The chief adviser to the Government on the Māori New Year, Professor Rangi Mātāmua (Ngāi Tūhoe), has tonight been named as the big winner of this year's New Zealander of the Year Awards.
The renowned Māori leader and Māori astronomy expert beat Rugby World Cup winner Ruby Tui, entertainers Dame Jools and Dame Lynda Topp, and former All Black and mental health advocate Sir John Kirwan for the prestigious Kiwibank New Zealander of the Year / Te Pou Whakarae o Aotearoa award.
The award honours the achievements and contributions of an inspirational Kiwi whose achievements have made a big, positive contribution to the country this year.
"Matariki speaks to the best parts of who we are,” he said as he accepted the award. (Source: 1News)
Previous winners of the award include microbiologist Dr Siouxsie Wiles in 2021, actor Jennifer Te Atamira Ward-Lealand in 2020, mental health advocate Mike King in 2019 and director Taika Waititi in 2017.
Mātāmua has been recognised for his continued efforts to push Matauranga Māori to the forefront, to better connect Aotearoa with the whenua and wairua shared by all.
The pioneering Māori scholar also led the formation of the country's newest public holiday, Matariki, which was celebrated as a public holiday for the first time last year.
Mātāmua acknowledged his loved ones, fellow finalists, presenters Toni Street and Scotty Morrison, and the event organisers as he accepted his award.
He beat Rugby World Cup winner Ruby Tui, the Topp Twins and Sir John Kirwan for the prestigious award. (Source: 1News)
"Matariki gave us a four-day working week this year last year," he joked.
"And in all honesty, Matariki is a period – it’s not just one day – it’s a period. In fact, you’re meant to relax, according to the Māori calendar system, for about two and a bit months so not too sure how you’re going to wing that one, Prime Minister, but we’ll see how we go."
He continued: "Matariki speaks to the best parts of who we are. Those stars are celebrated around the world, from Africa, to Europe, to America, to Asia, to the Pacific, to Polynesia to here.
"They mark when to plant, when to harvest, when to celebrate, when to come together, when the new year is upon us and they have always been a shining light within the history of humanity and today, they shine above us to mark the growth and the change of us in a nation, where we accept we don’t need to look overseas to understand who we are as a people, and to reflect someone else’s culture.
"We have that in spades, right here, and if we just open our minds and hearts to that, there is so much learning and benefit for all of us."
This year's University of Canterbury Young New Zealander of the Year / Te Te Mātātahi o te Tau award went to Shaneel Lal, who was on the frontlines in a fight to end conversion therapy in New Zealand.
"Being in conversion therapy for all of my childhood, I thought I would never make it out," Lal said during their acceptance speech.
They said moving to New Zealand in 2014 "was my lifeline".
"I was told New Zealand is a tolerant country. Well guess what? I’m tired of being tolerated. Queer people are nothing to tolerate,” they said as the crowd erupted with applause.
"I don’t want to be accepted, either. No one has power over me to accept me. It doesn’t matter if you accept me or not – I exist. Trans people exist and my people, they are human.
"There aren’t many old trans people like me because they are dead. Maybe it was conversion therapy, or the AIDS pandemic, or the fact that it was a crime to be trans, or hate crimes, or loneliness and depression.
"I want to be free – free from discrimination and hatred and debilitating fear of violence.
"When we banned conversion therapy, we moved towards that goal and tonight, I encourage you to be brave enough to keep going in that direction."
Another winner of the evening was concentration camp survivor turned philanthropist Sir Mark Dunajtschik, who took home the 2023 Ryman Healthcare Senior New Zealander of the Year / Te Mātāpuputu o te Tau award.
"I'm not a man of many words," Sir Mark said amid laughter. "My speech was by far the shortest and it will be here as well."
"I just want to thank Ryman Healthcare and all the judges and all the rest of the people that appreciate my contributions to the society and that's all I was hoping – to be appreciated for what I do so thank you very much."
Toni Street and Scotty Morrison presented the awards to Aotearoa's most deserving, while Aziz Al Saafin interviewed the finalists throughout the evening.
The full awards show can be watched here and on TVNZ+
The full list of finalists:
2023 Kiwibank New Zealander of the Year/Te Pou Whakarae o Aotearoa finalists
Sir John Kirwan
Dame Jools and Dame Lynda Topp – The Topp Twins
Professor Rangi Mātāmua
Ruby Tui
2023 University of Canterbury Young New Zealander of the Year/Te Te Mātātahi o te Tau finalists
Elliot Jones
Georgia Latu
Shaneel Lal
2023 Ryman Healthcare Senior New Zealander of the Year/Te Mātāpuputu o te Tau finalists
Marie Jujnovich
Sir Mark Dunajtschik
Professor Sir Pou Temara
2023 Spark New Zealand Innovator of the Year/Te Pou Whakairo o te Tau finalists
Emily Blythe
Robbie van Dam
Vaughan Fergusson
2023 MFE New Zealand Environmental Hero of the Year/Te Toa Taiao o te Tau finalists
Camden Howitt
Jessi Morgan
Simon Hall
2023 Mitre 10 New Zealand Community of the Year/Ngā Pou Whirinaki o te Tau finalists
Achieving @ Waitākere Charitable Trust
Pathway Charitable Group
Kindness Collective
2023 Kiwibank New Zealand Local Hero of the Year/Te Pou Toko o Te Tau finalists
Ali Muhammad
Dr Ellen Nelson
Maia Mariner
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