Dr Nikki Harcourt
CEO James Stevenson-Wallace & Nikki Harcourt
Dr Nikki Harcourt was a joint winner in the Te Tohu Tuhura (Charter a Course for Impact through Partnering with Māori) category. Nikki collaborated with external partners from the Hikurangi Bioactives Limited Partnership, Dr Damian Skinner and Manu Caddie, on a programme of research to support the ongoing development of a market for kānuka products in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Graeme Rogers - Lifetime Achievement
Graeme Rogers
Graeme recently retired after 50 years of service as a technician at Manaaki Whenua and its predecessors. It is near impossible to cover all the work that Graeme has been a part of during his career. However, those who have worked with him have benefitted from his wide array of MacGyver-like skills, know-how, innovation, and enthusiasm to help others.
Dr Sam McNally - Early Career Researcher
Sam McNally
Since completing his PhD in 2016, Sam has had more than 20 papers published in high quality journals. He is the co-lead on the Trees in Landscapes programme, working with a diverse range of stakeholders, to generate new knowledge about how rural landowners can increase biomass and soil carbon stocks, and directly contribute to the mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions.
The S-Map and S-Map Online teams - Success in Innovation/Commercialisation
Sam Carrick & Linda Lilburne
This team, co-led by Dr Sam Carrick and Dr Linda Lilburne, is behind S-map, the digital soil map for New Zealand. Begun around 20 years ago and ongoing, as of August 2024 S-map coverage stood at 41.2% of all New Zealand soils, with 73% of the most capable land (horticulture, cropping, and intensive pasture systems) covered. The S-map online website supports smarter decisions and investments, and now has over 13,000 active users.
The Whitiwhiti Ora ‘Data Supermarket’ team - Collaboration for Impact
Whitiwhiti Ora ‘Data Supermarket’ team Linda Lilburne and Nikki Harcourt
Dr Linda Lilburne and Dr Nikki Harcourt co-led the Data Supermarket project and Matarau tool, as part of the collaborative Our Land & Water (Whitiwhiti Ora) programme. The team developed a free public website, hosted by Manaaki Whenua, containing a single-format data repository of spatial information on social, environmental, and economic costs and benefits for a range of land use options, including information on vegetable, fruit, arable, animal, plant and tree crops sourced from grower, sector and research entities. Matarau is a user-friendly interactive tool designed to make the data accessible and meaningful for end-users, specifically Māori landowners.