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)

Young New Zealander of the Year
Nominees must be aged between 15 and 30 years of age.

Senior New Zealander of the Year
Nominees must be over 70 years old.

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.

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

Innovator of the Year
The category was introduced in 2014.

Environmental Hero of the Year
The category was introduced in 2022.

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.

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