1. Be specific
Avoid vague claims. Swap “helped hundreds of people” for “trained 47 rangatahi across three iwi”. Numbers and names land harder than generalisations.
2. Lead with the last 12 months
Recent impact is weighted most heavily. Open with what’s happened this year before providing wider context.
3. Show who benefits
Paint a picture of the real people, communities, or ecosystems affected. Judges score on purpose as much as achievement.
4. Back up your claims
Reference media coverage, data, or measurable outcomes. Evidence – including supporting links – helps judges score confidently.
5. Cover what they’ve overcome
What challenges, risks, or sacrifices reveal real commitment? This is often what separates a good nomination from a great one.
6. Finish with the future
What are their plans? How would winning this award amplify their mahi? A compelling next chapter strengthens any nomination.
Overall inspiration
Start with what’s happened in the last 12 months – what has this young person done that stopped you in your tracks? Be vivid and specific: the project, the campaign, the community they’ve rallied. Age is never a barrier here – show how this nominee is proof of that.
Purpose – who benefits, and how?
Name the people, community, or cause this young person’s mahi actually helps. Judges want to see clear intent and real human benefit – not just activity, but impact that lands somewhere meaningful.
Leadership
How is this young person showing other young New Zealanders what’s possible? Are they mentoring peers, building movements, or modelling behaviour that others follow? The most powerful nominations show a ripple – others act, believe, or try because of them.
Commitment
Young people often face unique obstacles – limited resources, being dismissed because of their age, balancing study or work alongside their mahi. Describe what your nominee has invested and pushed through, and what makes their commitment remarkable given where they’re starting from.
Proven impact
What has actually changed? Use numbers, outcomes, and evidence where you can – has your nominee grown a programme, movement, or community? Has their work been recognised, replicated, or reported on?
Long-term impact
Where is this young person headed, and how would winning accelerate their mahi? This criterion recognises that great young nominees aren’t just achieving now – they’re building towards something.
Overall inspiration
Open with a specific, vivid account of what this person has done – particularly in the last 12 months – that compelled you to nominate them. Don’t summarise their CV; show judges the moment or achievement that made you think: this person deserves to be New Zealander of the Year.
Purpose – who benefits, and how?
Be precise about who this person’s work actually reaches – not “the community” or “New Zealanders”, but which community, in what way, and to what effect. The more clearly judges can picture the people on the receiving end, the stronger this section scores.
Leadership
This isn’t about job title – it’s about influence. How does this person set a positive example that others look to, follow, or draw courage from? Show leadership that reaches beyond the individual, whether that’s within a community, a field, or across Aotearoa.
Commitment
Tell the harder story: what has your nominee given up, pushed through, or risked to create this impact? The most compelling nominations describe someone who has gone well beyond what could reasonably be expected – don’t shy away from the challenges.
Thought leadership and innovative thinking
What’s creative, unexpected, or genuinely original about how this person approaches their work? This doesn’t require a technological invention – a bold new angle on an old problem, or an idea others hadn’t dared try, is equally powerful.
Proven impact
What has measurably changed because of this person? Strong nominations bring evidence – numbers, outcomes, before-and-after comparisons, media coverage, or data. If impact is hard to quantify, describe what is specifically different now that wasn’t before.
Long-term impact
Share your nominee’s future plans if you know them, and consider how winning this award could genuinely change what’s possible for their mahi. Judges aren’t just recognising the past – they’re investing in what comes next.
Overall inspiration
Lead with what this person is still doing – and what they’ve achieved, particularly in the last 12 months, that made you want to nominate them. The spirit of this award is that age is no barrier to impact; let your opening reflect that.
Purpose – who benefits, and how?
Name the community, cause, or group that is better off because of this person’s contribution, and describe the tangible benefit. Judges are looking for nominees whose work has real and identifiable reach.
Leadership and service
How does this person model what’s possible in later life? Are they mentoring, advocating, building, or serving in ways that show others – of any age – what committed contribution looks like? Show how their presence raises the bar for those around them.
Commitment
What has this person continued to give, long after they might reasonably have stepped back? If they’ve overcome health challenges, personal loss, or other obstacles to keep going, say so – judges are looking for sustained dedication that goes above and beyond.
Proven impact
What has measurably changed, particularly during their senior years? If your nominee has created something enduring – a programme, a resource, a body of work, a generation of people they’ve helped – describe it in concrete terms.
Legacy
What has this person built, shaped, or changed that will outlast them? How would winning this award cement or extend that legacy? This is your opportunity to make the case for why their contribution deserves to be named and celebrated at a national level.
