The New Zealand Security Sector Network (NZSSN), supported by the Women in Security & Resilience Alliance (WISECRA), is pleased to announce that nominations for the 2021 Women in Security Awards Aotearoa recognition program are now being accepted.
The Women in Security Awards Aotearoa initiative was established in 2020 to recognise women who have advanced the New Zealand security and resilience sectors.
Nominees must be women, or identify as women, with more than three years of experience in either the physical security, personnel security, information security, or resilience disciplines, and be actively practising in Aotearoa New Zealand. Nominations are encouraged from the private, public and community sectors. Self-nominations are welcomed.
This year sees an expanded format, with four new categories among the line-up:
- Consultant – A professional who provides advice and expertise to (or in) organisations to help them improve their security and/or resilience performance.
- Investigator – A professional who examines a crime, problem, statement, etc. in order to discover the facts.
- Analyst – A professional who collects, processes, and/or analyses security information.
- Engineer – A professional working within software or hardware engineering that supports the security sector.
- Executive – A professional who develops and implements security strategies, policies, protocols and procedures, and controls budgets for security and/or resilience operations.
- Leader – A professional who leads a team or teams, such as a team leader involved in the recruiting, training and supervising of security officers, or an operations manager.
- Educator – A professional who teaches, informs or inspires others.
- Thought Leader – A professional who has expertise, insight, and a valuable perspective; one that challenges thinking, encourages colleagues and supports change.
- Indigenous Advocate – A professional supporting grassroots Indigenous movements to protect, respect, and fulfil the rights of their communities.
- Rising Star – An early career professional who is expected to achieve great things in the security and resilience sector.
The deadline for nominations is 4:00pm, Friday 19 November 2021, and nominations of no more than 800 words (including any supporting material) are to be emailed to awards@defsec.net.nz
Winners will be announced in the New Zealand Security Magazine, Line of Defence Magazine and the Defsec New Zealand website.
The judging panel is set to be announced later this week. Examples of information the panel will be looking for in the nominations include:
- Describe the person you are nominating and what they’ve done to inspire you to nominate them.
- Who benefits from the work, contribution, or influence of this person – and how?
- How does this person set a positive example for other fellow Women in Security and showing them the potential for change?
- Describe the commitment of time, risks, and challenges overcome to create an impact to this point (this may still be ongoing). What have they done that has gone above and beyond to show leadership, create change, and give back?
- How thoughtful, creative, and unique is this person’s approach to their challenge, opportunity, or situation?
- How has this person clearly demonstrated a positive impact in their area of influence? How is / has this been measured?
- If known, how does this person plan to grow and/or adapt their work, contribution, or influence in the future? How would winning this award impact this person and the work that they are doing?
A list of last year’s Women in Security Awards Aotearoa winners can be viewed here.
About the New Zealand Security Sector Network
The NZSSN is a community of industry and professional associations and academic research centres situated within or focused on Aotearoa New Zealand’s security and resilience sectors. Members of the community include (among others) the New Zealand Security Association, ASIS International New Zealand Chapter, and Massey University’s Centre for Defence and Security Studies.
About WISECRA
The Women in Security & Resilience Alliance is a global network that brings women in security and resilience roles together to share ideas and best practices. WISECRA is a sub-network of the Security Partners’ Forum.
