TheNew Zealander of the Year Awards, currently known as theKiwibank New Zealander of the Year Awards, celebrate the achievements ofNew Zealanders and were founded in 2010 by AustralianJeffrey John Hopp. Nominations are accepted from the general public and a judging panel selects finalists in each category. The awards are presented inAuckland in March each year.[1][2][3]
The categories for the awards are:
| Year | Recipient | Portrait |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Ray Avery[4] | .jpg) |
| 2011 | Paul Callaghan[5] | .jpg) |
| 2012 | Richard Taylor[6] |  |
| 2013 | Anne Salmond | .jpg) |
| 2014 | Lance O'Sullivan | .jpg) |
| 2015 | Stephen Tindall[7] | .jpg) |
| 2016 | Richie McCaw[8] | .jpg) |
| 2017 | Taika Waititi[9] |  |
| 2018 | Kristine Bartlett[10] | .jpg) |
| 2019 | Mike King[11] | .jpg) |
| 2020 | Jennifer Ward-Lealand[11] | .jpg) |
| 2021 | Siouxsie Wiles[12] | .jpg) |
| 2022 | Tipene O'Regan[13] | .jpg) |
| 2023 | Rangi Mātāmua[14] | .jpg) |
| 2024 | Jim Salinger[15] |  |
| 2025 | Bev Lawton[16] | .jpg) |
Nominees must be aged between 15 and 30 years of age.[17]
| Year | Recipient | Portrait |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Divya Dhar[4] | |
| 2011 | Jamie Fenton[5] | |
| 2012 | Sam Johnson[6] | .jpg) |
| 2013 | Sam Judd[18] | .jpg) |
| 2014 | Parris Goebel | .jpg) |
| 2015 | Guy Ryan[19] | |
| 2016 | Lydia Ko[8] | .jpg) |
| 2017 | Rez Gardi[9] |  |
| 2018 | David Cameron[20] |  |
| 2019 | Kendall Flutey[21] | |
| 2020 | Georgia Hale[21] | |
| 2021 | Jazz Thornton | |
| 2022 | Ezra Hirawani[13] | |
| 2023 | Shaneel Lal | |
| 2024 | Simran Kaur | |
| 2025 | Nu'uali'i Eteroa Lafaele[16] | |
Nominees must be over 70 years old.[17]
| Year | Recipient | Portrait |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Eion Edgar[4] | .jpg) |
| 2011 | Alison Neill[5] | |
| 2012 | Malcolm Cameron[6] | .jpg) |
| 2013 | Ian Grant[22] | .jpg) |
| 2014 | Frances Denz | .jpg) |
| 2015 | Donald Sew Hoy[23] | |
| 2016 | John Russell[8] | .jpg) |
| 2017 | Sue Paterson[9] | .jpg) |
| 2018 | Kim Workman[24] | .jpg) |
| 2019 | Bill Glass[25] | |
| 2020 | Margaret Sparrow[25] | .png) |
| 2021 | Doug Wilson | |
| 2022 | Tipene O'Regan | .jpg) |
| 2023 | Mark Dunajtschik | .jpg) |
| 2024 | Bob Francis | .jpg) |
| 2025 | Elizabeth Ellis[16] | |
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] | .jpg) |
| 2012 | Henare O'Keefe[6] | .jpg) |
| 2013 | Jim Morunga[26] | |
| 2014 | Cecilia Sullivan-Grant | .jpg) |
| 2015 | Billie Jordan[27] | .jpg) |
| 2016 | Selwyn Cook[8] | |
| 2017 | Hayden Smith[9] | |
| 2018 | Ricky Houghton[28] |  |
| 2019 | Pera Barrett[29] | |
| 2020 | Nick Loosley[29] | |
| 2021 | Shannon Te Huia | |
| 2022 | David Letele[13] | |
| 2023 | Ellen Nelson | |
| 2024 | Sally Walker | |
| 2025 | Subash Chandar K[16] | |
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[30] |
| 2014 | Victim Support |
| 2015 | Paihia[31] |
| 2016 | Community Fruit Harvesting[32] |
| 2017 | Randwick Park |
| 2018 | Canterbury Charity Hospital Trust[33] |
| 2019 | Pillars[34] |
| 2020 | Good Bitches Baking[34] |
| 2021 | Christchurch Mosque Victims Group |
| 2022 | Matakaoa[13] |
| 2023 | Kindness Collective |
| 2024 | Cyclone Gabrielle volunteers |
| 2025 | Lake Alice survivors[16] |
The category was introduced in 2014.
| Year | Recipient | Portrait |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Sean Simpson | |
| 2015 | Peter Beck[35] |  |
| 2016 | Hyvan Anaesthesia Ltd[36] | |
| 2017 | Ed Gane[9] | .jpg) |
| 2018 | Team New Zealand design team[37] | |
| 2019 | Ian Taylor[38] | .jpg) |
| 2020 | Bill Buckley[38] | .jpg) |
| 2021 | Ranjna Patel | .jpg) |
| 2022 | Mark Sagar | |
| 2023 | Emily Blythe | |
| 2024 | Cecilia Robinson | |
| 2025 | Emma Lewisham[16] | |
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[13] | |
| 2023 | Camden Howitt | |
| 2024 | Nicola MacDonald | .jpg) |
| 2025 | Deborah Manning[16] | .jpg) |
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 | .jpg) |
| 2025 | Mark Dunajtschik andDorothy Spotswood[16] | .jpg) |
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.[39] Local Hero Medal recipients are awarded throughout December each year.[39]
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.[39]
In 2020, the executive judges were:
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