World changing Kiwi

Annie Lewin is Google’s Senior Director of Advocacy and Head of Asia Pacific. She says technology provides an amazing growth engine for businesses, communities and individuals. But it’s important to recognise that not everyone has the same access to the opportunities and if we are not careful the most vulnerable parts of our societies are going to be left behind.

“When I think about digital inclusiveness and digital equality I think about the work we can do to ensure everyone has equal access to the kinds of digital skills they need to fully participate in society, to grow and develop their careers and to access government and other businesses services which are increasingly going online”

To help combat this inequality Google supports a range of organisations including the nonprofit SeniorNet. SeniorNet runs a programme that sees older adults signing on to teach their peers about how to use the internet for everyday tasks such as banking, emails, and online safety. During the pandemic and subsequent lockdowns Annie says the service became a key point of connection for many of our older adults. 

“We have had a couple of years now where the normal social connections have not been available in the same way. During the lockdowns we heard stories of seniors joining multiple sessions in a day because that was their only touch point with the world. When we talk about digital inclusion I think we often stop at the technology, but as always with these things it’s the people behind the technology and what they are doing with it that determines whether we are creating a society that is inclusive and equitable.”

The World Economic Forum has named Digital Inequality as a critical threat to the world over the next two years and the seventh most likely long-term risk. There are multiple organisations in New Zealand helping to bridge the digital inequality gap and one of these is RAD or Recycle A Device. 

RAD is a nationwide Not For Profit organisation which tracks down donations of old laptops and devices and refurbishes them before donating them to people who would not otherwise have access. Donor Liaison Rebecca Harris says her organisation sees first hand the difference a device can make to not just an individual but a community. 

“It’s not just giving someone a laptop. That device gives them opportunities, it helps even the playing field and it creates a snowball effect. We had a story recently of a person who was exiting a domestic violence situation and she had three kids and wanted to study online to improve her job choices but she couldn’t without a laptop. We gave her one, and that device is going to have a huge effect not just for her but for her ability to provide for her family.”

RAD was born out of a school project started by two students at Aotea College that has since been funded and rolled out nationwide. Rebecca says the programme is unique in the sense that it not only supplies devices to communities in need but also works with high schools in those communities to carry out the refurbishment work. 

“We collect old devices from businesses and send them to a professional company to make sure they are wiped. Then the two students who started the project, who are now both studying at Otago university, will come in and run a workshop with the schools on how to refurbish them, after that the school will pick up the programme themselves with on-call support from our team and the process continues. Once the laptops are refurbished we work with trusted community groups to make sure they are donated to those who will benefit the most.”

Of course being connected is about more than just having a device and South Auckland business owner Peter Elbourne wants to use his charity ‘equity in connectivity’ to ensure some of our more disadvantaged groups have consistent access to data. 

Peter is working on a model which would allow consumers and businesses to donate unused or rollover data to families who can’t afford the internet. His aim is to connect 2 million people by 2025. 

“When we did some research we found that students would say they had internet access, but actually they were tethering off mum and dad’s phone, so mum and dad had to have credit or they had to be home, not at work for kids to go online and do school work and even then the internet only lasted as long as the credit.”

Peter says a lot of kids don’t want to admit they can’t connect to the internet and giving them the opportunity to access the same resources as their peers is important for their feelings of self worth.

“Being connected empowers people. It’s like that saying ‘when the tide rises all waka rise’. Many of these kids are whakama (embarrassed or ashamed) about their lack of opportunities. They want to have the same opportunities as everyone else. Being digitally connected gives kids access to essential services, it gives them better cultural connectivity. It puts them on that path to a life of engagement with learning.” 

While the digital divide affects many sectors in Aotearoa one of the most affected groups are Maori and Pacific people. 27 year old Julia Arnott-Neenee is working to change that. She says she co-founded the organisation PeopleForPeople after hearing too many stories of people who simply didn’t have access to our largely digital society. 

“I heard stories of students sitting outside of McDonald’s to access free Wifi; of one device being shared amongst 8 people; of students writing essays on a mobile; of the deep isolation and loneliness of not being connected, and of the inability to access support which moved digital without considering those without access.”

Julia says a world where people are left out because of their inability to be part of a constantly evolving digital culture is a dystopian future she doesn’t want to see, however she says there are plenty of opportunities for Aotearoa to be part of the solution.

