Auckland, New Zealand | Wednesday 17 September 2025 (19:00)

AI Forum New Zealand / Te Kāhui Atamai Iahiko o Aotearoa today announced the winners of the Aotearoa AI Awards, honouring excellence across research, implementation, innovation, impact and leadership in artificial intelligence. The Awards celebrate the talent, momentum and maturity of New Zealand’s AI ecosystem and the people and organisations delivering real-world outcomes for Aotearoa.

2025 Aotearoa AI Awards winners

• AI Research Pioneer | Sponsored by Artificial Intelligence Researchers Association
  • Winner: David Rozado
    
    Recognised for advancing the state of the art and building bridges from research to applied impact in New Zealand. Turning a spotlight on AI bias, David’s research makes black-box systems more transparent and accountable for everyone in Aotearoa.

• AI Changemaker of the Year | Sponsored by the British High Commission
  • Winner: Lee Wilson
    
    Celebrated for leading initiatives that deliver practical, people-centred change with AI. Leading people-first AI adoption, Lee turns complex data and governance into real improvements for services, trust, and community outcomes.

• Outstanding AI Implementation | Sponsored by Enlighten Designs
  • Winner: Kiwa Digital
    Honoured for robust AI delivery that achieves measurable outcomes at scale—moving from pilot to sustained, real-world adoption.Their mahi: Turning language and cultural technology into enterprise‑grade, AI‑powered platforms that are implemented, used, and evaluated in practice—delivering clear value for organisations and communities.
    
    

• Te Ao Māori & Pasifika AI | Sponsored by ANZ Bank
  • Winner: Kiwa Digital
    
    Recognised for kaupapa‑led innovation with and for communities across Aotearoa and the Pacific—uplifting te reo Māori and Pasifika languages.Weaving mātauranga with cutting‑edge technology to build AI‑powered language and cultural platforms that centre Indigenous knowledge and create meaningful, community‑level impact.
    
    
    
• Rising AI Star | Sponsored by Tompkins Wake
  • Winner: Dr Andrew Lensen
    
    Acknowledged for leadership, scholarship, and contributions to New Zealand’s AI community. Pushing the frontier of explainable, evolutionary AI, Andrew builds methods that make smarter systems and clearer insights for Kiwi researchers and industry.
    
    
    
• Trailblazer in AI Innovation | Sponsored by Spark NZ
  • Winner: New Zealand Institute of Public Health and Forensic Science, ALMA Team

Pioneering Aotearoa’s first large-scale digital twin to simulate health, environment, climate and population dynamics—unlocking evidence-based decisions at national scale.

Created to provide robust evidence-based decision-making capability for the unprecedented complexity of societal challenges we face today, ALMA helps us to understand what might happen, why it happens and how we can intervene effectively. ALMA is an AI powered digital twin of New Zealand’s population. With over 5 million synthetic citizens, ALMA is used to model everything from disease outbreaks and health inequality to climate change resilience, revealing how interventions ripple through complex ecosystems. ALMA is ethical, secure and built for all New Zealanders.

“Tonight’s winners reflect the depth of talent and capability in Aotearoa — from pioneering research to bold innovations that put people at the centre of AI,” said Madeline Newman, Executive Director, AI Forum NZ. “What unites them is a commitment to outcomes that matter: safer, smarter services; measurable productivity gains; and AI that reflects our values and communities.”

A celebration of partnership

AI Forum NZ acknowledges the generous support of category sponsors and partners who champion the AI ecosystem:

• Auckland University of Technology (AUT)
• Artificial Intelligence Researchers Association
• British High Commission
• Enlighten Designs
• Tompkins Wake
• ANZ Bank
• Spark NZ
• Aware – an HSO Company

Full list of finalists and category descriptions available here.

Why these awards matter

The Aotearoa AI Awards celebrate the depth and breadth of AI talent we have in Aotearoa. From pioneering researchers to the people and organisations turning the promise of AI into practice — improving services, enabling better decisions, and lifting capability across all sectors. We are proud to spotlight Māori and Pasifika perspectives, uphold trust and safety, and encourage the growth of talent right here in Aotearoa.

About AI Forum New Zealand  / Te Kāhui Atamai Iahiko o Aotearoa

The AI Forum New Zealand / Te Kāhui Atamai Iahiko o Aotearoa brings together Aotearoa’s artificial intelligence community. We are passionate about advancing the AI ecosystem through connections, advocacy, growing talent and collaboration. We promote the economic opportunities raised by AI, supporting great applications and adopters – and we work to ensure that society can adapt to the rapid and far-reaching changes that AI technology will bring.

The AI Forum New Zealand is the fastest-growing organisation within the NZTech Group, Aotearoa New Zealand’s united voice for technology. As a member-funded NGO representing over 2,000 organisations employing around 10 percent of New Zealand’s workforce, the Group brings the tech ecosystem together to supercharge the growth and uptake of technology in service of a prosperous, equitable, sustainable and safe Aotearoa. The AI Forum NZ is leading the conversation on how artificial intelligence can enable a more inclusive and productive future.

Join AI Forum NZ to shape the future of AI in Aotearoa

Media contact

Madeline Newman
Executive Director, AI Forum New Zealand
[email protected]
Website
LinkedIn

ENDS