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2014 Recipients


Wellingtonion of the Year Winner

Steven Adams

NBA basketballer Steven Adams is doing very well with the Oklahoma City Thunder and now some of the pupils at his old school Scots College will get a head start in the game, thanks to his generosity and a potential $240,000 scholarship.


Arts Winner

Taika Waititi

Taika Waititi is an acclaimed writer, director and actor who has shunned the bright lights of Hollywood - except at awards time - to concentrate on telling quintessentially Kiwi stories about dragons, sharks and vampires, and sometimes real people as well.


Business Winner

Rod Drury

By all accounts Xero CEO Rod Drury is one of this country’s ablest entrepreneurs. Xero, which he founded in 2006 is doing great business all over the world – Melbourne, London, New York and a fresh new office in the UK’s Milton Keynes.


Community Service Winner

Janet Forbes & June Nixey

Janet Forbes and June Nixey lead the 'Shut-in-Stitchers', quilters who share their enthusiasm and expertise every Saturday morning to teach the craft to women in Arohata Prison. The programme has run for twenty years.


Education Winner

Fereni Pepe Ete

Fereni Pepe Ete is Head of Early Childhood programmes at Wellington’s Pacific Training Institute. She established Wellington’s first A'oga Amata – Samoan language nest – in 1985 followed by a training programme for its teachers. She is a staunch advocate for all things Samoan.


Environment Winner

Ian Armitage

One of Rimutaka Forest Park Trust president Ian Armitage’s big wins is leading a team that is reintroducing kiwi into the park, supported by trapping of stoats and rats. More than 100 kiwis now thrive in 3000 hectares of native forest.

Government Winner

Brian Arons

Brian Arons says he ‘likes helping people’. That’s putting it mildly – he’s clocked up thousands of hours as a volunteer firefighter and is now officer in command of the Wellington Volunteer Fire Support, 39 years in all answering the call of duty. Brian received a QSM this year by way of thanks.


Science & Technology Winner

Dr Swee Tan

Swee Tan, founder and executive director of the Gillies McIndoe Research Institute in Wellington, is greatly respected by the international medical and science community and his patients and their families for his pioneering work in vascular birthmarks and cancer.


Sport Winner

Steven Adams

NBA basketballer Steven Adams is doing very well with the Oklahoma City Thunder and now some of the pupils at his old school Scots College will get a head start in the game, thanks to his generosity and a potential $240,000 scholarship.


Youth Winner

Musical Island Boys

The Musical Island Boys are the current International barbershop quartet champions. Not bad for four boys starting out at Tawa College in 2002. In 2006 they became the first group outside the USA ever to win a gold medal in any international barbershop contest, winning the U25 category.

 
 
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