NZ’s best hair and beauty apprentices, businesses and stylists announced

The winners of the annual 2023 awards for the hair, beauty and barbering industries, The Industry Awards, have been announced.

There was an unprecedented number of entries this year with over 500 applications across the 23 awards, which are split into three categories: training, business, and creative.

The awards were hosted by HITO | Te Pūkenga, Kitomba Salon & Spa Software, and Hair and Barber NZ.

Kay Nelson from HITO | Te Pūkenga placed the industry awards as a massive highlight on the HITO calendar.

“Being able to celebrate the success of our apprentices, trainers, and assessors as a whole industry is incredibly rewarding.

“The work the judges and organising team put in to make this a seamless, enjoyable night for everyone is truly fantastic,” Ms Nelson said.

General Manager of Kitomba Salon and Spa Software, Alyssa Dowsett, said the evening was a true celebration of the hard work and creativity across the hair, beauty and barbering industries and a testament to the talent within New Zealand.

“Kitomba is so immensely proud to help make this event a reality and celebrate our industry’s success,” Mrs. Dowsett said.

Hair and Barbering NZ co-chair Niq James said the awards recognise the truly amazing talents within New Zealand’s hair and beauty industry.

“We have people working in this profession who can rival the best of those overseas,” Mr. James said.

He said that in addition to rewarding creativity, the awards also focus on the business skills of the entrants and the work they put into training and upskilling the next generation of hairdressers, barbers, and beauty therapists.

“There is a huge focus on enhancing the quality and professionalism of our industries.”

The awards were held in Auckland over the recent weekend.

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