Prince Edward to present NZer of Year in UK Award

Prince Edward will present the New Zealander of the Year in the UK award at the annual New Zealand Society’s Waitangi Day Dinner in London on Friday (UKtime).

The prestigious award recognises the contribution that a New Zealand or British national has made in presenting an outstanding positive image of modern New Zealand in Britain.

Past winners have included Commonwealth secretary general Don McKinnon, rowing coach Harry Mahon, chef Peter Gordon, show jumper Mark Todd and golfer Michael Campbell.

Finalists this year are:

Daniel Bedingfield, singer and songwriter nominated this week for a Brit Award; Dame Judith Mayhew Jonas, DBE, the first woman to be elected Provost of Kings College, Cambridge and until recently chair of the policy and resource committee of the Corporation of London; and Len Cook, New Zealand’s former chief statistician and now the UK’s National Statistician and Registrar General for England and Wales.

Periodically and exceptionally the NZ Society makes a lifetime achievement award which will also be presented at this year's dinner to Robin Cook FRS.

Judges this year include the Russell Marshall, New Zealand High Commissioner in London, Shari Gallagher, Clare De Lore, Barbara Stones and Mike Coreless, managing director of the Downunder Insurance, which is sponsoring the event.

The winner will be announced at the February 6 dinner at the Dorchester Hotel.

Copyright Word of Mouth Media NZ 2004

© Scoop Media