Christchurch hairdresser Sarah McGuigan of Savvy Hair has secured a key win at the Australian and New Zealand hair industry’s biggest celebration of creativity and excellence, the 2025 AHIA Creative Awards. Held at Sydney’s Star Event Centre, Sarah was awarded AHIA South Island Hairdresser of the Year 2025.
Sarah discovered her passion for hairdressing at just nine years old while helping a family friend in her salon. At 22 years old Sarah opened her own salon, Savvy Hair, and never looked back. The salon’s philosophy – ‘Hair for Good’ – celebrates the transformative power of hairstyling and encapsulates Sarah’s passion for helping people feel good about feeling better. Savvy Hair has grown into a thriving team of ten talented and passionate professionals, all with a flair for creating stunning styles and authentic client experiences.
The AHIA award is the latest in a string of high-profile awards for Sarah, whose love of exploring trends and willingness to embrace innovation has seen her career go from strength to strength. In 2024 Sarah won The Industry Collective Fashion Colour award and achieved runner-up positions in both the New Zealand Hair Awards Editorial Cover Shot and Editorial Colour Concept categories. Her impressive list of achievements also includes being a finalist for AHIA New Zealand Hairdresser of the Year and multiple finalist positions across fashion colour and editorial categories.
Linda Woodhead, Founder of AHIA Creative award creators Mocha Group, reflected on Sarah’s win:
“We are incredibly proud of Sarah and her outstanding achievement. Her dedication, skill, and unwavering commitment to excellence exemplifies the very best of our industry. She now joins our prestigious group of industry ambassadors who represent the highest standards of professionalism and innovation in hairdressing. Her success not only reflects her personal excellence but also elevates the entire hair and beauty industry across Australia and New Zealand. Congratulations Sarah!”
