Aotearoa-New Zealand Spirit of Service Award winners announced

Outstanding public sector achievement in Aotearoa-New Zealand has been recognised in this year’s Te Hāpai Hāpori/Spirit of Service Awards, presented at Te Papa in Wellington on 9 November.

New Zealand State Services Commissioner and ANZSOG Chair, Peter Hughes, said that the achievements of the winners and finalists, nominated from across the public sector had made him proud of what the nation had achieved, particularly in its response to COVID-19.

“This year has been extraordinary due to COVID-19 and the finalists included a number who have done absolutely exemplary work to support our nationwide response and recovery efforts,” he said.

“The judges were extremely impressed with the quality of entries, which demonstrated not only public sector excellence but also a spirit of service to the community.”

The Awards are made across five categories: Te Tohu mō ngā Hua E Pai Ake Ana/Better Outcomes Award; Te Tohu mō te Ratonga Whakahirahira/Service Excellence Award; Te Tohu mō te Tūhonotanga a Ngāi Māori me te Karauna/ Māori Crown Relationships Award; Te Tohu mō te Kaiārahi Mahi Whakahaere/ Leadership in Governance Award; Te Tohu mō te Kaiārahi Rangatahi o te Tau/Young Leader of the Year Award.

ANZSOG board member Dame Karen Sewell presented the Māori Crown Relationships Award, which was awarded to the Kāinga Ora / Homes and Communities program run by Te Runanga O Toa Rangitira (Ngāti Toa)/ Ministry of Housing and Urban Development and Ministry of Social Development.

The program strengthens Ngāti Toa’s capacity in their role, and as a housing provider complements the community and primary health Ngāti Toa has been delivering within Porirua for 30 years. They have developed a modern, future-focused partnershipthat will help iwi meet their housing aspirations. The partnership is based on a shared vision of enabling a thriving community, that’s returning whenua to iwi and devolving management of assets to improve intergenerational wellbeing and the health of mokopuna.

The other award winners were:

Te Tohu mō te Ratonga Whakahirahira/ Service Excellence Award: Ministry of Justice with New Zealand Police and Ara Poutama Aotearoa – Department of Corrections, for delivering justice services in support of the Christchurch Mosques sentencing
Te Tohu mō ngā Hua E Pai Ake Ana/Better Outcomes Award: Jointly awarded to the Ministry of Social Development (MSD) for its rapid response to COVID-19 and the MSD, Inland Revenue, Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment and the Treasury for supporting New Zealand businesses during the COVID-19 lockdown
Te Tohu mō te Kaiārahi Mahi Whakahaere/ Leadership in Governance Award: Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency, KiwiRail, the North Canterbury Transport Infrastructure Recovery Alliance and Te Rūnanga o Kaikōura for the Moving Mountains Kaikōura infrastructure project.
Te Tohu mō te Kaiārahi Rangatahi o te Tau/Young Leader of the Year Award: Hashmatullah Lafraie, Junior Counsel – Specialist Advisor at the Ministry of Justice for exemplifying the highest standards of personal integrity and providing cultural advice in the wake of the Christchurch Mosque attack.

This year, there were also two special awards, the Prime Minister’s Award awarded to one of the winners of the five categories, and the Lifetime Achievement Award, which is presented to honour an exceptional contribution to their community and who exemplifies a spirit of service.

The Prime Minister’s Award was won by Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency, KiwiRail, the North Canterbury Transport Infrastructure Recovery Alliance and Te Rūnanga o Kaikōura who together delivered the ‘Moving Mountains’ Initiative, which delivered earthquake recovery and improvements.

The winners of the Leadership in Governance Award took a transparent and innovative approach to governance that delivered a hugely complex and challenging project. They introduced one governance structure that also brought in private sector partners. The Board adopted a kaupapa of people first, recognised local iwi as a Treaty of Waitangi partner, integrated the project into the community and focused on results that delivered value for money and openly shared information and risk. This model of governance of large infrastructure projects is now being used across $6.8 million of work from Queenstown to Whangarei.

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said the Moving Mountains initiative showed the value of teamwork, putting people first, ensuring diversity, and placing the relationship with iwi at the heart of the initiative.

The Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Betty Hauraki who has spent 50 years in the public service with the last 20 at Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori/ the Māori Language Commission, where her drive and ability to weave people together has helped turn a small community event into one of our biggest celebrations.

The citation said that: “Betty comes to work every day motivated by a spirit of service to the communities and whānau she serves. She has been at the forefront of revitalising, nurturing and preserving the Māori language.”

“This year, more than one million people came together to celebrate Te Wiki o te Reo Māori/ Māori Language Week. That success is largely due to Betty’s dedicated, persistent and passionate work.

The full list of finalists, and more information on the awards is available on the Spirit of Service Awards website.

ANZSOG was a proud sponsor of the Te Hāpai Hāpori/Spirit of Service Awards.