The 2007 Awards
The 2007 Blake Medalist:
› Professor Sir Paul Callaghan
The 2007 Emerging Leader Awardees:
› Shelly Campbell
› Annette Fale
› Andrew Grant
› Steven Hall
› Tim O’Connor
› Dr Justin Vaughan
The 2007 Blake Medalist:
Professor Sir Paul Callaghan
Professor Sir Paul Callaghan is one of New Zealand’s best known and highly respected scientists, both within the scientific community and among the wider population. He has shown outstanding leadership over 30 years as a scientist, a teacher, a science administrator and communicator. Sir Paul is a world leading scientist in the fields of nanotechnology and magnetic resonance.
Sir Paul is the Director of the MacDiarmid Institute for Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology at Victoria University of Wellington and is also the Alan MacDiarmid Professor in Physical Sciences in the School of Chemical and Physical Sciences at the University. He holds both Doctor of Science and Doctor of Philosophy degrees from Oxford University and is a fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand and the Royal Society of London. Sir Paul has taken on a role as a leader in science and science education in New Zealand and internationally. He has had a significant role in leading the establishment of New Zealand’s performance based research funding system for tertiary institutions. He has also led the development of science communication to the wider public and has taken it as an almost personal crusade to de-mystify science and convey the relevance and excitement of science for all of society.
His standing as a leading scientist is unequalled in this country. He is a member of numerous editorial boards of highly respected international scientific journals, has leadership roles in a variety of professional bodies, for example as President of the Academy Council of the Royal Society of New Zealand and Vice-President of the International Society for Magnetic Resonance. Over the past 35 years his research has been published in over 200 peer-reviewed papers in international journals. Over his career, he has worked at the very top level of scientific thought leadership and has built a world-wide reputation as a leader in science and science education.
Sir Paul has received numerous awards for his research and contribution to science. In 2004, he was the first scientist outside of Europe to receive the prestigious Ampere Prize for his research in magnetic resonance. In November 2005 he received, from the Royal Society of New Zealand, our nation’s highest scientific honour, The Rutherford Medal. In 2006 he was named as a Principal Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit. As a person, Sir Paul has a thirst for the new and unexplored. He is a passionate man, blessed with unending drive and curiosity and has avidly taken on new challenges.
He listens carefully and reads widely and has developed into a great communicator on science in general. As a leader he displays a rare combination of delegation, team building, collegiality and inspiration which leads students and staff alike to regard him with both awe and affection.
In August 2009, Professor Sir Paul Callaghan received the accolade of knighthood from the Governor-General and was redesignated as a Knight Grand Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit.
2007 Sir Peter Blake Emerging Leader Awards
Shelley has played a significant role in health care as chief executive of Waikato Primary Health (the nation’s second largest Public Health Organisation). During her tenure she has led the implementation of the Primary Health Care Strategy in the Waikato and has built a variety of relationships and initiatives with others. A number of these initiatives have become models for the nation. These include a collaborative dental project with the Ministry of Social Development with low income clients, rural scholarships to encourage workforce retention, multiple projects to improve access to health care for high need populations, the "Fit 4 School" project which has become the prototype for the Ministry of Health’s new "Ready 4 School" project.
She sits on a wide range of health and inter-sectoral groups and her leadership is widely respected by staff, the wider community and by health professionals both in the Waikato and nation-wide. As a person, Shelley’s strength lies in her ability to focus and motivate others to push boundaries and find solutions. She listens carefully, plans thoroughly and acts decisively. She is a woman with charisma, known for her strong work ethic and desire to ensure that health funding is directed into services and not bureaucracy.
Annette is the inaugural General Manager of The Halogen Foundation, an organisation dedicated to inspiring and influencing a generation of young people to lead themselves and others well. Through the Foundation, Annette leads the annual National Young Leaders days which engage tens of thousands of younger New Zealanders so that they are able to learn from and be inspired by a wide range of New Zealand leaders. The National Young Leaders Days have now become the largest event of their kind in New Zealand.
Annette has spearheaded, along with an experienced team of educators, a leadership development resource for primary and intermediate school students called "Always a Leader". Always a Leader focuses on youth development as the core from which students aged 9-12 years will develop their youth leadership capabilites. Halogen Foundation also hosts an annual one-day event for teachers each year and a Principals’ Breakfast.
Annette has extensive involvement in the community and has a particular affinity with Pacific Island groups. She has initiated the Women of the Pacific Charitable Trust in order to inspire, motivate and equip women of the Pacific in New Zealand. She also worked closely with World Vision of New Zealand for eight years and helped manage events engaging New Zealand artists in support of the organisation.
As a person, Annette is passionate about leadership and, in particular, making sure we provide an opportunity for school-age children in New Zealand to be encouraged and inspired in the area of leadership. She is mature, focused, driven and strives for excellence in all she does.
