SUPREME WINNER AND

INNOVATION, SCIENCe & HEALTH

Jane Harding

Prof Jane Harding has spent more than four decades improving health outcomes for newborns. She assembles, supports and leads international multi-disciplinary teams to address critical questions in perinatal medicine through world-first research. Her recent work on the ‘Sugar Babies’ trial showed that a simple dextrose (sugar) gel is an effective and safe treatment for the approximately 10,000 babies in New Zealand each year who develop low blood sugar (hypoglycaemia). The findings, published in The Lancet, changed medical practice globally. As a result, 90% of New Zealand hospitals are using dextrose gel, halving rates of neonatal intensive care admission for this problem, keeping mothers and babies together, improving the rates of successful breastfeeding and saving approximately $7 million annually.

A Rhodes scholar, Jane’s honours include a 2018 Vice-Chancellor’s Research Excellence Medal from the University of Auckland, a 2017 Siegel Outstanding Science Award from the American Pediatric Society, the 2016 Beaven Medal for translational research from the Health Research Council of New Zealand, a 2014 Gluckman Medal from the University of Auckland, a 2014 Howard Williams Medal from the Royal Australasian College of Physicians and being named North & South magazine’s 2004 New Zealander of the Year.

The judges described Professor Harding’s achievements as exceptional, saying she’s left a worldwide legacy and continues to make an impact in her field.

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Arts & Culture

Jennifer Ward-Lealand – Te Atamira

Jennifer Ward-Lealand is a stalwart of the performing arts community of Aotearoa. Along with her professional work as an actor and director, she is also president of Equity New Zealand, co-founder of Watershed Theatre, co-founder of The Actors’ Program, a trust board member of The Actors Benevolent Fund, 2018 SPADA/Data Book Industry Champion, Patron of The Auckland Performing Arts Centre (since its inception in 2000), and Patron of Q Theatre (since its inception in 2011). 

Jennifer has recently worked as intimacy coordinator for stage and screen, where she is one of the pioneers of this important emerging field. She was gifted the name Te Atamira (The Stage) by Sir Timoti Karetu and the late Dr Te Wharehuia Milroy for her championing of te reo throughout the performing arts community. She has been awarded an ONZM and a CNZM for her services to theatre, film and television.

The judges called Jennifer a “beacon of light and hope” for the Maori language, and praised her support for fellow performers.

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BOARD & MANAGEMENT

Abbie Reynolds

Under Abbie Reynolds’ leadership, the influence and reach of the Sustainable Business Council across corporate New Zealand has expanded rapidly. Membership has increased by 50 percent during her tenure, now representing 30 percent of New Zealand’s private sector GDP, $72 billion of turnover and more than 128,000 employees.

Abbie was the driving force behind the establishment of the Climate Leaders Coalition in mid-2018. Since then members have made changes that are the equivalent of taking 264,000 petrol cars off New Zealand roads. Members have also jointly funded Climate X, an innovation workstream that is leading New Zealand toward Carbon Zero.

Abbie has also held roles on the Government’s Electric Vehicle Leadership Group and the Prime Minister’s Chief Science Advisor’s ‘Rethinking Plastics Panel’. She is trustee of VOYCE Whakarongo Mai. The judges praised her outward focus and willingness to help other organisations achieve their sustainability goals.

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Business Enterprise

Brianne West

Seven years ago, Brianne West developed the world’s first zero-waste full-range beauty brand, and the world’s first (and still the only) full-range ‘solid’ beauty product brand. Ethique has gone from her Christchurch kitchen in 2012 to being stocked in 2,000 stores worldwide. The business has consistently achieved 250-300% revenue growth, become a category top-seller on Amazon and gained international recognition. 

All Ethique packaging is compostable, all products are vegan, animal cruelty-free, free from palm oil and use little to no preservatives. To date, Ethique has prevented the manufacture and disposal of 3.5 million plastic bottles; Brianne’s goal is to increase this to six million by the end of the year, 10 million by the end of 2020 and 50 million by 2025. Brianne is also committed to donating 20% of Ethique’s net profits (estimated at over $6 million in 2019/2020) to charity. 

Judges were impressed by her clear business savvy and praised her company’s strong but sustainable growth.

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Community Hero

Swanie Nelson

Swanie is a tireless organiser who’s always looking for new ways to help her community. In 2018 she started the the Pātaka Kai open street pantry movement, which creates a community store cupboard where people take what they need and leave what they can. Launched in Otara, the movement now has more than 100 community pantries around New Zealand, with many more under construction. She is also working on a community supermarket project which would allow families to purchase fresh fruit and vegetables for a fraction of the cost of a supermarket. 

As the CEO of Lets Get Legal NZ, Swanie Nelson uses innovative technology to help young people get legal on the roads. The organisation has created New Zealand’s only apps to teach people what they need to know to get their full and restricted licences. Swanie is also the CEO of the Community Builders NZ Trust, and in that role she has led several major initiatives in her local community. These include the Cooper Crescent neighbourhood development, Otara’s Christmas Lights event and Pātaka Kai. 

The judges described her efforts as “fabulous” and said she was worth of recognition for working so hard for so long in the community.