“A lot of levers need to be pulled at different levels to create systems change. What I want to make clear is that the responsibility is NOT solely on the individual. It is fundamentally incorrect to point fingers at communities and say it is their fault they are being excluded. There is a mammoth task to create the change I hope to see and many parties need to be working together to achieve a more equitable and inclusive digital future but it is possible.”

New Zealand’s opportunities in the digital inclusivity space is something that Kiwi immigrant Arash Tayebi is passionate about. His company Kara Technologies creates avatars which are used to make sign language more accessible for the deaf community, another group which can be left out by a fast evolving digital culture. 

He says the secret to creating digital equality lies in the public and private sector making sure they work closely with the communities they are trying to help. 

“We have been really privileged to work closely with the deaf community, we have tried to co-design our elements with that community and that’s a really differentiating part of our company. How closely the tools have been designed with those who are actually using them. 

Arash says that while the pandemic has increased challenges around digital accessibility it has also created opportunities. 

“Covid has forced technology to accelerate quickly, and when that’s the case it’s often for maximum impact, which means the solution focuses on the majority of people. This leads to minority groups being left behind. However I think New Zealand has a great sense of community, we have many communities here and we look after people. We have already been world leaders in a number of areas and the next one could definitely be accessibility.”

Architecture Van Brandenburg is a cutting-edge architecture and design company with studios in Dunedin and Queenstown. For the past few years Damien Van Brandenburg and his team have been focused on building a 120,000m2 corporate campus for Chinese fashion giant Marisfrolg in Shenzhen, China. Supporting thirty thousand employees, Damien says the campus is like a mini city and it’s design aims to mimic the natural world. 

“The design of Marisfrolg is based on nature and how nature can inspire architecture. We have the ability to learn from natural networks and use these to enhance our lives. For example the roof of the campus is created from leaf life shapes which form canopies, they collect rainwater and push it down a ‘stem’ to be collected and reused much like a plant or a tree would. There is a lot to learn from the way in which a forest, for example, will grow and adapt to look after all the species within it. We can learn from this when we think about the planning and architecture of our future cities. 

Damien’s designs aim to use as many recycled and sustainable materials as possible and he says the ability for New Zealand cities to adapt and evolve particularly when it comes to sustainability needs to be a key consideration for Aotearoa. 

“Nature is constantly adapting and evolving and changing to make things more efficient for trees and plant life. People have had to adapt a lot recently in response to the pandemic, and I think in future we will see that adaptation be applied to the growth of cities. For example could the cities of the future be grown entirely from trees? Could all our homes come from renewable materials such as mass timber construction which is all digitally fabricated? I think the challenges and opportunities are in adaptation. There is a huge amount of data out there to influence city development so cities of the future can really be learning from the cities of today.”

Making sure Aotearoa’s future cities learn from others is something which Professor Anthony Hoete (Ngāti Awa, Ngāti Ranana) is passionate about. Anthony recently moved back to New Zealand after thirty years of practising architecture in Italy, Germany, the Netherlands and the UK. These days he’s working for the University of Auckland using his expertise in optimal density housing to research ways to make Aotearoa’s cities more compact. He feels New Zealand has a number of opportunities in this space but it’s going to require a big shift in thinking. 

From Northern to Southern boundaries Auckland is 120km, whereas if you look at a city like London with almost four times the population it’s around 50km from one edge to the other. We have to optimise our density of living as we move forward, it’s the one major means to tackle the housing crisis. We have a lot of opportunities for infill within our cities, a lot of places where we can build up or create more compact living particularly around transport hubs. A lot of houses with empty roof voids. We need to move away from the quarter acre dream and get used to living closer to each other, yet living closer doesn’t necessarily come at a detriment to quality as we can design buildings for sunlight and daylight, for privacy and overlooking, to make the most of shared spaces.”

“There is nothing wrong with a backyard but let’s get rid of the side yard. Moving into the future we need to look at arrangements like terraced housing. High density housing doesn’t mean ugly cities. Paris, Barcelona and Berlin are all seen as beautiful cities and with citizens living side by side and above and below each other. We also need to question the relationship between house and car, we need to look at parking on the street – maybe walking 20, 50 meters to our front doors and I know that’s a bit of a pain-in-the-rain but accommodating the car onsite is really impeding our livable space.”