Andrew is currently the Commanding Officer of the Royal New Zealand Navy frigate, HMNZS TE KAHA and has the primary leadership responsibility for the ship’s safety, personnel, and operations. During TE KAHA’s deployments around the Australasian and South-East Asian regions Andrew’s work often occurs against a sensitive diplomatic backdrop. Andrew has a passion for making improvements to the Royal New Zealand Navy as an organisation and has led a number of changes to improve the working and contribution of the Navy as a whole. Examples include initiatives which have improved the efficiency of the workings of the Navy fleet and strengthening an affiliation between the crew of TE KAHA and the Bailey Road School in Mt Wellington.
To command one of New Zealand’s primary defence force assets and lead many hundreds of New Zealanders overseas on difficult and sometimes dangerous missions requires an exceptional leader. Commander Grant has shown, at a relatively young age, exceptional leadership in this regard. Andrew is passionate about finding a way to get things done. Where no guidance appears to exist he is willing to be guided by his own sense of right. He has a unique insight that allows him to quickly see the fundamental elements of an issue and find a solution. A passionate Kiwi, he is never happier than leading a team in furtherance of the New Zealand cause.
Steve is the School Director at the Outward Bound Trust of New Zealand and has led a significant change in the focus and operation of the school. Outward Bound is a leading organisation in the experiential education area and engages over 1800 participants per year with a staff of 50. Steve’s passion, commitment and leadership has resulted in Outward Bound being selected as a finalist in the Unlimited/JRA Best Places to Work award for 2004, 2005 and 2006, being awarded the overall prize in 2005.
Steve has a background in outdoor pursuits, alpine skiing, mountaineering and search and rescue. He has been a leader of the field training programme for Antarctica New Zealand at Scott Base, which included an important leadership role in the search and rescue operation for the fatal helicopter crash involving New Zealand and U.S. personnel in October 1992.
In one of the many nominations received for Steve, the entire staff at Outward Bound wrote: "Steve’s influence cannot be solely attributed to charisma. He is a visionary leader who adopts a systematic, clear, thoughtful and empowering way of doing business - that’s what is so inspirational."
As a person, Steve is a man of integrity who believes that anything is possible with discipline and determination. His life is a conscious combination of: work which makes a contribution; adventure and the outdoors; and his family. As a leader, Steve’s consultative style and respectful relationships create a productive culture based on trust. Combined with his vision, focus and high standards, this creates not only a great place to work, but an organisation achieving greatness.
Tim has been Rector (Headmaster) of Palmerston North Boys High School since 2003. During his tenure the school has developed a number of significant initiatives which has seen the school become a leader in education in the country.
Tim has implemented a specific leadership programme at the school, initiated a teacher mentoring programme and other innovations such as a Futures Group, and a staff vision day. He was awarded a Woolf Fisher Fellowship in 2006 for educational excellence in teaching.
Tim has set very high standards for the school and has become a strong advocate for boys’ education. He has been prepared to express his views publicly even if controversial. The school has around 1,500 students and 100 staff and its results have been significant, achieving 75 scholarships in 2006 and attracting a great deal of attention as an innovative and leading organisation in the education sector. He has also taken on leadership roles in the wider community with regard to truancy services in the Manawatu, the Manawatu Community High School and three alternative education centres in the region.
Dr Justin Vaughan
(39 years old)
Justin is Chief Executive of New Zealand Cricket. He has served in a number of leadership capacities in his chosen sport including as a captain of the Auckland Cricket team and as a member of the board for both Auckland and New Zealand cricket. He has also been a New Zealand representative as a player.
Dr Vaughan graduated from Auckland Medical School in 1991 and remains involved in roles related to healthcare. He serves as a Trustee on both the Mercy Hospice Foundation and the University of Auckland Medical School Foundation. Until recently he was the Chief Executive of BrainZ Instruments Ltd, an ASX-listed medical technology company, where he continues to serve as a director. He also serves on the advisory board for two other medical technology companies, PulseCor and Nexus6.
Dr Vaughan also completed an MBA at the University of Otago in 2003 and has served on the University’s Business School Board of Advisors. Justin has a desire for personal challenge as shown through his diverse range of achievements. He is driven to outstanding performance through a combination of passion, enthusiasm, work ethic and a continuous thirst for new knowledge. As a leader he is inclusive and empathetic. Justin’s communication skills are highly regarded and his ability to translate complex concepts into readily understood language is one of his key attributes. Overall, his wide range of skills, broad set of achievements and exceptional character means he is (just as in his cricket days) a real all-rounder.
Sir Peter Blake
"Having vision is not enough. Change comes through realising the vision and turning it into a reality. It is easy to espouse worthy goals, values and policies; the hard part is implementation."
Learn about Sir Peter Blake and his journeys around the globe