Hall of Fame - Supreme Award

The HRNZ Supreme Award is awarded to the organisation that, across all category winners, has demonstrated the greatest overall leadership in HR practice. It cannot be applied for directly, it is earned through excellence in one of the organisational award categories, making it the ultimate recognition of what outstanding people practice looks like at an organisational level.

Past recipients represent the gold standard for HR in New Zealand. Organisations that don't just invest in their people but lead the way in how that investment is made.

To receive this award is to be recognised as the benchmark for organisational HR excellence in New Zealand.

Want to be in the running? The path to the HRNZ Supreme Award starts with entering one of our organisational award categories. Find out more about the upcoming awards and how to apply.

Supreme Award 2025, in association with AMP 

In 2023, dentsu Aotearoa undertook a transformative restructure of its DEI framework to create a truly inclusive workplace. Project “Authentically Led” reshaped a well-meaning but unsustainable DEI committee into a robust, employee-driven DEI Council. This initiative ensured that diverse voices led efforts to foster belonging and equity across the organisation.

The DEI Council launched five vibrant communities—Māori and Pacific Islander, Rainbow, Neurodiverse, Early Careers, and Women at Work. These groups provide connection and advocacy and are the voices of change supported by HR. Overcoming early hesitations, dentsu nurtured trust and participation through workshops and continuous engagement, empowering employees to lead.

The Council achieved a 500% growth in community membership, a 5-point rise in belonging scores, and an 11% increase in employees identifying as neurodiverse. These changes reflect a cultural shift, making dentsu a workplace that celebrates identity and fosters pride, understanding, and allyship.

Watch the Award Video 

Supreme Award 2024, in association with AMP and Strategic Pay

The founding philosophy of The Strand Veterinarian was “growing our veterinary professionals”. 

Owners Dr Justine Alley and Dr Megan Alderson experienced firsthand the detrimental effect a career dedicated to caring had on themselves and their team.

With poor mental health and suicide common in their industry “wellbeing of our people” became a priority as they strived to prevent, protect, and promote their biggest asset, the veterinary professionals caring for the heartbeats at your feet.

With HR leader Amy Raine they developed, implemented, and analysed the effect of a wellness programme suitable for healthcare professionals with outstanding results.

Watch the Award Video 

Supreme Award 2023 

With the national gender pay gap currently at 9.2% and the gender retirement gap at 20%, Z Energy has made several innovative policy changes as part of a clear path forward to narrow these gap and achieve more equitable outcomes for women and other minority groups. 

Salary transparency, an innovative KiwiSaver offering, and systematic modelling of our gender pay gap are helping us to deliver on our objective to completely close Z’s gender pay gap (currently 3.4%) by FY24. Z is normalising remuneration negotiation, equipping our people with greater financial literacy, and encouraging greater agency across all demographics. 

Supreme Award 2022

The Bank of New Zealand (BNZ’s) Te Hōkaitanga won the inaugural HRNZ Supreme Award for showing the greatest overall leadership in human resources practice. The programme, which focusses on exploring and evolving leadership capability through a Māori lens, produced many quick wins… While originally thought to be a longer-term goal; BNZ have been able to rapidly accelerate career progression, organisational transformation, and culture change through strategic and thoughtful programme design.