2009

Karen Walker CNZM is one of the most well-known and influential Kiwi fashion designers on the international stage.

Since founding Karen Walker in 1989, her brand can be found in over 30 countries, 200 cities and in 950 stores worldwide. Her collections are shown each season at New York Fashion Week, she has permanent showrooms in London, New York, Tokyo and Sydney, and her products regularly receive editorial coverage in international magazines such as i-D, Vogue, Teen Vogue, Elle, W and Nylon.

Karen was included in The Business of Fashion’s BoF500 as one of the 500 people who shaped the global fashion industry in 2015, 2014 and 2013. Phaidon has also included her in their book Sample, which curates the 100 most influential designers and Taschen included her in their book Fashion Now 2, which highlights the world’s most important 160 designers as selected by i-D magazine.

In 2007, Karen was awarded the Prix de Marie Claire for best creative talent and in 2014, was appointed Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to fashion design.

In 2016, Karen Walker’s ready-to-wear garments were certified Child Labour Free. 

Described as a creative force, Sir Richard Taylor KNZM is the Co-Founder and Co-Director of Weta Workshop, the world renowned special effects company behind The Lord of the Rings, King Kong, Hercules, Xena, The Chronicles of Narnia and Avatar to name a few.  

Famous for turning fantasy into reality, his credits to date include five Oscars, four BAFTAs and a raft of other international entertainment awards.

He was made a Knight Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2010, and named EY Entrepreneur of the Year in 2006 and Wellingtonian of the Year in 2001.  

Although Weta Workshop is the flagship of Sir Richard’s business interests, his business partner and wife Tania and him have also diversified into a series of affiliate businesses. 

Dr Craig Nevill-Manning is the Chief Technology Officer of Sidewalk Labs, focused on developing new urban technologies and working with portfolio companies to develop their engineering teams and technology.

Before joining Sidewalk Labs, he was the Engineering Director at Google where he founded its first remote engineering centre, and oversaw the development of products including Google Local (now Maps) and Froogle (now Google Shopping), as well as features of web search such as Question Answering and Web Definitions.

With regards to Google’s philanthropic arm, Craig also co-founded Google’s Flu Trends and Crisis Response projects, providing maps, imagery and a missing persons service.

Prior to joining Google in 2000, he was an assistant professor in the Computer Science Department at Rutgers University, and a Post-Doctoral Fellow in the Biochemistry Department at Stanford University. He is the author of 44 peer-reviewed academic publications, and was awarded a Career Grant by the National Science Foundation for work combining information retrieval and computational biology. 

Phillip Mills is the Founder, Owner and CEO of Les Mills International, the world’s largest distributor and leading creator of branded group-exercise programming for health clubs.

A former international track and field competitor, he attended UCLA on an athletic scholarship and graduated in philosophy. On his return to New Zealand, he became one of the pioneers of the international fitness industry and a driving force behind the popularization of the modern group fitness experience.

Today, millions of people attend Les Mills classes every week around the world.  Phillip’s business success and contribution to the fitness industry was recognized by the Australian Fitness Network’s Lifetime Achievement Award 2011 and the EY Entrepreneur of the Year New Zealand Award 2004.  

In addition, Phillip is committed to combatting global obesity and advocating for sustainable business. In 2007, he and his wife, Dr Jackie Mills co-wrote and published the acclaimed book Fighting Globesity – A Practical Guide to Personal Health and Global Sustainability.

In 2011, Phillip co-founded Pure Advantage alongside some of New Zealand’s most prominent business leaders to lobby for green economic policy. 

Professor Peter Hunter MNZM is one of New Zealand’s highest-achieving scientists and a global leader in the rapidly developing field of computational physiology.

He is best known for being behind the world’s first anatomically based computer model of the human heart. He is also the Founder and Director of Auckland’s internationally recognised Bioengineering Institute. He is the Co-Chair of the Physiome Committee of the International Union of Physiological Sciences, Professor of Engineering Science at the University of Auckland, Director of Computational Physiology at Oxford University and Director of the Medical Technologies Centre of Research Excellence.

In addition, Peter holds honorary or visiting Professorships at a number of universities around the world and is on the scientific advisory boards of several research institutes across Europe, the US and the Asia-Pacific region. In 2012, Peter received a Lifetime Achievement Award from IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society in the US. In 2010, he was appointed to the New Zealand Order of Merit and in 2009, was awarded the Rutherford Medal.

He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand and of London, among others.

Jane Hunter OBE CNZM is known around the world as the First Lady of New Zealand Wine. As owner, viticulturist and managing director of Hunter’s Wines since 1987, Jane has led the company to outstanding local and international success as one of New Zealand’s ground-breaking premium wine labels.  

As part of her commitment to the wine industry and her passion for research and development, she has been heavily involved in planning for the future growth of New Zealand’s wine industry. This has seen her serve on the Board of the Wine Institute of New Zealand, as a Foundation Director of the New Zealand Wine Guild, as well as Director of Plant and Food Research and NZTE.  J

ane has been highly recognised in her field including an OBE in 1993 for services to viticulture, recipient of the inaugural Women in Wine Award in the UK in 2003, made a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2009, and was the first woman inducted in the New Zealand Wine Hall of Fame.

She also has an Honorary Doctorate of Science from Massey University.