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.

Categories

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

Year	Recipient	Portrait
2010	Ray Avery
2011	Paul Callaghan
2012	Richard Taylor
2013	Anne Salmond
2014	Lance O'Sullivan
2015	Stephen Tindall
2016	Richie McCaw
2017	Taika Waititi
2018	Kristine Bartlett
2019	Mike King
2020	Jennifer Ward-Lealand
2021	Siouxsie Wiles
2022	Tipene O'Regan
2023	Rangi Mātāmua
2024	Jim Salinger

Young New Zealander of the Year

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

Year	Recipient	Portrait
2010	Divya Dhar
2011	Jamie Fenton
2012	Sam Johnson
2013	Sam Judd
2014	Parris Goebel
2015	Guy Ryan
2016	Lydia Ko
2017	Rez Gardi
2018	David Cameron
2019	Kendall Flutey
2020	Georgia Hale
2021	Jazz Thornton
2022	Ezra Hirawani
2023	Shaneel Lal
2024	Simran Kaur

Senior New Zealander of the Year

Nominees must be over 70 years old.

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

Local Hero of the Year

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
2011	Billy Graham
2012	Henare O'Keefe
2013	Jim Morunga
2014	Cecilia Sullivan-Grant
2015	Billie Jordan
2016	Selwyn Cook
2017	Hayden Smith
2018	Ricky Houghton
2019	Pera Barrett
2020	Nick Loosley
2021	Shannon Te Huia
2022	David Letele
2023	Ellen Nelson
2024	Sally Walker

Community of the Year

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
2011	Gibbston Community Association
2012	Paeroa
2013	Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Trust NZ
2014	Victim Support
2015	Paihia
2016	Community Fruit Harvesting
2017	Randwick Park
2018	Canterbury Charity Hospital Trust
2019	Pillars
2020	Good Bitches Baking
2021	Christchurch Mosque Victims Group
2022	Matakaoa
2023	Kindness Collective
2024	Cyclone Gabrielle volunteers

Innovator of the Year

The category was introduced in 2014.

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

Environmental Hero of the Year

The category was introduced in 2022.

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

Legacy Award

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

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. Local Hero Medal recipients are awarded throughout December each year.

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.

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

"Ironic Start-Up To New Zealander Of The Year Award | Scoop News".
"About". nzawards.org.nz. Retrieved 17 February 2016.
"New Zealander of the Year - Kiwibank". www.kiwibank.co.nz. Archived from the original on 25 February 2016. Retrieved 17 February 2016.
^ Gadd, David (4 February 2010). "From streetkid to New Zealander of the Year". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 3 February 2014.
^ "Scientist named NZer of the year". Otago Daily Times. 3 April 2011. Retrieved 3 April 2021.
^ "Sam Johnson named young NZer of year". The Press. 17 February 2012. Retrieved 3 April 2021.
"New Zealander of the Year". nzawards.org.nz. Retrieved 17 February 2016.
^ 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)
^ "Director Taika Waititi wins New Zealander of the Year award". Stuff.
"New Zealander of the Year". nzawards.org.nz. Retrieved 27 January 2019.
^ "New Zealander of the Year". nzawards.org.nz. Retrieved 21 February 2020.
"New Zealander of the Year". tvnz.co.nz. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
^ Daly, Michael (31 March 2022). "New Zealander of the Year 2022 - here is a full list of the winners". Stuff. Retrieved 31 March 2022.
Jack, Amberleigh (30 March 2023). "Live: Kiwibank New Zealander of the Year Awards, Ngā Tohu Pou Kōhure o Aotearoa". Stuff.
Jamieson, Debbie (27 March 2024). "Climate scientist Dr Jim Salinger named Kiwibank New Zealander of the Year". Stuff. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
^ "Category Criteria | New Zealander of the Year Awards". nzawards.org.nz. Retrieved 4 April 2021.
"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.
"Young New Zealander of the Year". nzawards.org.nz. Retrieved 17 February 2016.
"Young New Zealander of the Year". nzawards.org.nz. Retrieved 27 January 2019.
^ "Young New Zealander of the Year". nzawards.org.nz. Retrieved 21 February 2020.
"2013 Countdown Senior New Zealander of the Year Winner". NZAwards.org.nz. Archived from the original on 20 February 2014. Retrieved 3 February 2014.
"Senior New Zealander of the Year". nzawards.org.nz. Retrieved 17 February 2016.
"Senior New Zealander of the Year". nzawards.org.nz. Retrieved 27 January 2019.
^ "Senior New Zealander of the Year". nzawards.org.nz. Retrieved 21 February 2020.
"2013 Kiwibank Local Hero of the Year Winner". NZAwards.org.nz. Archived from the original on 20 February 2014. Retrieved 3 February 2014.
"New Zealand Local Hero". nzawards.org.nz. Archived from the original on 24 February 2016. Retrieved 17 February 2016.
"New Zealand Local Hero of the Year". nzawards.org.nz. Retrieved 27 January 2019.
^ "New Zealand Local Hero of the Year". nzawards.org.nz. Retrieved 21 February 2020.
"2013 Mitre 10 Community of the Year Winner". NZAwards.org.nz. Archived from the original on 20 February 2014. Retrieved 3 February 2014.
"New Zealand Community of the Year". nzawards.org.nz. Retrieved 17 February 2016.
"McCaw New Zealander of the Year". Stuff. Retrieved 17 February 2016.
"New Zealand Community of the Year". nzawards.org.nz. Retrieved 27 January 2019.
^ "New Zealand Community of the Year". nzawards.org.nz. Retrieved 21 February 2020.
"New Zealand Innovator of the Year". nzawards.org.nz. Retrieved 17 February 2016.
"New Zealand Innovator of the Year". nzawards.org.nz. Retrieved 19 February 2016.
"New Zealand Innovator of the Year". nzawards.org.nz. Retrieved 27 January 2019.
^ "New Zealand Innovator of the Year". nzawards.org.nz. Retrieved 21 February 2020.
^ "About". nzawards.org.nz. Retrieved 4 April 2021.

External links

New Zealander of the Year Awards official site

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