PRINZ Announce Chief Judges For 2025 PRINZ Awards

Auckland, New Zealand — 9th October 2024 — The Public Relations Institute of New Zealand (PRINZ) is excited to announce the Chief Judges for the 2025 PRINZ Awards.

The annual PRINZ Awards, scheduled to be in late May 2025, recognise excellence and showcase the outstanding work achieved by public relations and communications management professionals in New Zealand. The awards are judged by selected senior PR and communications industry professionals from overseas and across Aotearoa New Zealand and led by two Chief Judges, both PRINZ Fellows.

This year, we are proud to introduce a new co-chief judge, Nikki Wright, who will join existing chief judge, Andrew Pirie. They both bring a wealth of experience, knowledge, and passion for public relations. Nikki has stepped into the co-chief judge role after Denise Mackay, who had been co-chief judge with Andrew, has stepped up into the role as PRINZ Chair.

Nikki Wright, the Managing Director at Wright Communications, brings over 25 years of diverse experience in public relations, spearheading an award-winning agency in Auckland that has been recognised as PRINZ Agency of the Year three times. Her firm supports a wide array of clients, from corporates to not-so-profits. With a keen focus on sustainability and ESG, crisis communications, and reputation management she has recently attained chartered directorship status, deepening her governance insights, enhancing her role as a trusted advisor to CEOs. As a co-founder of the Corporate Reputation Index with Kantar, she champions responsible business practices, leveraging her extensive expertise to navigate complex challenges and deliver strategic solutions that drive meaningful change.

Nikki says, “It is an honour to be selected as co-chief judge for the 2025 PRINZ awards alongside Andrew Pirie, an esteemed industry leader. I’m excited to see the innovative and resilient work that practitioners have delivered over the past year, particularly given the challenging economic environment we’ve all navigated.”

Andrew Pirie, one of New Zealand's most experienced communicators, with a successful track record leading both in-house communications functions and international PR agencies, remains as co-chief judge, a role he has held for the past three years. The chief judges will oversee the evaluation process for the awards, ensuring that entries are assessed with the highest standards of integrity and professionalism. Their collective expertise will play a vital role in recognising the creativity and effectiveness of public relations and communications efforts across various sectors.

Entries for the 2025 PRINZ Awards will open on 13 January 2025, and close on 28 February 2025. Categories include Crisis or Reputation Management, Internal

Communications and Most Innovative Campaign. PRINZ will also recognise a Young Practitioner of the Year and PR Team of the Year.

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