The Auckland-based Kea global team has grown the organisation’s networked database to over 100,000 – up from around 35,000 just year ago.
Led by global CEO Dr Sue Watson, Kea is on mission to turn NZ’s offshore workforce of 1 million Kiwis into advocates and champions for New Zealand. The roll-call of World Class New Zealand winners demonstrates how powerful that advocacy can be. Previously announced 2013 winners were Rob Fyfe, technology leader Geraldine McBride, publisher/cook Annabel Langbein, Argenta chemist/researcher Dr Doug Cleverly, scientist Dr Sean Simpson, Buckley Systems’ Bill Buckley and the founder of contemporary CSR philosophy, London-based New Zealand lawyer and professional director Judith Hanratty.
The two remaining winners were announced last week at the World Class NZ gala dinner at the Langham, Auckland. They were Supreme Award winner the Rt Hon Sir Donald McKinnon and Friend of New Zealand, Andrew Holden from Melbourne who was editor of The Press, Christchurch, during the earthquakes.
Details of all the award winners together with stories on New Zealand’s world class wine, tourism and art are all in the latest issue of NZ Management – special World Class issue.
The awards function was preceded by Kea’s Inspire events held in Christchurch, Wellington and Auckland, at which world class New Zealanders from home and abroad delivered inspiring presentations on how NZ can go ‘From Surviving to Thriving’. This year for the first time there were significant numbers of high school students attending the events, as the coming generation of high performing Kiwis to be inspired by current World Class New Zealanders.
