Public Service Day Awards 2026

Hilary Aikman has made an outstanding contribution to conservation and public service through more than 25 years of leadership, stewardship, and service. She has helped shape New Zealand's biodiversity and species recovery programmes, strengthened partnerships with iwi, communities, and stakeholders, and led complex conservation work in challenging environments. Widely respected for her integrity, sound judgement, and collaborative approach, Hilary has also been a mentor, advocate, and trailblazer for inclusion within the public service. Her leadership has helped build stronger conservation outcomes while empowering others to contribute and succeed.

Dr John Crawshaw has provided national leadership in mental health and addiction services, strengthening accountability, transparency, and the quality of care for some of New Zealand’s most vulnerable people. Through his statutory oversight and independent investigations, he has driven significant improvements across the mental health system, including reductions in seclusion and stronger safeguards for people receiving compulsory care. He is widely respected for balancing rigour with compassion, championing the voices of people with lived experience, and ensuring service failures lead to meaningful change. His principled leadership has influenced mental health practice and policy across New Zealand for decades. 

Cynthia has transformed opportunities for people in prison through her commitment to rehabilitation, reintegration, and human potential. At Tongariro Prison, she has championed access to education, cultural programmes, treatment services, and employment pathways that help people build better lives after release. She has also strengthened partnerships with iwi and community organisations, helping create enduring connections between the prison and the wider community. Known for her humility, compassion, and unwavering belief in others, Cynthia combines professional leadership with deep service to her marae and rohe, improving outcomes for individuals, whānau, and communities.

Dierdre Fell has strengthened the way government agencies support people seeking access to deeply personal information about their lives and histories. At Oranga Tamariki - Ministry for Children, she has led a customer-centred approach to the release of care records, ensuring people are treated with dignity, empathy, and respect when accessing information that can be emotionally significant and life-changing. She has strengthened the capability of services handling sensitive information and championed improvements that help care-experienced people better understand their records and personal histories. Widely respected for her integrity, professionalism, and commitment to developing others, Dierdre's influence has helped shape better practice within Oranga Tamariki - Ministry for Children and across the wider Public Service.

Few people have shaped rehabilitation and reintegration at Corrections as quietly and profoundly as Stephen. Through roles spanning probation, service delivery, cultural programmes, and employment support, he has helped thousands of people build the skills, confidence, and opportunities needed to move away from offending. Stephen played a key role in establishing Te Rākau Whakaara, a tikanga-based programme that became the foundation for Corrections' national Tikanga Māori Programme. A respected mentor, cultural leader, and advocate for second chances, he is recognised for his compassion, integrity, and enduring commitment to helping people create better futures.

Andrew Lockhart has helped shape New Zealand’s refugee resettlement system through more than four decades of leadership, collaboration, and service. Widely respected across government, community organisations, and refugee communities, he led the development of New Zealand’s Refugee Resettlement Strategy and has played a key role in strengthening settlement support nationally and internationally. His work has consistently centred the voices and experiences of former refugees and migrants, helping create more inclusive and effective services. Known for his humility, integrity, and ability to bring people together, Andrew has made a lasting contribution to the successful settlement of thousands of new New Zealanders. 

Susan Morris has played a pivotal role in protecting New Zealand’s food safety reputation and supporting billions of dollars in export trade. As the technical leader of New Zealand’s dairy residue and contaminant testing programmes, she has helped ensure market access for dairy products while maintaining public confidence in food safety systems. During the 2014 infant formula contamination threat, Susan led the rapid development of a testing regime that reassured both families and international trading partners. Respected nationally and internationally for her expertise, collaborative leadership, and influence in global food standards, Susan has made an enduring contribution to New Zealand’s primary industries and international reputation.  

John Nash has helped shape international tax policy and compliance in ways that have delivered enduring benefits for New Zealand. Widely regarded as one of the country’s leading international tax authorities, he has strengthened tax certainty, protected the integrity of the tax system, and advanced New Zealand’s interests in complex global negotiations. His work has influenced international standards on tax transparency, multinational tax compliance, and information sharing, while helping safeguard significant government revenue. Respected both in New Zealand and internationally for his expertise, integrity, and generosity, John’s impact has enhanced New Zealand’s global reputation and left a lasting legacy across the public service.  