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Diversity

Tapu Misa

Tapu Misa is New Zealand's first Pasifika woman journalist and an industry pioneer for women and Pacific people. She has had a highly influential career bringing Pacific current affairs and perspectives to mainstream New Zealand audiences and her specialist journalism plays a crucial part in broadening societal appreciation of diversity and multiculturalism. She has written extensively for The New Zealand Herald, been a staff writer for More (now Next) and North & South, and worked for Mana Māori media, writing for Mana magazine as well the radio side of the operation, including daily Māori news bulletins for National Radio. She spent eight years on the Broadcasting Standards Authority, one of four members who ruled on broadcasting complaints.

Tapu is the co-founder and co-editor of online Māori and Pasifika magazine E-Tangata. She has been involved in a range of community organisations over the years including the Pacific Youth Leadership Trust, Greater Potentials, and SHINE.

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Global

Anne-Marie Brady

Professor Anne-Marie Brady is a specialist in China's domestic and foreign politics, polar politics, Pacific politics, and New Zealand foreign policy. She is editor-in-chief of The Polar Journal, and has published 10 books and 55 scholarly papers on a range of issues. She is a fluent Mandarin speaker with dual majors in Chinese, political science and international relations.

Anne-Marie’s ground-breaking research into China's covert foreign influence strategy in New Zealand has had global reach and impact since its first publication in 2017. Her research was cited in an expert submission to the Australian Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security in 2018, and in May this year she gave expert testimony before the New Zealand Justice Select Committee. Anne-Marie is a Global Fellow at the Woodrow Wilson Centre in Washington DC, a non-resident Senior Fellow at the China Policy Institute at the University of Nottingham, and a member of the Council on Security Cooperation in the Asia-Pacific (NZ).

The judges praised Anne-Marie for putting the spotlight on the important geo-political issue of Chinese influence in the South Pacific.

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Public Policy

Debbie Sorensen

Debbie Sorensen is a health leader, CEO, health strategist and management expert specialising in projects that address the health challenges facing Pacific communities both in New Zealand and the Pacific. She was the first Pacific Health Chief Advisor to the Minister of Health in New Zealand, and was instrumental in establishing Tonga’s Child Cancer Foundation and the Moana Pacific Women’s Leadership network. She won a 2011 ANIVA Fellowship and in 2015 was invested as a Commander Royal Order Crown of Tonga, in recognition of her services. She was given a Life Service award from the Pasifika Medical Association in 2016, a 2016 Pacific Business Executive Award, and in 2017 she won the Tongan Business Council’s Business Excellence Award for Corporate Leadership.

Debbie is currently chief executive of Pasifika Futures, the Whānau Ora Commissioning Agency for Pacific families in New Zealand, serving 75,000 families. She is also chief executive of the Pasifika Medical Association; a director of international consultancy firm Health Specialists Ltd; volunteers as founding chair of Make a Wish Pacific; a trustee of the Fred Hollows Foundation; and a trustee of the Consortium of Tongan Organisations.

The judges praised Debbie’s tireless work as a leader, a volunteer and an advocate.

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Rural

Gina Mohi

As an independent Resource Management Act hearing commissioner, Gina Mohi sits on the RMA policy and strategic policy and finance committees, the Pekehaua Puna Reserve Trust, the Council’s Rotorua Wastewater Project Steering Committee, and the Rangiwewehi Charitable Trust. She has been instrumental in leading the Ngāti Rangiwewehi iwi environmental unit and volunteers her time as the advisor on resource management and environmental planning matters to Ngāti Rangiwewehi. Recently she was appointed as the first Matauranga Māori scientist to be employed by the Bay of Plenty Regional Council and regional councils nationwide.

Gina has recently led the completion of ‘Kaitiaki Flows’, a four-year-long, first-of-its-kind project that adds sustainability parameters for use and allocation of water from Ngāti Rangiwewehi puna, Te Waro Uri Puna. The findings that she has championed on behalf of Ngāti Rangiwewehi will become increasingly important in influencing decisions as global water reserves become limited or unusable due to poor water management practices.

Judges praised Gina’s work balancing competing tensions around the desire to productively utilise land while having appropriate measures in place to manage environmental and cultural impacts.

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Young Leader

Annika Andresen

Annika Andresen is a virtual reality environmental educator for BLAKE NZ, formerly the Sir Peter Blake Trust, reaching 20,000 students across the country. She was selected as the Blake Antarctic Ambassador in 2016 to 2017, working alongside the Sir Peter Blake Trust, Antarctica New Zealand and Antarctic Heritage team. She was working on conservation efforts on Sir Edmund Hillary’s Trans-Antarctic Expedition Hut for the 60th anniversary of Scott Base. As a volunteer Youth Enviroleaders Forum chaperone, Annika helped BLAKE raise money for the Red Socks Challenge.

Annika has guided more than 600 divers in her role as a dive instructor at Dive!Tutukaka, and in 2016 she was the president of the Auckland University Underwater Club, where membership numbers grew to its highest-ever level. She has also volunteered with the Northern NZ Seabird Trust and Ghost Fishing NZ.

Judges praised her resilience in coping with adversity, saying she’s destined to do amazing things.

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