We are delighted to celebrate with the finalists of New Zealander of the Year 2021 as they count down to the announcement of the winner at the gala dinner at the end of the month.

Eighteen legendary New Zealanders have made it from the original long list – featuring thousands of nominations – to the final three in each of their respective categories.

Individually, their stories serve as testament to their diverse, outstanding characters. Collectively, these are the people that make us proud to be New Zealanders.

We are delighted to see Ranjna Patel as one of the finalists in the New Zealander of the Year 2021 category and also in the New Zealand Innovator of the Year category. Wow, what an achievement!

TTF has worked alongside Ranjna supporting her work at Gandhi Nivas, a charitable organisation that provides early intervention and prevention services for men identified at risk of committing harm in the family home. In 2014 Ranjna set up a home for perpetrators of family violence so the women and children could remain safely in their own home, while men went to Gandhi Nivas to work on rehabilitation, counselling and behaviour therapy. The innovative approach supports men to change their behaviour, reducing the likelihood of further family harm and increasing safety for their families.

We are equally thrilled to see Trees that Count as a finalists in the Community of the Year category. Trees that Count is working with Kiwis to plant millions more native trees and count them when they go in the ground. TTC is a conservation charity bringing together business, community and everyday Kiwis, with the vision of helping plant 200 million native trees across Aotearoa.

Our co-founder Stephen Tindall was the initiator of the Trees That Count programme and is now the Patron. Stephen is a huge advocate for TTC and The Tindall Foundation has been funding the programme since day one. It is wonderful to see all the hard work of the Trees that Count team recognised and celebrated.

New Zealander of the Year Award honours the achievements and contributions of inspirational Kiwis who has made a big, positive contribution to our country this year. Their pursuit of excellent can be in science, business, the arts, cultural or community involvement, te Ao Maori, sport, education and health.

We applaud all the finalists. For a full list click here AOTEAROA, HERE ARE YOUR 2021 FINALISTS (nzawards.org.nz)