New Zealander of the Year Awards

The New Zealander of the Year Awards, currently known as the Kiwibank New Zealander of the Year Awards, celebrate the achievements of New Zealanders and were founded in 2010 by Australian Jeffrey John Hopp. Nominations are accepted from the general public and a judging panel selects finalists in each category. The awards are presented in Auckland in March each year.[1][2][3]

Categories

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The categories for the awards are:

  • Kiwibank New Zealander of the Year (Te Pou Whakarae o Aotearoa)
  • University of Canterbury Young New Zealander of the Year (Te Mātātahi o te Tau)
  • Ryman Healthcare Senior New Zealander of the Year (Te Mātāpuputu o te Tau)
  • Kiwibank New Zealand Local Hero of the Year (Te Pou Toko o te Tau)
  • Mitre 10 New Zealand Community of the Year (Ngā Pou Whirinaki o te Tau)
  • Spark New Zealand Innovator of the Year (Te Pou Whakairo o te Tau)
  • Ministry for the Environment New Zealand Environmental Hero of the Year (Te Toa Taiao o te Tau)
  • New Zealand Legacy Award (Te Pou Tūroa o Aotearoa)

New Zealander of the Year

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Year Recipient Portrait
2010 Ray Avery[4]  
2011 Paul Callaghan[5]  
2012 Richard Taylor[6]  
2013 Anne Salmond  
2014 Lance O'Sullivan  
2015 Stephen Tindall[7]  
2016 Richie McCaw[8]  
2017 Taika Waititi[9]  
2018 Kristine Bartlett[10]  
2019 Mike King[11]  
2020 Jennifer Ward-Lealand[11]  
2021 Siouxsie Wiles[12]  
2022 Tipene O'Regan[13]  
2023 Rangi Mātāmua[14]  
2024 Jim Salinger[15]  

Young New Zealander of the Year

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Nominees must be aged between 15 and 30 years of age.[16]

Year Recipient Portrait
2010 Divya Dhar[4]  
2011 Jamie Fenton[5]  
2012 Sam Johnson[6]  
2013 Sam Judd[17]  
2014 Parris Goebel  
2015 Guy Ryan[18]  
2016 Lydia Ko[8]  
2017 Rez Gardi[9]  
2018 David Cameron[19]  
2019 Kendall Flutey[20]  
2020 Georgia Hale[20]  
2021 Jazz Thornton  
2022 Ezra Hirawani[13]  
2023 Shaneel Lal  
2024 Simran Kaur  

Senior New Zealander of the Year

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Nominees must be over 70 years old.[16]

Year Recipient Portrait
2010 Eion Edgar[4]  
2011 Alison Neill[5]  
2012 Malcolm Cameron[6]  
2013 Ian Grant[21]  
2014 Frances Denz  
2015 Donald Sew Hoy[22]  
2016 John Russell[8]  
2017 Sue Paterson[9]  
2018 Kim Workman[23]  
2019 Bill Glass[24]  
2020 Margaret Sparrow[24]  
2021 Doug Wilson  
2022 Tipene O'Regan  
2023 Mark Dunajtschik  
2024 Bob Francis  

Local Hero of the Year

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The award is made to an individual who is making or has made a significant contribution to their local community.

Year Recipient Portrait
2010 Sam Chapman[4]  
2011 Billy Graham[5]  
2012 Henare O'Keefe[6]  
2013 Jim Morunga[25]  
2014 Cecilia Sullivan-Grant  
2015 Billie Jordan[26]  
2016 Selwyn Cook[8]  
2017 Hayden Smith[9]  
2018 Ricky Houghton[27]  
2019 Pera Barrett[28]  
2020 Nick Loosley[28]  
2021 Shannon Te Huia  
2022 David Letele[13]  
2023 Ellen Nelson  
2024 Sally Walker  

Community of the Year

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Regional or national community groups, iwi, geographical regions or collectives of people in any sector are eligible for the award.

Year Recipient
2010 Victory Village, Nelson[4]
2011 Gibbston Community Association[5]
2012 Paeroa[6]
2013 Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Trust NZ[29]
2014 Victim Support
2015 Paihia[30]
2016 Community Fruit Harvesting[31]
2017 Randwick Park
2018 Canterbury Charity Hospital Trust[32]
2019 Pillars[33]
2020 Good Bitches Baking[33]
2021 Christchurch Mosque Victims Group
2022 Matakaoa[13]
2023 Kindness Collective
2024 Cyclone Gabrielle volunteers

Innovator of the Year

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The category was introduced in 2014.

Year Recipient Portrait
2014 Sean Simpson  
2015 Peter Beck[34]  
2016 Hyvan Anaesthesia Ltd[35]  
2017 Ed Gane[9]  
2018 Team New Zealand design team[36]  
2019 Ian Taylor[37]  
2020 Bill Buckley[37]  
2021 Ranjna Patel  
2022 Mark Sagar  
2023 Emily Blythe  
2024 Cecilia Robinson  

Environmental Hero of the Year

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The category was introduced in 2022.

Year Recipient Portrait
2022 Charmaine Bailie[13]  
2023 Camden Howitt  
2024 Nicola MacDonald  

Legacy Award

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The Legacy Award was inaugurated in 2024, and recognises an individual who has contributed to New Zealand over a sustained period of time and played a significant role in defining national identity.