Steve Walshe has helped build some of New Zealand’s most important data infrastructure, enabling better decision-making across government and research. He played a key role in developing the Integrated Data Infrastructure (IDI), a world-leading data asset that supports policy, research, and service improvement, and has been instrumental in building systems that underpin Census modernisation and official statistics. A trusted technical expert and mentor, Steve combines deep expertise with a strong sense of stewardship for the information entrusted to government. His quiet leadership, generosity, and commitment to public value have left a lasting legacy for Stats NZ and the wider public service.

Kalem is recognised for his exceptional commitment to community safety, risk reduction, and public service. In addition to his frontline firefighting role, he has led community risk and fire safety initiatives, built trusted relationships with vulnerable communities and helped strengthen resilience across Otago. Kalem regularly goes beyond role expectations, volunteering his time to support local brigades, community education, and fire prevention activities. Colleagues describe him as humble, professional, and deeply committed to helping others. Through his leadership, integrity, and genuine concern for community wellbeing, Kalem exemplifies the spirit of public service.

Mary has helped shape the technology foundations that support social services for New Zealanders. Over the course of her career, she has contributed to major transformations in welfare administration, from early computerisation projects through to the development of the networks and telecommunications infrastructure that underpin service delivery today. Her work on initiatives such as SWIFTT, national network integration, and critical technology platforms has enabled more effective and reliable services for staff and clients across the country. Widely regarded for her technical expertise, generosity, and willingness to mentor others, Mary has strengthened both the Public Service and the people who work within it. 

Andy has strengthened financial stewardship across the public sector through his strategic leadership, sound judgement, and commitment to delivering long-term public value. As Chief Financial Officer at the Ministry of Justice, he oversaw complex financial portfolios while ensuring that investment decisions remain transparent, sustainable, and focused on supporting frontline services and public outcomes. His work integrating financial planning into the Ministry’s long-term property strategy became an example of good practice, and his contributions to public sector accounting standards continue to influence the wider system. Known for his humility and people-centred leadership, Andy is widely respected for developing others and helping leaders make informed decisions. 

Heather has made a lasting difference to the lives of countless New Zealanders through her commitment to helping people overcome challenges and achieve their potential. Working with young people who are not in education, employment or training, she provides practical support, encouragement, and advocacy to help them identify strengths, build confidence, and take positive steps towards their future. Heather is also recognised for her ability to connect people with the services and support they need, bringing together government agencies and community organisations to improve outcomes. Known for her compassion, humility, and unwavering commitment to others, Heather embodies the spirit of public service.

For nearly four decades, Jackie has provided vital wellbeing support to firefighters, volunteers, and staff across Fire and Emergency New Zealand through her service on the Peer Support Team. Known as a calm and trusted presence, she has helped colleagues navigate personal crises, critical incidents, and periods of organisational change, often through confidential support that goes unseen but has a lasting impact. Jackie has also made significant contributions as an Operational Support Unit Volunteer firefighter, brigade leader, and mentor. Her compassion, reliability, and unwavering commitment to helping others have strengthened Fire and Emergency New Zealand and the communities it serves.

Anne has helped generations of New Zealanders understand their tax obligations and access the support and entitlements available to them. Through her work with Inland Revenue’s Community Compliance team, she has built trusted relationships with communities, including on the Chatham Islands, helping ensure government services are accessible to people in remote locations. During times of crisis, including the Canterbury earthquakes, COVID-19 pandemic, and Christchurch Mosque attacks, Anne provided practical support and guidance to individuals, businesses, and communities when it was needed most. Widely respected for her empathy, integrity, and people-centred approach, Anne exemplifies public service at its best. 

Bruce has helped shape some of New Zealand’s most significant criminal law reforms through decades of expert legal and policy advice. Regarded as one of the public service’s foremost criminal law specialists, he has played a key role in reforms to the Crimes Act (including recent foreign interference amendments), Terrorism Suppression Act, and the use of DNA in criminal investigations legislation. He was also involved in the development of the Search and Surveillance Act whilst working at the Law Commission. His subsequent work on that legislation has been instrumental in important reforms, including gang conflict warrants. His work has helped ensure government decisions are legally sound, evidence-based, and focused on the public interest. Equally respected as a mentor and teacher, Bruce has supported generations of public servants to develop high-quality policy skills. His integrity, expertise, and commitment to free and frank advice have left a lasting mark on New Zealand’s justice system and public service.