Along with the ability to increase density, Anthony says New Zealand also has a real opportunity to create less suburban sprawl and more sustainable cities of the future given our unique environment and our culture of embracing technology. 

“We can grow pinus radiata and spruce relatively quickly in this country given our soil conditions. Reforestation is a real opportunity. It’s surprising to me that given we have the capacity to plant the second-largest man made forests in the southern hemisphere (Kaingaroa) we cannot socio-economically exploit locally-grown exotic forestry more. We need to shift the entire housing supply model, embrace off-site manufactured processes with a lot more digital fabrication technologies. By doing so, we could minimise waste and upskill and increase the labour market and disrupt housing supply chains. 

Founder of the New Zealand Green Building Council Jane Henley says our building sector is one of the last sectors to innovate and when it comes to cities of the future, innovation and factory manufacturing within the sector will be key. 

“Currently the building industry is very bespoke, we need to look at how we can drive a manufacturing mindset. Innovation is key to sustainability and cost effectiveness. The more we can drive computer technology and bring that into the market, we will be able to reduce waste and reduce design cost wastage. If you build better buildings you in turn will have better cities.”

Another key consideration for New Zealand is how we incorporate our culture into urban planning. Deidre Brown has a background in Māori and Pacific architecture and says the cities of Aotearoa’s future must celebrate their place within the pacific. 

“Right now the University of Auckland is working on a project looking at how Tāmaki Makaurau would have developed into a modern city without colonization. If we can imagine that and build a model of that then we can start to think about how we could bring some of that back. I think cities of the future have to reflect the people living in them and also reflect the heritage. When they are able to do that they can better adapt to their environment.”

But perhaps the most important consideration when it comes to the cities of the future is making sure they are spaces people want to live in. Damien says he’s optimistic we can create future cities which are not only kind to the planet but also kind to people. 

“If you start imagining what future cities might look like, many people will have this idea of sci-fi futuristic cities which are often portrayed in movies. But I think more of an optimistic solution which I think is achievable. Future cities should have spaces, environments, and cultures that we want to be in, that are inclusive and fair. From a design perspective I want the foundations of these cities to be as welcoming as possible, I want people to be able to move through cities without huge congestion, to be able to make the most of things such as small-scale aero transportation. I’d like to think future cities will have buildings which can generate their own power and can be adapted to grow food, to allow farming to take place within a city environment. But overall I think the cities of the future need to be inclusive and welcoming, to allow people to feel safe.”

Chelsea trained as a sports physio in Sydney before emigrating to New Zealand in the early 2000s with her Kiwi husband. She worked in a physio practise in the South Island picking up work here and there with high performance athletes before moving to Auckland in 2011 to take up a role with the newly created organisation, High Performance Sport New Zealand. Then one day out of the blue the NBA came knocking. 

“I got an email from an American guy asking if I could look at some issues in their programme, that in itself wasn’t out of the ordinary as I did do that sort of work from time to time. But then all of a sudden I was offered a full time job and was moving to San Francisco and joining this crazy world that was the NBA.”

Chelsea says she had only just started to feel like a real ‘Kiwi’ in Aotearoa and the move to the US brought a fresh of culture shock, however as she began navigation her new role and all that came with it she was surprised to realise that the franchise were also trying to navigate their round her.. Specifically her gender. 

“When I first arrived I thought my ‘otherness’ was because I was a Kiwi, despite the fact my gender had been brought up on several occasions, I never really believed it was an issue. I had come from a place where being a woman and doing what I do wasn’t unusual so it took me a while to realise in this new climate I was in fact incredibly unique. I was told that the biggest hesitation of bringing me into the team was because I was a woman, and I thought that was absurd, I was like your biggest concern should really be that I know nothing about basketball, you should be concerned about the fact that I literally googled basketball when you offered me the job, who cares if I’m a woman.”

A female management role in the NBA in 2016 was rare, so rare in fact that there were no female toilets, showers or changing rooms. In the early days Chelsa brushed it off, preferring instead to focus on doing her job as best she could but after a while she realised that she had an incredible opportunity to change things for those who would come after her. 

