Spirit of Service Awards 2019

Kia ora koutou katoa,

What an amazing evening it was last night! It made me proud to be a public servant, and I hope you felt the same.

I want to say a big thank you to everyone who came along and made the evening so special. As I mentioned last night, public servants go about their work quietly without expecting any thanks. They work hard for New Zealanders, and they deserve recognition and reward.

Congratulations again to all the award winners. I was so impressed by the quality of all our finalists, and you should all be proud of your mahi.

I want to give a huge congratulations to the Ministry of Health, along with Housing New Zealand, Ministry of Social Development, Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority, and Auckland Council, who teamed up on the Healthy Homes Initiative and won the Prime Minister’s Award. This is a huge achievement.

I’d also like to make special mention of Pasimaca Osment, or “Mama Pam”, for winning the Lifetime Achievement Award. I was very privileged to be able to present this award to a frontline public servant who absolutely exemplifies the spirit of service and who has made such a difference through their work. Incredibly moving and totally inspiring!  

If you’d like to see photos from the evening, you can find these on the Spirit of Service Awards Facebook page. We have also uploaded photos and information about the winners to the SSC website.

If you have any questions about the Awards, please do not hesitate to contact the team at awards@ssc.govt.nz.

Ngā mihi,
Peter Hughes