The Institute's mission is to have professional designers valued and rewarded for the contribution they make to the economic, cultural and social growth of New Zealand. This is achieved through encouraging the development of professional skills in the membership and by bringing together the different design disciplines under a common proposition that excellent design brings tangible benefits to its users. Other aims are to improve standards of professional service, increase demand for design excellence and generally increase the profile of design.

The Designers Institute of New Zealand (DINZ) was formed in 1991 from the merger of two associations, the New Zealand Society of Industrial Designers formed in 1960 and the New Zealand Association of Interior Designers formed in 1968. The Institute represents Graphic Design (visual communication), Spatial Design (built environment), Industrial Design (product design, consumer and capital goods), Design Education (the teaching profession) and Design & Strategy Management Management , Interactive Design.