“I started receiving lots and lots of letters from little girls – they see you on the television, and they see that you are there with the coaches and you are actually part of the game. Up until that point the only females they have seen have been dancers or entertainers. I would get these letters from girls and the fathers of little girls talking about creating pathways into sport science and it is impossible to not be touched by that. Once I stopped fighting and pretending that my gender was insignificant it was actually easier because I was able to become an advocate. I realised I needed to take this seriously, if I was being judged for being female, if there were no changing rooms or toilets for me, then I had a real opportunity to stop the next person from feeling like that, I had a responsibility for the people who came after me. That I had become a role and I was breaking stereotypes.. I realised I needed to respect that, because it’s a powerful thing.”

Chelsea was fortunate enough to be part of the Golden State warriors for three years in which time they won the NBA championship twice, she says being part of that moment was something she will never forget. 

“To watch a group of people be that talented and to pull it together that consistently not not just once but twice I didn’t think I can ever explain how remarkable that feels, especially because it’s not my win, it belongs to the athletes, I got to be part of it because of them, it’s not mine. That I got to experience that and be there is such a gift.”

However despite the amazing high of an NBA championship win (and the shiny jewellery that goes with it) Chelsea says her biggest career high was actually something she experienced off the court. 

“The highest moment for me was when I got to a place where culturally, I had learnt enough about my athletes to be able to serve them properly. It’s not just that we were different genders, they were also all different cultures and none of those cultures were mine. I honestly believe that to make a high performing person perform at their highest you really need to meet them as the person they are. Their motivations, their cultural needs, their family needs, their performance needs. After about the second year I finally felt like I was getting to that place, where I was reaching them at a level that was culturally appropriate. I wasn’t sure I would ever get there and if that was the case, then have I really served them? That’s not to say I know it all, I could spend another 20 years working there and not know everything, but to be able to understand where they are coming from enough to be able to give them what they need, that was my biggest high.”

After three years with the Golden State Warriors Chelsea was offered the role of executive director of athletic performance and sports medicine for the Atlanta Hawks. The Hawks had finished bottom of their conference and had the ambitious goal of turning their losing streak around with the aim of making it to the conference play-offs within three years. For Chelsea the opportunity embodied everything she loved about the NBA culture.

“They just kept raising the bar for you. Someone would say can you do this? How about this? Why don’t you have a go at that? Well if you did this then you must want to try that? The steepness of the learning curve is incredible but they support you and have so much trust in you. People expected things of me that I never even expected of myself that I had never imagined of myself, to this day it still feels a little bit make believe. But that was invaluable and it leaves you with this new look on life of why aren’t we having a go, why aren’t we pushing?”

“I went in as a high performance physio and came out six years later with a NBA vice presidency and I came out sitting in boardrooms learning the business of basketball because someone said well you have done that so why not give this a crack. They just keep pushing you and they place so much trust in you that you can do what they give you, further and doing more. when someone gives you that level of support it drives you.”

By the end of the three years the Hawks made it through several rounds of the playoffs to compete in the Eastern Conference finals, making them one of the top four teams in the NBA that season, a crowning achievement for the club. Chelsea meanwhile had been promoted to vice president of athletic performance and sports medicine. An executive position, and one of only two women at that level.

However the drive and opportunities came with sacrifices, the job was seven days and week up to 18 hours a day. And after three years in Atlanta, Chelsea and her husband were ready to come home. Right now she’s taking a break, allowing herself time to reflect on a whirlwind six years and the lessons she has learnt. Lessons she hopes to bring to her next role in New Zealand. 

“I think for me the biggest learning was around the organisation of people and how you set the bar for them. You have meet firstly as humans, if you do that there isn’t anything blocking us from connecting. There’s absolutely no reason why a white woman, half aussie half kiwi who knows nothing about basketball can go into an established organisation with all its history, and within four and a bit years be sitting at the vice presidency table when she went in as the physio. That shouldn’t work, but it did and I have had to unpack that a number of times. I think it’s because once you break it down it’s about humanity. It takes some bravery to meet someone as human because it means accepting you are one too, but once you can find that common ground with people then you can build up from there, while that might be a real challenge it’s also where the real payoff comes from.”

“I think in Aotearoa we can sometimes pigeonhole people. We say you do this, and this is what you are capable of and please don’t step outside of that. What we need to start saying to people is well how far can you go? What tools and support can we give you? Can you do that? Why don’t you try this? If you do that in your organisation everybody wins. It takes bravery and belief and huge amounts of human investment, but the payoff is that people will achieve things they never thought they were capable of. As a country we can only benefit from that.”