Overall inspiration
Open with what this person has done over the past year that inspired you to nominate them as New Zealand Innovator of the Year. Make it vivid and specific – judges want to feel the significance of the innovation before they dig into the detail.
Innovation
Describe the innovation clearly enough that a judge with no background in the field can understand it and appreciate why it matters. Don’t just explain the what – convey the spark: the insight or creative leap that others hadn’t made.
Need
What problem does this innovation solve, and what makes this solution unique? Is there anything comparable out there, and if not, why not? Judges are assessing whether it fills a real and meaningful gap.
Commitment
Developing something new is rarely smooth. Describe the journey – the time invested, the setbacks overcome, the financial, reputational, and career risks taken. What has your nominee put on the line to get this innovation to where it is?
Proven impact
How has this nominee clearly demonstrated a positive impact on Aotearoa through their innovation, particularly over the last 12 months? Judges want evidence of real-world effect: users, communities served, problems solved.
Potential
What is the opportunity this innovation represents – economically, socially, or environmentally – for an industry, the nation, or globally? Make the case for why this innovation matters beyond its current reach.
Leadership and legacy
How does this nominee embody the qualities of a great New Zealand innovator – courage, persistence, generosity of knowledge-sharing? What is their role in inspiring or enabling others in this space?
Overall inspiration
Introduce this group and bring their mahi to life – what have they achieved, particularly in the last 12 months, that makes them worthy of this recognition? Convey not just what they’ve done, but the energy and purpose of the collective behind it.
Purpose – who benefits, and how?
Be specific about the community, region, cause, or group this collective serves. How many people, in what way, and what would be worse without them? Judges want to see demonstrated value to real people – not just good intentions.
Commitment
What has this group put in, and what have they had to overcome together? Collective endeavours have their own challenges – coordination, funding, keeping momentum over time. Describe the dedication that binds this group and what they’ve pushed through.
Proven impact
What has measurably changed because of this community’s work? Use numbers, outcomes, and evidence where you have it. If their impact is deep rather than wide, describe what specifically exists, works, or is better now that wasn’t before they came together.
Long-term impact
Have they built something durable – a resource, network, programme, or culture? How would winning this award change what’s possible for them? Judges want to see work with roots, not just momentum.
Thought leadership and innovative thinking
What makes this community’s approach stand out? Show a group that hasn’t just worked hard – they’ve worked in a way that others can learn from, replicate, or be inspired by.
Overall inspiration
Tell us what this person has done for their community – especially over the past year – and why you wanted to put their name forward. Local Hero nominees often don’t seek recognition, so your nomination may be the first time their story is told publicly. Make it count: be specific, be warm, and let the judges see what you see in them.
Purpose – who benefits, and how?
Name who is better off because of this nominee – the suburb, the school, the group, the tamariki, the elderly residents. The more tangible and specific the benefit, the more clearly judges can trace it back to this person’s contribution.
Leadership
Local leadership is often quieter and more consistent than national leadership. How has your nominee set an example that others in their community follow or are lifted by? Show how their presence makes the community around them better.
Commitment
This is the heart of the Local Hero story. What has your nominee sacrificed, sustained, or overcome to show up for their community the way they do? Describe the dedication behind the mahi – time given, resources stretched, personal costs absorbed.
Proven impact
What has actually changed in the local community because of this person – programmes created, people supported, things built? Local impact is often deep rather than wide, and that depth is exactly what this criterion is designed to capture.
Overall inspiration
What has this person done for the environment, particularly in the past year, that inspired you to nominate them? Be specific about the mahi — the project, the action, the shift they’ve driven. What is different about our natural world, or our relationship to it, because of this person?
Purpose — how does the planet benefit?
Name the specific sustainability challenge this person is addressing — climate, biodiversity, water, waste, indigenous knowledge — and describe what tangible benefit flows to the planet, ecosystems, or future generations because of their work.
Commitment
Sustainability work often means taking on entrenched systems and long timeframes with no guarantee of results. What has your nominee invested — time, money, reputation — in pursuit of their kaupapa, and what have they had to push through?
Proven impact
What has measurably improved in the environment, or in policy, practice, or behaviour, because of this person’s work in the last 12 months? Data, outcomes, and measurable targets all help. If impact is long-term by nature, describe both the progress made and the baseline it started from.
Long-term impact
How will this person’s work continue to create change in the years ahead? Is it building something scalable, replicable, or systemic? How would winning this award change what’s possible for their mahi and the cause they’re championing?