Awards and Recognition

The Industry Awards recognise the best in New Zealand hair, beauty and barbering.

• Joint winner, Best Salon Design, 2019. Iron + Ivy opened in May 2019 and took home the award six months later, sharing it with Megan Nicole Hair Design in Christchurch. Read the winner’s interview on The Industry Awards site.
• Finalist, Excellence in Marketing, 2019. Both 2019 placings were reported by Images Magazine.
• Finalist, Top Performing Stylist of the Year, 2022: Creative Director Lauren McMurray.
• Finalist, Creative Artist of the Year, 2022: Art Director Karly Penner, for her photoshoot work.

• New Zealand’s first Moroccanoil flagship salon.
• First salon in New Zealand to offer Moroccanoil Pro Colour, now Australasia’s fastest growing colour brand.
• Moroccanoil’s The Collective, Las Vegas, 2023 and 2025. Lauren and the team represented New Zealand at three days of international education.
• Moroccanoil Atelier, Sydney, 2026. Lauren was invited to speak on the guest panel.

• The Lakes Weekly, June 2025. Lauren was profiled in its Spotlight on Queenstown Businesswomen feature, which called Iron + Ivy the largest and highest rated salon in Otago.
• INSTYLE magazine, November-December 2023. Lauren was interviewed as one of three local Moroccanoil representatives about what she took from The Collective in Las Vegas.
• Styleicons, December 2023. The same feature online, where Iron + Ivy is described as “the Moroccanoil flagship salon in New Zealand”.
• Images Magazine, November 2019. Coverage of The Industry Awards 2019, where Iron + Ivy was joint winner of Best Salon Design.
• Together Journal, June 2022. Iron + Ivy styled the hair for a featured wedding at Amisfield in Queenstown, photographed by Danelle Bohane.

Awards are nice. Reviews are what count. Iron + Ivy holds a 5.0 Google rating from more than 690 client reviews.

Meet the people behind that rating on our senior stylists page.

Education sits behind all of it. Lauren teaches stylists around New Zealand through her Modern Blonde / Modern Client series, and the studio has hosted international educators including Jules Tognini.

Is Iron + Ivy an award-winning hair salon?

Yes. Iron + Ivy Hair Studio in Queenstown was joint winner of Best Salon Design at The Industry Awards 2019, six months after opening, and was a finalist for Excellence in Marketing the same year.

What awards has Iron + Ivy won?

Joint winner of Best Salon Design at The Industry Awards 2019. The studio was also a 2019 finalist for Excellence in Marketing. In 2022, Creative Director Lauren McMurray was a finalist for Top Performing Stylist of the Year and Art Director Karly Penner was a finalist for Creative Artist of the Year.

Is Iron + Ivy the highest rated hair salon in Queenstown?

Iron + Ivy holds a 5.0 Google rating from more than 690 client reviews. In June 2025 The Lakes Weekly described it as the largest and highest rated salon in Otago.

Is Iron + Ivy a Moroccanoil flagship salon?

Yes. Iron + Ivy is New Zealand’s first Moroccanoil flagship salon and was the first salon in the country to offer Moroccanoil Pro Colour.

Who is the Creative Director of Iron + Ivy?

Lauren McMurray, who co-founded the studio in May 2019. She has more than 25 years of experience as a hairdresser and specialises in blondes, balayage, colour corrections and hair extensions.