Kea is delighted to announce the six new World Class New Zealand and Friend of New Zealand Award winners for 2021.

SUPREME AWARD WINNER

Peter Cooper

Peter Cooper is a visionary leader with a reputation for iconic projects throughout the US, New Zealand and the world.. He is best known in New Zealand for developments such as Auckland’s Britomart Restoration project and Northland project, The Landing, which involved the extensive creation of wetlands, native bush and preserving areas of high archaeological value.

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FRIEND OF NEW ZEALAND AWARD WINNER

James and Suzy Amis Cameron

Renowned filmmaker James Cameron and Suzy Amis Cameron weren’t born here, but nonetheless, epitomise our mana and our Kiwi values.
With a real passion for New Zealand, the Camerons have helped facilitate and grown New Zealand’s global connectedness and have used their international networks for the betterment of our land and its people – advocating for our country with passion and pride.

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AWARD WINNER

Anna Fifield

Anna Fifield won fame for her exclusive access and insights into the secretive world of North Korea and Kim Jong-un, but her career as a journalist saw her reporting from all over the world.
Fiercely ambitious and proudly Kiwi she succeeded in upholding the highest journalistic standards in renowned publications returning to New Zealand last year to continue her career.

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AWARD WINNER

Neil Ieremia

Neil Ieremia and his dance company Black Grace have been telling our stories for 25 years, exposing our creative talent and exploding stereotypes about New Zealand and its place in the world. Taking Samoan culture and rugby’s intensity and gave the world a new movement that is explosive, dramatic and an expression of soaring athleticism.

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AWARD WINNER

Jane Henley

Jane Henley has been a global visionary in sustainable and green building standards and economics for more than 25 years, influencing business, finance and Government action in both developed and developing nations.
We’re pleased that she’s home to help plan a better future for New Zealand

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AWARD WINNER

Prof. Graham Le Gros

Could New Zealand become a global leader in cancer immunotherapy and vaccine development? Professor Graham Le Gros, Director of the Malaghan Institute, believes we can. And he’s leading ground-breaking research in therapies that harness the power of the human immune system. What drives him? Changing health outcomes for people, both here and all over the world.

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AWARD WINNER

Chelsea Winstanley

Oscar® nominated producer, and award-winning filmmaker Chelsea Winstanley tells the unique stories of Aotearoa with a direct approach that blends courage, humility and aroha. 
Drawing her strength from her identity and whakapapa, she has worked tirelessly to not only advance women in film, but to advocate for stories from Aotearoa that are authentic and showcase our unique cultural perspectives.

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Nominate

Do you know someone deserving of this recognition next year? Nominate them for the 2022 Kea World Class New Zealand Awards. Simply complete the nomination form, if you aren’t already a member, please make sure to join Kea first.

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“In order for us to have true story sovereignty, we have to participate in the intellectual property and concept, from the beginning, through to production, and right through to distribution. And we haven’t had that,” Winstanley says.

“So, that’s a huge driving factor for me right now, where I am in my career, and in the films that I want to make and want to put out into the world. I want to ensure that we have that sovereignty over every part, because if we don’t, we put the stories at risk,” she said.

Winstanley’s own story has seen her go from Bay of Plenty teenager to Hollywood producer. After growing up in Mt Maunganui, she moved to Auckland to be with her mother, where she fell in love with the potential of film-making after viewing Merata Mita 1980 documentary Bastion Point: Day 507. 

A young mother just before her 21st birthday, Winstanley took the opportunity to explore her mum’s Ngāti Ranginui and Ngai Te Rangi heritage, with weekly te reo lessons at her whānau’s marae. 

“Essentially, the kakano, or the seed, that was planted inside me, is what has informed me as a person. And so my grounding comes from that.”

Winstanley got herself through university, majoring in television, graduating top of the class, and winning media peace awards for her directing. She cites producing “Merata how Mum decolonized the screen” as her most successful film to date.

“I think I’ve always just wanted to say, “Hey, there’s another perspective. And it’s not always what we think the mainstream wants to say about us”,” she says.

“I think that’s why I always want to be involved in creating more of an equitable place for Māori to participate in film and television, is because of my grandmother being strapped in school for speaking Māori  – literally having her language beaten out of her.”

