As Interior of the Year returns to spotlight the country’s most considered spaces, long-time sponsor Powersurge reflects on more than three decades supporting New Zealand architecture and design — and why craftsmanship, materiality and enduring interiors remain central to the future of the industry.
Tell us about your history supporting the architecture and design industry in New Zealand.
For more than 30 years, Powersurge has been deeply embedded in New Zealand’s architecture and design landscape, evolving into a true design house known for craftsmanship, creativity and an uncompromising attention to detail.
From the beginning, our focus has been on creating products that contribute meaningfully to a space, not simply as functional elements, but as part of the architectural language and emotional experience of an interior. Every collection we develop is driven by a belief that the smallest details can have the greatest impact.
Over the decades, we’ve had the privilege of collaborating with many of New Zealand’s leading architects, interior designers and makers across residential, hospitality and commercial projects. Those partnerships have shaped who we are today, a company grounded in design thinking, materiality and innovation, with a deep understanding of how spaces are experienced and lived in.
What continues to inspire us is the calibre of creativity coming out of New Zealand. There’s a uniquely thoughtful and restrained approach to design here, and we’re proud to play a role in helping bring those ideas to life through locally designed and crafted products that celebrate permanence, tactility and beauty.
You have been a partner of the Interior of the Year awards for a number of years now; what does it mean for your brand to get behind this programme?
Supporting Interior of the Year is incredibly important to us because it celebrates the very best of New Zealand creativity and design culture.
The awards shine a light on projects that move beyond aesthetics alone, spaces that tell stories, create emotion and elevate how people feel and live. That philosophy resonates strongly with Powersurge because we believe great design is ultimately about human experience.
As a design-led company, we see immense value in championing the people and studios who are continually redefining what New Zealand interiors can be. The programme fosters conversation, innovation and inspiration across the industry, and it’s rewarding for our team to support a platform that recognises thoughtful, enduring design.
It’s also an opportunity to celebrate craftsmanship and collaboration. The best interiors are never created in isolation, they are the result of many creative disciplines coming together with a shared commitment to excellence. We’re proud to stand alongside the architects and designers shaping the future of our industry.
What are some of the recent highlights from the Powersurge team in terms of what you’ve been delivering and achieving?
Recently, there’s been a real sense of momentum within the business around creativity, refinement and pushing the boundaries of what architectural products can become within a space.
We’ve been fortunate to work on an extraordinary range of projects throughout New Zealand, collaborating closely with architects and interior designers to deliver highly tailored, design-led outcomes. Increasingly, clients are seeking products that feel integrated into the architecture, pieces that contribute to the atmosphere and identity of a space rather than sit separately from it.
A major focus for our team has also been continuing to evolve our collections through material exploration, refined detailing and elevated finishes. We’re constantly looking at how design, craftsmanship and innovation intersect — creating products that feel timeless, tactile and deeply considered.
Another exciting area has been strengthening the experience around our showrooms and collaborative spaces. We want our clients to feel inspired when they engage with Powersurge, to experience the materials, textures and craftsmanship in a way that sparks creativity and conversation.
As a New Zealand-owned company that designs and crafts world-class products locally, what does this mean when it comes to setting you apart?
Designing and crafting locally gives us an authenticity and creative agility that is incredibly valuable.
Because everything is developed inhouse, we’re able to work collaboratively with architects and designers in a far more meaningful way — refining details, exploring bespoke solutions and responding intuitively to the needs of a project. That level of connection is difficult to achieve through mass production.
It also means our products are informed by New Zealand’s design sensibility — an appreciation for understated luxury, natural materiality and enduring quality. There’s a clarity and honesty to local architecture and interiors that continues to influence the way we design.
Importantly, our craftsmanship allows us to maintain an obsessive focus on quality and detail. In many ways, we see ourselves as custodians of craft — creating pieces that are not only beautiful, but made to last and designed to age gracefully within a space over time.
Being New Zealand-owned keeps us closely connected to the creative community we serve, while giving us the freedom to continue innovating and building products that confidently sit alongside the best in the world.
Are there any recent milestones or news from Powersurge that you’d like the industry to know about?
Powersurge is entering an exciting period of evolution, with a strong focus on expanding our design language, refining our collections and continuing to elevate the craftsmanship behind everything we create.
There’s a huge amount of energy within the team around innovation and creative collaboration. We’re investing deeply in the future of the brand — not only through new product development, but through the broader experience of how designers engage with Powersurge, from concept through to completion.
At the heart of everything is a continued commitment to timeless design and local craftsmanship. As the industry shifts toward more thoughtful and enduring approaches to interiors, we believe there’s a growing appreciation for products that are authentic, tactile and made with integrity.
For us, the future is about continuing to blur the line between functional object and design statement — creating pieces that feel architecturally integrated, emotionally resonant and built to stand the test of time.
