New Zealander of the Year

The New Zealander of the Year Awards, currently known as the Kiwibank New Zealander of the Year Awards, celebrate the achievements of New Zealanders. The awards are presented in Auckland in February each year, and were founded in 2010 by Australian Jeffrey John Hopp.

Categories in the awards include:

Dr Lance O'Sullivan was chosen as the 2014 New Zealander of the Year. O'Sullivan was rewarded for his community work as a general practitioner in Northland. He was chosen over two other finalists, Dame Dr Iritana Tāwhiwhirangi and Catriona Williams.

Sir Richard Taylor, the owner of Weta Workshop, was chosen as the 2012 New Zealander of the Year. A close friend of Peter Jackson, he and his company created all of the props, costumes, prosthetics, miniatures and weaponry for Jackson's epic The Lord of the Rings film trilogy.

Sir Paul Callaghan was chosen as the 2011 New Zealander of the Year. Sir Paul died the following year of bowel cancer.

Jamie Fenton was chosen as the 2011 Young New Zealander of the Year. She was recognized for her all-round abilities as a youth role model, outstanding academic achievements at an early age, and her invention of a classroom noise meter that was later developed and distributed to child care centres across New Zealand.

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