2010 New Zealand internet industry Awards -
Winners see photo gallery
2010 New Zealand Internet Industry Awards- winners announced. Click here to read press release (PDF).
Category: Best BUSINESS Category
Winner: StarNow.com.
Judges’ Comments: “ .... New Zealand does not lack IT innovation, but we do sometimes struggle to commercialise it. All of the finalists demonstrate real innovation and insight into the challenges of their target customer base, certainly leading the way in New Zealand and quite possibly globally. What differentiated the winner was a long track record of success over several years, both in terms of customer acquisition and profitability, and a commitment to continual innovation. They are a quiet achiever and a market leader globally in a business that would never have been scalable to this extent without the internet. Not many NZ businesses can claim millions of customers.”
Category: Best EDUCATION Category
Winner: Flexible Learning Network Limited
Judges’ Comments: The category winner served a clearly defined learning need; used the internet to make it interesting and relevant to the learner; the product was easy to use; was evidently effective and had some very clever elements.
Category: Best SOCIETAL Category
Winner: Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA)
Judges’ Comments: “We were looking for benefit to the community and the entries showed there is plenty on offer.
The topics covered included health, politics, current affairs, technology, community commerce, energy use and the environment. But there was one unifying thread that ran through all the entries - the commitment and pride people had in their projects. The Web provided a tool to deliver on the dreams, and society is the winner.”
Category: Best GLOBAL Category
Winner: StarNow.com
Judges’ Comments: “We have been very impressed with the vision and breadth of the entries in this category and it has been a hard one to pick. In the end it came down to a company that shown it could create a truly global dominant market position in its chosen sector. You know one of the criticisms we often hear from overseas partners is that kiwi companies don't dream big enough. We often have to tone down our real aspirational goals in New Zealand because we might appear to be “tall poppies” or dreamers. But as Ed Hillary and so many others have proved, Kiwi's can more than hold their own on the world stage if we truly think Big enough. The winning entry has proved that...”
Category: Best Internet Innovator /Entrepreneur Category
Winner: Aptimize
Judges’ Comments: “...I would like to highlight that each of the finalists built a business based on an identified need.
They turned this into an opportunity to provide tangible solutions to particular communities. These communities include web developers, companies and organisations committed to building a brand or providing a service, and last, but by no means least the consumer.
2010 New Zealand Internet Industry Awards -
Finalists were
Launched on the 2 June this year's awards have attracted interest and entries from a wide range of New Zealand based companies and organisations. Five distinct categories have been developed to reflect the wide ranging impact of the Internet on New Zealand society. (Click here to download press release)
Overview of the Awards
The inaugural New Zealand Internet Industry Awards were launched in 2009 by the Liz Dengate Thrush Foundation (Foundation). A New Zealand registered charity, the Foundation was established with the aim of improving people's awareness and understanding of Internet technologies, and encourage Internet entrepreneurship and other positive uses of the Internet in New Zealand.
These Awards are the only Awards that are purely focused on the Internet as an enabling platform for business, education and society enhancing organisations.
By honouring and celebrating those companies who have leveraged the transformational deliverables of the Internet the Awards seek to recognise excellence and showcase best practice to the wider community.
In addition to three company Awards launched last year the Foundation has added a fourth company Award focusing on recognising a company who has utilised the Internet to create a borderless platform for doing business. The fifth category recognises someone as the Internet Innovator/Entrepreneur of the Year. A rare type of person who puts both capital and reputation on the line and has developed an Internet initiative that has successfully contributed to New Zealand's wealth.