-hour sprint challenge to win a share of $12,000. The brief was to design a resilient housing development on a central Auckland site.

“We are delighted that they were selected to compete in this year’s iconic competition,” says Associate Professor Linda Kestle adding that Unitec students have been in the winning teams in three of the past five years.

“We are extremely proud of how all three represented the school, and themselves professionally, and as our industry peers.”

This annual event run by the Building Research Association of New Zealand (BRANZ) brings together forty of the best students in architecture, engineering, and construction management from across Aotearoa.

Dilraj was also a finalist in the 2025 Building Institute – Aotearoa Next Gen Awards held in Wellington.

Together with fellow student Banu Ali, they were among the nine finalists named out of seventy-two students from across the motu.

It is the second consecutive year Dilraj and Banu have been finalists in this event, which recognises and rewards emerging talent in the building and construction sector.

Dilraj has always held deep interest in the built environment, which saw him transition into the construction industry after six years working in the transport and logistics sector.

“Just being nominated as a finalist for the Next Gen Award has been a big achievement in itself, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to share my ideas alongside so many passionate and talented people in our industry,” he says.

“This experience has motivated me even more to keep learning, growing, and contributing to the future of our industry.”

Banu, who is in the final year of a Bachelor of Construction (Quantity Surveying) degree, is proud of her achievement.

“It reminded me why I keep pushing forward and gave me a real sense of belonging and encouragement. It also showed me that if you work hard, the industry will notice and it will pay off,” she says.

“As someone from a refugee background, I want to show other women in my community that with hard work and a willingness to learn, nothing is impossible. There is a place for all of us in this industry, and I’m proud to be helping build that future.”

Banu is currently interning with construction engineering company, Built Environs as a Junior Estimator.

Assoc. Prof. Kestle remarks: “Being recognised in this way by the Institute and the Industry as two of the shortlisted national finalists is welcome recognition of our programme in the school, and a wonderful and well-deserved accolade for two of our top performing BConstruction CM/QS students.”