Dame Julie Chapman, a leading force in Aotearoa New Zealand’s charitable sector, has had an impactful year driving KidsCan and Pet Refuge, both nationally significant charities that offer hope and practical support. Her personal commitment to addressing two of New Zealand’s biggest social issues – child poverty and family violence – is evident in her choice to invest part of her inheritance into Pet Refuge, New Zealand’s first purpose-built facility which provides temporary shelter for pets affected by family violence. Recently recognised as a Dame Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit, Dame Julie’s dedication, and ability to transform compassion into concrete action continue to inspire.

Over the years, Dame Julie has reshaped conversations about social issues, creating scalable solutions that directly address community needs. KidsCan, born from her observation of children missing school due to a lack of essentials, now supports Tamariki across 1,500+ schools and early childhood centres. Meanwhile, Pet Refuge has provided over 69,000 nights of safety for 745 pets since opening in 2021, testament to the urgency of its kaupapa. Always looking to the future, Dame Julie continues to explore growth and expansion opportunities for both charities

Rod Drury (Ngāi Tahu), pioneering entrepreneur and founder of Xero, continues to shape Aotearoa New Zealand’s technology landscape through innovation, investment, and mentorship. Rod is driving sustainable, future-focused innovation while empowering a new generation of Kiwi tech leaders to think boldly and globally. More recently has been focussed on venture philanthropy and funding a significant number of public good infrastructure projects.

Beyond his business achievements, Rod’s leadership and philanthropy have left a lasting imprint on New Zealand’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. Recognised as EY New Zealand Entrepreneur of the Year, Business Leader of the Year, and an inductee into the New Zealand Hi-Tech Hall of Fame, he continues to give back through mentorship, investment, and community initiatives. His legacy is one of vision and generosity – proving that success and service can grow together.

Grant Dalton has been a defining force in Aotearoa New Zealand’s sailing story for more than four decades. A seasoned yachtsman and visionary leader, he has competed in seven round-the-world races and revitalised Emirates Team New Zealand following the 2003 America’s Cup loss. Under his leadership, the team reclaimed the Cup in 2017, successfully defended it in 2021 and then again in 2024 – becoming the first team to ever win the trophy ‘three times in a row’. Creating America’s Cup history in doing so, reigniting national pride and cementing New Zealand’s status as a world leader in innovation and excellence on the water.

Beyond sport, Grant’s influence has delivered lasting benefits for Aotearoa. His leadership has driven economic growth through sponsorship, tourism, and global investment, while fostering inclusion in the sport through youth and women’s America’s Cup initiatives. By naming all Team New Zealand boats in te reo Māori and ensuring public access to event coverage, he has woven cultural respect and accessibility into one of the nation’s proudest sporting legacies.

Annah Stretton is a bold, future focused leader whose influence spans fashion, social enterprise, and justice reform. Over more than 33 years she has built one of Aotearoa New Zealand’s most enduring fashion brands, while consistently using her platform to create opportunity for others. As the founder of RAW Reclaim Another Woman, she has established Aotearoa’s first peer supported reintegration model for high risk incarcerated wāhine, meeting women at the toughest points of their lives and supporting pathways into housing, education, employment, and long term stability.

Her work is gaining growing international attention. The RAW Beauty photographic exhibition, along with her research informed advocacy, recently led to a plenary invitation at the European Prison Education Association Conference in Macedonia. RAW’s collaborative work inside the new Rangiora Unit at Waikeria Prison is also breaking new ground, demonstrating what is possible when lived experience, therapeutic environments, and long term transformation pathways are brought together. Alongside RAW, Annah chairs the Waikato Women’s Refuge, supports the palliative care charity True Colours, and founded Hopefish, which provides micro grants for women pursuing tertiary study.
Returning to university in her late 50s, Annah has completed three postgraduate degrees and continues to blend scholarship, creativity, and social impact to drive meaningful, systemic change across the motū.

Sonja Cooper, principal and founder of Cooper Legal, has spent over 30 years advocating for survivors of abuse in care, tirelessly working to expose historical injustices and demand meaningful redress. For nearly 40 years, Sonja has also represented marginalised youth who have offended, helping them navigate the court system. Sonja’s relentless pursuit of justice has included bringing court proceedings, making representations to the United Nations and the Human Rights Commission, and supporting abuse survivors to tell their stories. In recent years, this culminated in the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care, which acknowledged and decried the occurrence of torture in state care. The Crown responded with an apology and an expanded redress scheme. Sonja’s work continues, however, as she pushes for the nascent redress scheme to provide meaningful outcomes for survivors.

Sonja’s impact is far-reaching, reshaping our understanding of our own history and bringing to light the experiences of our most vulnerable citizens. Sonja’s willingness to operate for low or no remuneration reflects the depth of her commitment to this cause – her life’s work – which is also helping to shape law. With Sonja’s representation and unwavering dedication, many survivors have found a voice and some measure of justice.

Rob McCallum is global leader in deep-ocean exploration and philanthropic ocean science. Known internationally as “the Hillary of the Deep”, he has spent more than 25 years opening up the least-known parts of our planet, leading record-setting descents to the deepest points of all five oceans and mapping millions of square kilometres of seafloor. His expeditions have advanced global understanding of the hadal zone (6000m-11000m), enabled major breakthroughs in engineering, materials science, and biology, and deep ocean-mapping.

As Founder of EYOS Expeditions and Vice-Chair of the Nekton Foundation, Rob has helped reshape global approaches to ocean science by championing co-produced research with host nations and local communities. His leadership has supported historic firsts for a wide diversity of ocean explorers, revealed two new global ecosystems, discovered hundreds of species, accelerated large-scale conservation efforts and enabled a tide-change in ocean philanthropy . Splitting his time between international expeditions and pro-bono scientific work, Rob continues to mentor the next generation of ocean leaders while strengthening Aotearoa New Zealand’s deep contribution to understanding – and protecting – the world’s ocean.