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 () University of Canterbury Young New Zealander of the Year () Ryman Healthcare Senior New Zealander of the Year () Kiwibank New Zealand Local Hero of the Year () Mitre 10 New Zealand Community of the Year () Spark New Zealand Innovator of the Year () Genesis New Zealand Sustainability Leader of the Year () New Zealand Legacy Award ()
New Zealander of the Year Year Recipient Portrait 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 No winner
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 2025 Nu'uali'i Eteroa Lafaele 2026 Lucy Blakiston
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 2025 Elizabeth Ellis 2026 Alan and Hazel Kerr
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 2025 Subash Chandar K 2026 Māhera Maihi
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 2025 Lake Alice survivors 2026 Safeguarding Children Initiative
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 2025 Emma Lewisham 2026 Craig Piggott
Sustainability Leader of the Year The category was introduced in 2022, and was known as Environmental Hero of the year from 2022 to 2024.
Year Recipient Portrait 2022 Charmaine Bailie 2023 Camden Howitt 2024 Nicola MacDonald 2025 Deborah Manning 2026 Mike Casey
Legacy Award The Legacy Award was inaugurated in 2024, and recognises an individual or individuals whose contribution to New Zealand over a sustained period of time has played a significant role in defining national identity.
Year Recipient Portrait 2024 Wayne Smith 2025 Mark Dunajtschik and Dorothy Spotswood 2026 Lynley Dodd
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
External links New Zealander of the Year Awards official site