AQNZ Women of Aquaculture Aotearoa Awards
Aquaculture New Zealand (AQNZ) and Women of Aquaculture Aotearoa (WoAA) celebrate incredible wāhine across our sector and recognise the mahi that has strengthened aquaculture and the people in it.
Introducing the 2026 Awards
If you work alongside an exceptional wāhine – or know someone whose mahi deserves to be recognised – we encourage you to nominate them. Take a moment to shine a light on the leadership, contribution, and impact of wāhine across our sector.
Nominations close 21 AUGUST at 5pm, so don’t miss the opportunity to celebrate excellence in aquaculture.
WoAA Outstanding Service Award
This award recognises wāhine who have made an outstanding and lasting contribution to aquaculture in Aotearoa. It celebrates women who have stepped up and made a difference – to businesses, the environment, their people, or the sector as a whole.
This may include those who pushed past their comfort zone to do what needed to be done, took a risk, put themselves forward, gave their time to support or grow others, or quietly carried out essential work behind the scenes.
To support your nomination, consider:
Significant and sustained contributions over time
Demonstrated leadership and influence at a national or global level.
Advocacy and action that advance inclusion and opportunities for women
A legacy of mentorship, innovation, or transformative change.
WoAA Excellence Award
This award celebrates the achievements of wāhine in aquaculture over the past year. It recognises rising stars, standout achievements, key contributors, and those we couldn’t imagine the year without. Whether it was tackling a tough challenge, leading through uncertainty with mana, driving a breakthrough, or consistently delivering excellent results, this award honours those whose mahi truly stood out.
When making a nomination, consider:
Clear growth and development in a role or field
Consistent high performance and reliable results with impact
Positive contributions to team culture, projects, or outcomes.
On the rise individuals developing and leading in an area or discipline
Why Awards?
The awards aim to foster a generous sense of collegiality among the aquaculture community. The act of nomination is an important aspect in this process and the generosity of the nominator forms part of the recognition.
Self-nomination is also encouraged, to combat the idea of 'kiwi modesty', which keeps so many hidden from view.
The recognition of excellence in and service to aquaculture is often concentrated into awarding individuals only, however these awards are also open to the nomination of collectives and businesses.
Strengthening Networks:
To ensure the awards remain inclusive, they are structured to minimise the cost and time commitments that are so often a barrier to award entries. The awards are simple and free, with no fees and no formatting requirements.
The nomination process also means that the awards are inclusive of everyone – so encourage everyone to give thought to leaders, amazing contributors and outcomes achieve by wāhine in aquaculture.
Keeping Awards Inclusive:
Women in Aquaculture Aotearoa simply shines the spotlight on deserving women working in the field of aquaculture, because it so often misses them.
Maintaining Visibility:
These awards are proudly supported by Aquaculture New Zealand