New Zealanders of the Year 2022
Recipients of the New Zealander of the Year awards for 2022 include a Treaty negotiator, a power company founder, an authority on the Ma¯ ori lunar calendar, AI designer, ecologist, health promoter, and a community that worked together to keep Covid out.
The awards, which celebrate extraordinary Kiwis, were announced at an online ceremony on Thursday evening. Past winners include Dr Siouxsie Wiles, Dame Ann Salmond and Taika Waititi,
Here is a full list of this year’s recipients:
Ta¯ Tipene O’Regan was named as the New Zealander of the Year 2022. His is known for his work in Nga¯ i Tahu’s Treaty Settlement, as an educator and as a public figure whose life has been dedicated to building an inclusive, bicultural nation.
Dave Letele, who is well known for his work aimed at reducing obesity among Ma¯ ori and Pacific People, is the New Zealand Local Hero of the Year. ‘‘Dave Letele is the founder of the not-for-profit Brown Buttabean Motivation programme – a free, gym-based weight-loss programme that has inspired thousands of New Zealanders to get fit and get healthy,’’ his citation read.
Young New Zealander of the Year is Hamilton’s Ezra Hirawani, co-founder of the country’s first kaupapa Ma¯ori electricity retailer Nau Mai Ra¯ , which was started with the aim of providing electricity to New Zealanders living in energy hardship. ‘‘Against the odds, he has compelled the industry to make systemic change,’’ the citation said.
Northlander Rereata Makiha, a renowned Ma¯ori astrologer and leading authority on the maramataka – the Ma¯ ori lunar calendar, is Senior New Zealander of the Year. ‘‘Rereata Makiha believes in the power of sharing knowledge and using oral traditions – korero-tuku-iho to connect and educate the next generation,’’ the citation said.
Soul Machines CEO and cofounder Mark Sagar is the New Zealand Innovator of the Year. Sagar’s citation said he was leading the way for intelligent, AI design. ‘‘From his R&D lab in Auckland he is generating an international reputation as a pioneer in the field.’’
Auckland ecologist Charmaine Bailie, who is overseeing large-scale environmental restoration projects, is the New Zealand Environmental Hero of the Year. ‘‘She uses her skills, humour and energy to support people and the whenua,’’ the citation said. The New Zealand Community of the Year is Matakaoa, from the top of East Cape. ‘‘The Matakaoa community worked together to keep Covid-19 out of its town, uniting in a shared purpose to keep people safe, they achieved exemplary vaccination rates,’’ the citation said.