Public Relations Institute announces 2022 PRINZ Awards finalists

The Public Relations Institute is pleased to announce 38 finalists in the annual 2022 PRINZ Awards. The selection follows a rigorous three-stage judging model involving more than 80 senior public relations and communications professionals overseen by Chief Judges, Denise Mackay FPRINZ, APR and Andrew Pirie, FPRINZ. The judges assessed a total of 86 entries across all PRINZ Awards categories.

Denise Mackay says it was an absolute privilege and pleasure to work with Andrew to review such high-quality awards submitted this year.

“With the hangover of COVID prevalent in many of the submissions, it was inspiring to see so much innovation and ‘pivoting’ that took place – with the sole focus of driving towards those all-important outcomes. Our profession is often maligned as being either too fluffy or all about the spin. These awards prove we are neither. Every single entry – finalist or not, showed a range of thoughtful and well considered strategic approaches that had clear intentions on meeting business objectives. He tino pai tō mahi.”

Andrew Pirie concurs. “This year’s PRINZ awards has once again reinforced the important role public relations plays in supporting an informed society, strong communities and a prosperous economy. Although the number of entries was lower in what as a challenging year for many practitioners, the overall quality of entries was impressively strong. Clear objectives, deep insights, sound strategies, inspired creativity, solid execution and demonstrable results were all hallmarks of winning submissions,” he says.

The Public Relations Institute would like to thank everyone involved in judging the 2022 PRINZ Awards for their considered assessment of the entries as well as sponsors BusinessDesk, Communicators, Isentia and Robert Walters.

Winners will be announced at the PRINZ Awards Gala Dinner to be held at the Wintergarden at The Civic in Auckland on Friday, 20 May 2022. Tickets are available for purchase here.

The 2022 PRINZ Awards finalists are as follows (in alphabetical order by entry title):

• 90% for Canterbury – a campaign to vaccinate a region I Jo de Joux | Harvey Cameron
• A true digital celebration of the best in New Zealand’s technology sector – Microsoft Partner Awards 2021 | Alysha MacLean, Jamie Foote, Elle Ifill, Andrea Jutson, Hayley Smith, Reilly Hodson, Alex Popham, Declan Podmore | Acumen NZ
• An Unsafe Proposal – making the case to retain regional air traffic services | Lisa-Marie Richan | Convergence Communications
• Building Stronger Futures | Michele Hider, John Hobbs, Theodora Despotaki | Priority Communications
• Collective immunity protects our community | Venasio Leilua, Amy Richardson, Kate Gourdie, Justene Taua | SkyCity Entertainment Group Limited
• Emissions Reduction Plan Public Consultation | Mikaela Bossley, Chelsea Cormack – Wright | Ministry for the Environment
• Fire gets real, fast! Seven Sharp Live House Fire Burn | Nicky Chilton, Jess Chaplin, Kelley Toy, Janaya Soma | Fire and Emergency New Zealand
• Hello NP | Jacqueline Baker, Ben Kohlis, Aaron Bolsem, Meghan Riddick | New Plymouth District Council
• Helping Business Get Through | Melanie McKay, Michael Briggs | EMA
• How Stake took RKLB to the moon! | Alysha MacLean, Desmond Nash, Jamie Foote, Hayley Smith, Reilly Hodson | Acumen
• In Timaru, we recycle topless | Michele Hider, John Hobbs, Megan Gnad, Rebekah Hider | Priority Communications
• La Dolce Vita with Malfy Gin | Nicole Haysom | DARKHORSE
• Mitre 10 Pot Recycle | Adelle Keely, Amy Wallis, Jon Johansson, Sean Ryan, Lisa Wilson | Acumen NZ
• Nature calls, and so did a pandemic- How Palmy conducted its biggest consultation ever, in the midst of national lockdowns | Olivia Wix | Palmerston North City Council
• Ōkārito GorseBusters | Aaron Rees | Development West Coast
• Ordered from here |  Brianna Elder, Patricia Greig, Sean Brown, Simon Kenny | Mango Communications
• Ordered from here at Fieldays | Brianna Elder, Patricia Greig, Sean Brown, Simon Kenny | Mango Communications
• Park & Vax | Libby Middlebrook, Helen Twose | Auckland Airport
• Seeing ourselves – a very Pacific COVID response | Jo Scott, Emily Spink, Donovan Ryan, Eboni Hill | Great Scott
• Summer Water Use: How Palmy turned off the tap on water restrictions | Olivia Wix, Jessica Ballinger | Palmerston North City Council
• The FMA and online investing – “Live and Let DIY” | Louise Nicholson, Jessamy Malcolm-Cowper, Andrew Park, Chris Daniels, Torben Akel, Campbell Gibson | Financial Markets Authority (FMA) – Te Mana Tātai Hokohoko
• Waiharara fire –keeping a community safe and engaged over a long-duration emergency | Jess Chaplin, Andree Kai Fong, Michele Poole, Gabrielle Cus, Catherine Leckie, Chelsea Johnson, Nickkita Lau, Jackie Maher, Nicky Chilton | Fire and Emergency
• What’s next Waipā? | Charlotte Fitzpatrick, Regan Schoultz, Natalia Pepperell, Karen Cousins, Claire Culph, Amber Diprose |Waipā District Council
• When Nature Calls, but there’s also a pandemic | Olivia Wix | Palmerston North City Council

Sally Logan- Milne Young Practitioner of the Year Award

• Annabelle Wrigley |Link Alliance
• Brooke Hurndell | Spark New Zealand
• Emma Ward | Senate SHJ

All entrants of the ‘BusinessDesk PR Consultancy of the Year’ and ‘Communicators PR In-house Team of the Year’ are considered finalists due to the high calibre of the entries and the nature of the awards.

Gold winners of all categories (except BusinessDesk Consultancy of the Year, Communicators PR In-house Team of the Year, and Sally Logan-Milne Young Practitioner of the Year) are eligible for the coveted ‘Supreme Award’.