# 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)
* Genesis New Zealand Sustainability leader 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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