About the awards
The Kiwi spirit is what makes this country great. It's the ability to think and dream 'big' that lets us punch above our weight; and it's that selfless community spirit and desire to help others that makes our communities strong.
Kiwibank wants to celebrate the Kiwi spirit, which is why we're sponsoring these awards.
The aim of the awards is to publicly recognise and reward the many outstanding individuals and community groups who are contributing positively to New Zealand through social, cultural, economic or environmental activities.
They could be from anywhere in New Zealand and from any field – arts, sport, community service, health, public service, environment, volunteers, tourism, business, rural, education, entertainment, science, technology, innovation, cultural development etc.
The details
The award categories are:
- Kiwibank New Zealander of the Year;
- Mitre 10 Community of the Year;
- Coke Youth of the Year;
- Ryman Healthcare Senior of the Year
- Kiwibank Local Heroes.
Each category will have one award winner. Each category will have three finalists (15 High Achievers).
The judging panel for the national awards will include representatives of all the awards patrons, presenters, sponsors, community leaders and independent experts.