Tonight, the sixth annual Te Hāpai Hapori | Spirit of Service Awards were held at Tākina Wellington Convention & Exhibition Centre.
The awards recognise initiatives that deliver great outcomes for people in New Zealand and young leaders who show outstanding innovation and leadership.
In her speech, acting Public Service Commissioner Heather Baggott said, “what’s special about the Public Service is that it’s often not about individual achievements – it’s about what we achieve together.
“This sense of community, of shared purpose, means we can tackle the toughest challenges and lift each other up along the way. And when we act together to drive for change and results, the ripple effects can be felt far and wide, from our biggest cities to the smallest towns and communities. This is what tonight’s awards are all about.
“We really are privileged to be able to serve our communities and make a difference every day. Although we do what do because we believe in what we do – at times, it can feel like a thankless task. Tonight I have the enormous privilege to thank all of you for what you do for our communities, every day.”
These awards are made possible thanks to the generous support of our sponsors ANZSOG – The Australia and New Zealand School of Government, DXC Technology Australia and New Zealand, Victoria University of Wellington School of Government, Westpac New Zealand, and Deloitte.
And finally, a huge congratulations to all the winners of this year's awards (drum roll, please)...
Driver Licensing Improvement Programme
Winner of Te Tohu a te Pirimia | Prime Minister’s Award
Winner of Te Tohu mō ngā Hua E Pai Ake Ana | Better Outcomes Award
The winner of Te Tohu a te Pirimia | Prime Minister’s Award and Te Tohu mō ngā Hua E Pai Ake Ana | Better Outcomes Award is the Driver Licensing Improvement Programme (DLIP), a cross-government and community organisations partnership involving six agencies: Waka Kotahi | NZ Transport Agency, Te Manatū Whakahiato Ora | Ministry of Social Development, Ngā Pirihimana o Aotearoa | New Zealand Police, Te Puni Kōkiri | Ministry of Māori Development, Te Manatū Waka | Ministry of Transport and ACC. The DLIP supports communities with low licence rates who experience significant impacts from not having a licence and the initiative has opened doors to many opportunities that a driver licence provides including employment, education, support for whānau and healthcare.
Read more about the Better Outcomes Award winner and finalists here:
The winner is exactly what public service is all about. It has everything. It’s a new initiative. It’s delivering great results. It’s great value for money. And it’s a collaborative effort between agencies.
The team behind the Driver Licensing Improvement Programme. Photo by Mark Tantrum.
Love Better
Winner of Te Tohu Auaha Hou | Innovation Award
Te Tohu Auaha Hou | Innovation Award was awarded to Love Better, a primary prevention campaign by Te Manatū Whakahiato Ora | Ministry of Social Development (MSD) aimed at fostering safe and positive romantic and sexual relationships amongst young people. Love Better took a radical new approach to disrupt and/or shift harmful discourses and behaviours around relationships that affect young people. The campaign successfully created a shift in knowledge and attitudes with 75% of young people saying they would seek help if they needed it (up 15%) and 80% of young people saying they now know where to go for additional support (up 20%).
Read more about the Innovation Award winner and finalists here:
The team behind the Love Better campaign. Photo by Mark Tantrum.
ACC's rongoā Māori service
Winner of Te Tohu mō Whai Ratonga | Māori Crown Award
ACC's rongoā Māori service was awarded Te Tohu mō Whai Ratonga | Māori Crown Award. Through their commitment to increasing equitable access to services and experiences that lead to better health outcomes for Māori, ACC has made rongoā Māori accessible as a form of social rehabilitation for kiritaki (clients). The initiative involved developing guidance for funding rongoā Māori within legislative criteria, building strategic partnerships and establishing a panel of mātanga rongoā (experts). Over 11,000 kiritaki and whānau have accessed rongoā Māori through ACC since the service began in 2020 and the value of the service has also spread beyond Māori, with non-Māori making up 42% of clients accessing rongoā services.
Read more about the Whai Ratonga Award winner and finalists here:
Supporting Māori Crown relationships through auahatanga, kōwhiringa and whakapūmautanga
The team behind ACC's rongoā Māori service. Photo by Mark Tantrum.
Tayla Yandall
Winner of Te Tohu mō te Kaiārahi Rangatahi o te Tau | Young Leader of the Year
The winner of Te Tohu mō te Kaiārahi Rangatahi o te Tau | Young Leader of the Year is Tayla Yandall. Tayla is a strong, intelligent, empathetic leader who exemplifies the spirit of service. As General Manager of Auckland Region Women’s Corrections Facility, she strives to provide a supportive environment and better pathways for both staff and the people in prison. Giving back and connecting through people has always played a large part in Tayla's work; she shows great empathy and emotional intelligence and always acts with an open heart.
Read more about Tayla and her work here:
Providing prison services that enable healing and support rehabilitation
Tayla Yandall. Photo by Mark Tantrum.
Paul “Woody” Woodgate
Te Tohu Oranga Angitū | Lifetime Achievement Award
For over 40 years, no-one and nothing has travelled between New Zealand and Antarctica without passing by Antarctica New Zealand Logistics Manager Paul “Woody” Woodgate.
Lorde, Sir Edmund Hillary, Princess Anne, Prime Ministers, bulldozers, helicopters, ice cores, avocados and buildings. No matter how big, awkward, fragile or famous, Paul can get it safely to and from the remotest place on earth.
However, it’s not the big names, or the time on ice that keeps him going. It’s the generations of Antarcticians – it’s always been about the people.
Paul started as a State Service Cadet in the early 1980s at what was then the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (DSIR) in crop research. A procurement role in the Antarctic Division came up in April 1981, and the rest is history.
As Logistics Manager at Antarctica New Zealand, Paul is responsible for getting everything needed to run Scott Base and support science in Antarctica.
Described by his colleagues as humble man with a heart of gold he greets dignitaries and everyday Kiwis alike with the same genuine warmth and care. While it’s not in his job description, Paul personally sees off every visitor and texts loved ones to let them know they arrived safely.
Paul has been recognised by the New Zealand and international scientific community and he received an MNZM in the 2012 New Years Honours. At 81°29S and 155°59E on the way to the South Pole there’s even a feature named Woodgate Crest after him.
Paul has dedicated his career to the service of others and is a worthy recipient of this year's Lifetime Achievement Award.
Paul Woodgate. Photo by Mark Tantrum.
