The New Zealander Of The Year Award Needs To Mean Something

Another Forbes under 30 star has become the 8th member of The Forbes  under 30 list to be charged with fraud and this begs the question how does this happen?

Clearly the awards judging panel did not do the necessary due diligence before anointing these people with a prestigious award.

Closer to home and with some serious soul searching in 2024 I advised the Kiwibank NZ of the year awards judging panel that I wished to rescind my inaugural New Zealander of the year award.

When the Kiwibank Judging Panel appointed self-professed Covid expert Siouxsie Wiles as the New Zealander of the year in 2021 I wrote to the awards panel expressing my concerns that the Judging panel did not have the necessary skills and scientific acumen to make informed decisions regarding the appointment of science based New Zealander of the year awardees .

In 2024 when Kiwibank appointed Dr Salinger as the Kiwibank New Zealander I had no alternative rescind my New Zealander of the Year Title.

When Dr Salinger was dismissed (fired) by NIWA he filed an employment contract dispute and the Employment Relations Authority ruled that NIWA had acted fairly and reasonably in dismissing Dr Salinger, who had no case for a personal grievance against the organisation.

The case in which Dr Salinger was accused of harassment and bullying of other employees, and being increasingly erratic repeated breaches of work rules, and failing to take instructions from his employee NIWA said

"An employee who will not take instruction from his employer renders a continuing employment relationship entirely untenable."

So, he was fired.

Hardly the character and mana that we want to promote and acknowledge for a recipient of the Kiwibank New Zealander of the Year.

Perhaps of more concern is the fact that Salinger published misinformation in the public domain of his personal calculations regarding climate change (increase in regional temperature changes across NZ) which have proven to have no basis in fact.

https://lnkd.in/gwHkQ8Eh

A spot audit of NIWA’s 2023 Annual Climate Summary report has uncovered multiple major errors that cumulatively exaggerate the impact of climate change and drive public fear.

The only good thing that has come out of me rescinding my Kiwibank New Zealander of the year award is that The Hon Justice Simon Moore KC has been appointed as the inaugural Judge Chair.

This role has been introduced to the awards program to oversee a fair and transparent judging process including reviewing due diligence and managing conflicts of interest.

This is good news and I hope that all future New Zealander of the year awardees will exemplify the best that we can be as New Zealanders.

The New Zealander of the year Awards need to mean something.
 

Sir Ray
Inaugural New Zealander of the Year (2010 rescinded).