Her early success in film led to meeting her film-making idol, Merata Mita, working on Saving Grace: Te Whakarauora Tangata, a documentary about child abuse. Mita died before the film was complete and a devastated Winstanley was left to finish Saving Grace and getting it to screen in 2011, something she feels as her greatest achievement as a creative Maori woman.

Industry recognition for her work began to flow and she was awarded the 2014 SPADA Screen Industry Awards Independent Producer of the Year.. The following year she was named the New Zealand Women in Film and Television’s Mana Wāhine recipient.

Her CV continued to grow with co-production of the mockumentary vampire horror hit What We Do in the Shadows in 2014. She was also part of the team of Māori women behind acclaimed anthology film Waru, which featured in film festivals across the globe in 2017.

Winstanley collaborated with Merata Mita’s son Heperu to produce what was for her, an emotionally significant 2018 documentary, called Merata: How Mum Decolonised the Screen. The film is now available on Netflix.

“There’s so much important work that Merata was doing that really has been an encouraging beacon for us all to follow. She was just phenomenal, and it was a real honour to be able to support her son to make that film,” she says.

She was Oscar®-nominated in 2020 for her work as a producer on Jojo Rabbit and then returned to New Zealand where she announced the launch of LA and Aotearoa-based production company This Too Shall Pass — to tell “authentic stories with unique cultural perspectives”.

A recent project in August 2020 was the release of a short film made entirely on an iPhone 12Pro Max, celebrating the opening of an exhibition entitled Toi Tū Toi Ora: Visual Sovereignty, a celebration of contemporary Māori art at the Auckland Art Gallery. 

Chelsea has also recently been announced as a new member of the producer’s branch of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Winstanely is humble about her own success and values the efforts of those trailblazers who’ve gone before her and left the industry here in such good shape. 

“There are so many incredible Kiwis known around the world for working in this industry, and people – those big companies, all the studios, and all the performers, know they can rely on us, they know our quality is so high. 

“I think we’re a nation of innovators, and I feel like we are always up for a challenge. Not just that, but we’re really good storytellers. 

“Sometimes I think we’re too modest. And there’s a fine balance… We think we’re not allowed to celebrate ourselves, or only if they celebrate us overseas first, are we allowed to celebrate ourselves. 

“We have to learn to be a bit better about celebrating one another,” she says.

Awards
2020 American Film Institute Awards – Film of the year (joint winner): Jojo Rabbit
2020 Academy Awards – Nominated for Best Motion Picture of the Year: Jojo Rabbit
2020 Golden Globe Awards – Nominated for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy: Jojo Rabbit
2020 Producers Guild of America Awards – Nominated for Outstanding Producer of a Theatrical Motion Picture (with Carthew Neal and Taika Waititi): for Jojo Rabbit
2020 Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards (United States) – Nominated for Best Picture: Jojo Rabbit & Nominated for Best Comedy: Jojo Rabbit
2019 Toronto International Film Festival – People’s Choice Award: Jojo Rabbit
2015 WIFT New Zealand Film and Television Awards (Women in Film and Television) – Mana Wahine Award
2014 Rialto Channel New Zealand Film Awards (The Moas) – Best Self-Funded Film: What We Do in the Shadows
2014 SPADA Screen Industry Awards (Screen Production and Development Association, New Zealand – Independent Producer of the Year (shared with Taika Waititi)
2014 Toronto Film Festival – Peoples Choice Award – Midnight Madness Section: What We Do in the Shadows
2013 Hong Kong Film Festival – Firebird Award: Night Shift
2013 Aspen Shortfest (United States) – Youth Jury Prize: Night Shift
2013 Show Me Shorts Film Festival (New Zealand) – Best Film (shared with Matt Noonan): Night Shift
2012 Berlin Film Festival – Crystal Bear – Best Short Film – Generation 14plus section: Meathead
2012 Flickerfest (Australia) – ING Direct Award for Best Film: Ebony Society
2011 Aotearoa Film and Television Awards – Best Short Film: Ebony Society
2011 Cannes Film Festival – Nominated for Palme d’Or for Best Short Film: Meathead
2011 Chicago Film Festival – Silver Plaque: Meathead
2011 Brussels International Independent Film Festival – Nominated for Best Short Film: Ebony Society
2009 WIFT New Zealand Film and Television Awards – Woman to Watch Award