Nominations are rolling in thick and fast for the 2021 Women in Security Awards Aotearoa! With a deadline for nominations of 4pm today, organisers expect – and are hoping for – a rush of nominations in the hours remaining.
New Zealand Security Magazine is a proud supporter of Women in Security Awards Aotearoa. More WiSAA news can be found on our listing of WiSAA-related articles.
Nominees for the awards 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. Award categories include:
- 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.
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, the Defsec New Zealand website, and across Defsec’s subscriber and social media channels.
For those looking to sneak in a last-minute nomination, examples of information the judging 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 (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?
The Women in Security Awards Aotearoa initiative was established in 2020 to recognise women who have advanced the New Zealand security and resilience sectors.
The awards are an initiative of the New Zealand Security Sector Network (NZSSN), supported by the international Women in Security & Resilience Alliance (WISECRA) and Defsec New Zealand, publishers of New Zealand Security Magazine and Line of Defence Magazine.
It’s not too late to nominate a deserving colleague, friend, or yourself, so get cracking!
