Cooperative Business NZ
Awards nominations 2026

In 2026, we’re doing things a little differently. We’re focusing on those Awards that recognise people: Emerging Leader of the Year and Lifetime Achievement.
Plus, instead of an Awards evening, we’ll celebrate with Awardees at your workplace so your colleagues can celebrate alongside you.

Nominations can be put forward on behalf of your cooperative, yourself, or another cooperative or individual. You can nominate across both 2026 award categories as you wish so long as your nominee meets the eligibility criteria of each category.

Entries open Thursday 1 October and close Wednesday 28 October 2026. Awardees are announced November 10th.

Helpful guided prompts to get you started

  • Emerging Leader of the Year

    This award will be presented to an individual (aged 35 and under) who is making their mark within their member organisation. It aims to recognise contribution through innovation, driving best practice, collaboration or cooperation.

    This award is open to individuals working within or a member of an organisation that is a Full, Provisional or Corporate Associate Member of Cooperative Business NZ.

    To recognise the vital role that governance plays in the ongoing success of cooperatives, the winner of the Emerging Leader of the Year award is invited to join the Cooperative Business NZ board as a Board Observer for the following calendar year, to develop their governance skills and deepen their cooperative networks.

    Download the prompt

  • Lifetime Achievement

    This Award will be presented to individuals that over the long term (10 plus years) have contributed significantly to the success of the cooperative model either to a Cooperative Business NZ member (of any type) or to the wider New Zealand cooperative sector.

    This award is not intended to just recognise long service but is to also recognise significant contributions made to developing the cooperative business model and/or to the broader New Zealand cooperative sector. It ensures appropriate recognition is given to individuals who give of themselves freely, often over the course of their careers, to the member-owned community.

    This award is open to anyone in the cooperative or mutual sector in New Zealand, regardless of membership status with Cooperative Business NZ.

    Download the prompt

Nomination form

We’re keeping things simple.

All we would like to know from nominators is about yourself, which category you are nominating for, and who you are nominating.

The last question requires you to upload your application in PDF or Word format that convinces the judging panel that the person you’re nominating is the best in your chosen award category. No messy text boxes, just a single document.

Use the downloadable Guided Prompts above to help craft your application.

Please also refer to the FAQs below or reach out if you need further support.

Awards
Hall of Fame

⤷ Cooperative/Mutual of the Year
⤷ Leader of the Year
⤷ Emerging Leader of the Year
⤷ Cooperative Innovation
⤷ Lifetime Achievement 
[ FAQ ]

Common questions

  • Absolutely. We encourage it. The two 2026 categories have different criteria and require a separate entry – so choose wisely, focus your efforts, and make sure you really stand out before committing to additional entries.

  • We know that entering an award is a major undertaking! Recognising that some co-ops may have limited people resources, we have created guided prompts for each award category, to help streamline your entry and offer suggestions on where you might find the information for each section. The judges are keen that you have the flexibility to choose how to best describe your nomination against these. Prompts for each category are found above.

  • Yes, there are page limits. Lifetime Achievement Award entries have a 2 A4 page limit and all other awards have a 5 A4 page limit.

  • Yes! You can include supporting images or graphs in your application. If you want to include video or online content, please include a link. Don’t forget to provide passwords if needed for download links.

  • If you have any issues with the online entry, or questions about the awards themselves, please contact us on info@nz.coop

  • Your job is to convince the judging panel that the organisation or person you’re nominating is the best in your chosen award category. Here are some handy tips.

    Be yourself, be compelling, and make sure you can back your claims up with evidence.

    Read the criteria carefully and make sure you address them.

    The judges will only have the information you provide in your entry, so make sure you provide all the important information that supports your application.

    Make sure your claims are clear and supported. Award-winning submissions always include data and evidence because doing so ensures credibility.

    Feel free to use bullets, short sentences or narrative, whatever feels easiest for you.

  • No worries! Please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us – we’d be happy to help.