Two Bay of Plenty building projects have been recognised with merit awards at the annual Property Council New Zealand Rider Levett Bucknall Property Industry Awards.

On Sunday night, Hawkins Construction received recognition for their work on the new Papamoa College building and RDT Pacific also received a merit award for the TECT Arena.

The award winning Papamoa College

A record 82 properties were evaluated as finalists in this year's awards - evidence of confidence returning to the industry in the opinion of Property Council's chief executive Connal Townsend.

However, less than half of the finalists managed to secure an award –16 excellence and 21 merit awards were presented to developments across the country. This included awards given to developments in Auckland (21), Wellington (5), Christchurch (5), Hamilton (2), Tauranga (1), Mt Maunganui (1), Whakapapa (1), Rotorua (1) and Dunedin (1).

Top honours were taken by the Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tamaki announced as the country's top commercial property development for 2012.

The judges say they were impressed with the total scope of the project, the attention to detail, the tireless commitment and cooperation of all stakeholders in the delivery of a unique project incorporating stunning architectural engineering features.

They also say the winners delivered a world class, future-proofed facility that will provide tangible benefits to New Zealand for generations.