Year Recipient Portrait
2024 Wayne Smith  

Nomination and selection process

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Any member of the public can nominate an individual (aged 15 years or older), organisation or group for an award. A judging panel of one executive judge and two or three additional judges creates a list of semi-finalists, followed by a shortlist of three finalists for each award. The finalists are invited to the New Zealander of the Year Awards Gala in Auckland and the winners are announced on the night.[38] Local Hero Medal recipients are awarded throughout December each year.[38]

All nominees receive a certificate of achievement, and each of the six category award winners receives a trophy and a prize of NZ$5,000.[38]

In 2020, the executive judges were:

  • Tess Casey, CEO, Neighbourhood Support NZ
  • Bill Dwyer, Commercial and Corporate Lawyer
  • Jamie Fitzgerald, CEO, Inspiring Performance
  • Marisa Fong, Trustee, Simplicity NZ; Director, Masimaya Consulting, Founder/Director, Arné Skincare
  • Abby Foote, Professional Director
  • Steve Jurkovich, CEO, Kiwibank
  • Miriama Kamo, Te Koruru, Patron
  • Bill Moran, Professional Director, Chair, Sport New Zealand
  • Mere Pohatu, Regional Director, Ministry of Maori Development
  • Caren Rangi, ONZM, Deputy Chair of Creative New Zealand
  • Lou Sanson, Director-General of the Department of Conservation

References

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  1. ^ "Ironic Start-Up To New Zealander Of The Year Award | Scoop News".
  2. ^ "About". nzawards.org.nz. Retrieved 17 February 2016.
  3. ^ "New Zealander of the Year - Kiwibank". www.kiwibank.co.nz. Archived from the original on 25 February 2016. Retrieved 17 February 2016.
  4. ^ a b c d e Gadd, David (4 February 2010). "From streetkid to New Zealander of the Year". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 3 February 2014.
  5. ^ a b c d e "Scientist named NZer of the year". Otago Daily Times. 3 April 2011. Retrieved 3 April 2021.
  6. ^ a b c d e "Sam Johnson named young NZer of year". The Press. 17 February 2012. Retrieved 3 April 2021.
  7. ^ "New Zealander of the Year". nzawards.org.nz. Retrieved 17 February 2016.
  8. ^ a b c d Garrick, Moana Tapaleao, Gia (17 February 2016). "Richie McCaw named New Zealander of the year". The New Zealand Herald. ISSN 1170-0777. Retrieved 17 February 2016.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  9. ^ a b c d e "Director Taika Waititi wins New Zealander of the Year award". Stuff.
  10. ^ "New Zealander of the Year". nzawards.org.nz. Retrieved 27 January 2019.
  11. ^ a b "New Zealander of the Year". nzawards.org.nz. Retrieved 21 February 2020.
  12. ^ "New Zealander of the Year". tvnz.co.nz. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  13. ^ a b c d e Daly, Michael (31 March 2022). "New Zealander of the Year 2022 - here is a full list of the winners". Stuff. Retrieved 31 March 2022.
  14. ^ Jack, Amberleigh (30 March 2023). "Live: Kiwibank New Zealander of the Year Awards, Ngā Tohu Pou Kōhure o Aotearoa". Stuff.
  15. ^ Jamieson, Debbie (27 March 2024). "Climate scientist Dr Jim Salinger named Kiwibank New Zealander of the Year". Stuff. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
  16. ^ a b "Category Criteria | New Zealander of the Year Awards". nzawards.org.nz. Retrieved 4 April 2021.
  17. ^ "2013 Coca-Cola Amatil Young New Zealander of the Year Winner". NZAwards.org.nz. Archived from the original on 20 February 2014. Retrieved 3 February 2014.
  18. ^ "Young New Zealander of the Year". nzawards.org.nz. Retrieved 17 February 2016.
  19. ^ "Young New Zealander of the Year". nzawards.org.nz. Retrieved 27 January 2019.
  20. ^ a b "Young New Zealander of the Year". nzawards.org.nz. Retrieved 21 February 2020.
  21. ^ "2013 Countdown Senior New Zealander of the Year Winner". NZAwards.org.nz. Archived from the original on 20 February 2014. Retrieved 3 February 2014.
  22. ^ "Senior New Zealander of the Year". nzawards.org.nz. Retrieved 17 February 2016.
  23. ^ "Senior New Zealander of the Year". nzawards.org.nz. Retrieved 27 January 2019.
  24. ^ a b "Senior New Zealander of the Year". nzawards.org.nz. Retrieved 21 February 2020.
  25. ^ "2013 Kiwibank Local Hero of the Year Winner". NZAwards.org.nz. Archived from the original on 20 February 2014. Retrieved 3 February 2014.
  26. ^ "New Zealand Local Hero". nzawards.org.nz. Archived from the original on 24 February 2016. Retrieved 17 February 2016.
  27. ^ "New Zealand Local Hero of the Year". nzawards.org.nz. Retrieved 27 January 2019.
  28. ^ a b "New Zealand Local Hero of the Year". nzawards.org.nz. Retrieved 21 February 2020.
  29. ^ "2013 Mitre 10 Community of the Year Winner". NZAwards.org.nz. Archived from the original on 20 February 2014. Retrieved 3 February 2014.
  30. ^ "New Zealand Community of the Year". nzawards.org.nz. Retrieved 17 February 2016.
  31. ^ "McCaw New Zealander of the Year". Stuff. Retrieved 17 February 2016.
  32. ^ "New Zealand Community of the Year". nzawards.org.nz. Retrieved 27 January 2019.
  33. ^ a b "New Zealand Community of the Year". nzawards.org.nz. Retrieved 21 February 2020.
  34. ^ "New Zealand Innovator of the Year". nzawards.org.nz. Retrieved 17 February 2016.
  35. ^ "New Zealand Innovator of the Year". nzawards.org.nz. Retrieved 19 February 2016.
  36. ^ "New Zealand Innovator of the Year". nzawards.org.nz. Retrieved 27 January 2019.
  37. ^ a b "New Zealand Innovator of the Year". nzawards.org.nz. Retrieved 21 February 2020.
  38. ^ a b c "About". nzawards.org.nz. Retrieved 4 April 2021.
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