Advertising industry awards recognize top campaigns in New Zealand

The New Zealand advertising and retail media sectors recently celebrated excellence through two major award ceremonies held in Auckland.

At the 2026 Cartology Campaign of the Year Awards, Lion’s Speight’s 150th Birthday campaign was named Campaign of the Year. Other winners included Colgate-Palmolive as Partner of the Year, Tegel for Best Omnichannel Campaign over $100k, and Asahi Beverages for Best Digital Strategy. Cartology New Zealand General Manager Samantha Osborne noted that the winning entries were distinguished by deep customer insight and end-to-end collaboration.

Simultaneously, the 2026 Effie Awards Aotearoa, marking 25 years of the Comms Council, honored effective marketing communications. McCann New Zealand secured the Grand Effie and was named Most Effective Agency of the Year, winning five of the eight Gold awards. Notable Gold winners included AA Insurance, New World, NZTA Waka Kotahi, and Goodman Fielder. TBWA New Zealand also received recognition, including a Gold for Tourism New Zealand’s international marketing efforts.