The 2022 Dominion Post Wellingtonian of the Year Award
RECIPIENTS ANNOUNCED:
THE 2022 WELLINGTONIAN OF THE YEAR: RALPH HIGHNAM
The founder of an internationally successful business screening millions of women for breast cancer across the world has taken home the supreme award at the annual Wellingtonian of the Year Awards. Ralph Highnam said he was “absolutely staggered” to be named Wellingtonian of the Year at the event on Wednesday night. He also won the business category as the chief science and innovation officer at Volpara Health. He had dedicated his entire career to “saving families of cancer, in particular breast cancer”, he said. “I'm just incredibly grateful that people allowed us to actually do that mission of saving families from cancer on a global basis.”
Finalists were selected from nine categories: arts, business, community service, education, environment, public service, science and technology, sport and youth.More than 400 people attended the event at the Embassy Theatre.Highnam was recognised for his work in early detection and prevention through the AI software development which has become a leader in breast composition assessment, screening more than 13.5 million women across 39 countries.He completed a PhD in engineering science at Oxford University, focused on mammography image analytics and the quantification of breast tissue from X-rays.It was followed by seven more years of study, developing image processing systems before he founded Volpara Health along with three colleagues in 2009.“To honour the women in my life and save families from cancer – that’s my mission,” Highnam said.Awards event director John Dow said: “The combination of Ralph’s technologically and scientifically advanced creation, his business acumen taking his products and services successfully throughout the world, his personal compassion and commitment to supporting women and their families in their fight against cancer, make him a stand-out Wellingtonian of the Year recipient.”
THE JEMIMA GAZLEY SPIRIT OF WELLINGTON AWARD: DOROTHY SPOTSWOOD & SIR MARK DUNAJHTSCHIK
The awards attracted a top class field in the nine categories, he said. Philanthropists and multimillionaire property developers Dorothy Spotswood and Sir Mark Dunajtschik won the Jemima Gazley Spirit of Wellington Award. Together with his partner Dorothy Spotswood, Dunajtschik donated $53m towards the $116m children’s hospital and child health service, which opened last September.
Dunajtschik received just about every major business award in Wellington before being handed international recognition with a knighthood for services to philanthropy at this year’s New Year honours. The award was named in honour of Jemima Gazley who died at the age of 15 in October 2021, just eight months after being diagnosed with diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG), a malignant aggressive tumour in the brain stem. In the last weeks of her short life Jemima raised $750,000 through a Givealittle campaign, and donated the funds, along with her brain tumour, tissue and brain stem to Dr Matt Dun in Newcastle, Australia.
THE 2022 Post WELLINGTONIAN OF THE YEAR RECIPIENTS & FINALISTS:
ARTS:
RECIPIENT: SACHA COPLAND
FINALISTS: Lynn Freeman, David Hakaraia, Claire Mabey, Hamish McKeich, Thomasin McKenzie, Ana Scotney
BUSINESS:
RECIPIENT: RALPH HIGHNAM
FINALISTS: Finlay Thompson, Jeremy Ward, Jessie Wong
COMMUNITY SERVICE:
RECIPIENT:: BILL DAY
FINALISTS: Murray Edridge, Maia Mariner, Vaipou Saluni
EDUCATION:
RECIPIENT: CARWYN JONES
FINALISTS: Deb Gilbertson, Thabiso Sibanda
ENVIRONMENT:
RECIPIENT: PAUL WARD
FINALISTS: Melissa Boardman, Negin Imani, Ocean Mercier, Tony Stoddard
PUBLIC SERVICE:
RECIPIENT: ALISON CADMAN
FINALISTS: Serena Curtis, Dianne Grennell, Vaughan Richardson, Harry Stevenson
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
RECIPIENT: ROD BADCOCK
FINALIST: Justin Hodgkiss, Tarik Mallett, Tara McAllister, Tony Ward
SPORT:
RECIPIENT: LEWIS CLAREBURT
FINALIST: Kelly Jury, Ayesha Leti-I’iga, Ardie Savea
YOUTH:
RECIPIENT: TIANA METUARAU
FINALIST: Amelia Kerr, To’e Lokeni & Mannfred Sofara, Marco Stamenic
...............................................................