Defence Minister Chris Penk has paid tribute to businesses supplying the New Zealand Defence Force at the 2025 Minister of Defence Awards of Excellence to Industry.
On 12 May, New Zealand Defence Minister Chris Penk announced the winners of the 2025 Minister of Defence Awards of Excellence to Industry at Parliament, recognising nine recipients and eight finalists for exceptional service, high-quality equipment, and innovation.
“This year’s award recipients have delivered high-quality equipment, assets, infrastructure and services that are fundamental to the successful operations of the New Zealand Defence Force and the Ministry of Defence,” Mr Penk says.
“In an increasingly complex and challenging world, Defence relies on strong partnerships with innovative and capable New Zealand businesses.
“Defence spending is an important driver of innovation and opportunity across multiple sectors. A strong local defence industry will support the delivery of the 2025 Defence Capability Plan (DCP), which outlines planned commitments to double defence spending over eight years.”
“More than 800 suppliers provide essential goods and services to Defence across New Zealand. Their contribution boosts supply chain resilience and ensures Defence is always ready to respond in times of trouble.”
Among the nine award winners this year were a construction firm that built the Maintenance Support Facility at Burnham Military Camp and a company that designed and manufactured new physical training and combat socks.
“This year’s award recipients employ New Zealanders, grow specialist skills, drive regional growth, and boost our exports. Their impact is significant,” Mr Penk says.
“Defence spending is an important driver of innovation and opportunity across multiple sectors. A strong local defence industry will support the delivery of the 2025 Defence Capability Plan (DCP), which outlines planned commitments to double defence spending over eight years.”
At the awards, the minister has also announced the reinvigoration of the Defence Industry Advisory Council, which administers the Minister of Defence Awards of Excellence to Industry.
Category Award Winners
Category A – Prime Contractor of the Year
Leighs Construction Limited
Leighs Construction were the Prime contractor for the Maintenance Support Facility at Burnham Military Camp, which was built as part of the NZDF’s Consolidated Logistics Programme. The project was delivered under budget and early, with Leighs’ problem solving and innovative thinking helping to provide efficient and effective solutions.
A trusted partner, the company managed up to 18 local subcontractors safely and securely, and worked well with the Base’s operations staff and other construction project managers to keep disruption to a minimum. The project provided significant regional economic benefit through Leighs and their large number of sub-contractors throughout the build.
Category B – Sub-contractor/Small to Medium Enterprise (SME) of the Year – Product
Norsewear
Norsewear supply the NZDF’s physical training and combat socks. A well-known local New Zealand business, Norsewear identified an opportunity to work with the NZDF to reengineer these socks.
User testing helped deliver an improved design trialled by over 500 people across a range of environments and put through extreme use durability testing. Design of the combat socks also involved over 1,600 lines of code written to ensure production machines accurately followed designs.
These combat socks are a bespoke design built around and for New Zealand military people. They worked closely with Defence to continue to forecast demand to ensure the local, traceable material is available for the following year.
Norsewear took on risk by expanding production and heavily invested in product technology – sourcing quality raw material and adapting the manufacture and production process – to arrive at the final combat sock solution. As a local business with 23 employees, they have continued to grow and ensure they can provide a responsive service to NZDF via the prime clothing supplier, Australian Defence Apparel (ADA), who made the nomination.
Category C – Sub-contractor/SME of the Year – Service
Marine Industrial Design
Marine Industrial Design provides naval architecture and technical advisory services for Royal New Zealand Navy ships.
Marine Industrial Design made themselves immediately available to help efforts to save HMNZS Manawanui following its grounding off Samoa, including surging a team to gather, analyse, and provide drawing and design information to understand the implications of damage to the ship.
A secondary response was support for salvage operations, including detailed drawings and design plans around how best to access items to be recovered, immediate activity to minimise further environmental impacts from loss of fluids, and then to guide salvors in accessing multiple tanks to remove diesel fuel, oils, and other fluids.
High precision was required to penetrate tanks in the right place, and the company had highly detailed plans of the ship. They downscaled other projects and activities to prioritise supporting OP RESOLUTION, working daily with salvors and others to ensure accurate locations to penetrate tanks occurred, building a 3D digital model for accurate and clear information about the vessel to support media briefings and updates for the Samoan Government.
Special Award Winners
Tū Kaha – Courage
William (Tom) Te Weehi – Isaac Construction Limited
The Burnham Infrastructure Programme was funded to update horizontal infrastructure including potable water, wastewater, electrical, and other services across two tranches of work. When site-wide work is underway, disruption to base operations are unavoidable – with main lines and laterals for water services exposed.
As Communications Manager for Issac Construction Ltd Mr Te Weehi showed his adaptability and generous nature by supporting many tasks and functions. From security management for the many subcontractors involved in this programme of work, to additional roles he took on as the Health and Safety Officer, and the Unit Security Officer.
Mr Te Weehi is former Navy and understands the way military bases operate. He became heavily involved in the planning of work packages to improve coordination and minimise disruption. Working with all stakeholders, he is considered to have been critical to progressing much of this horizontal infrastructure work.
Tū Tika – Commitment
Nick Ferdinando – Strategic Sourcing Consulting Limited
Providing the engineering support for the Operational and Regulatory Aviation Compliance Sustainment (ORACS) project [link to project page], Mr Ferdinando has provided continuity of knowledge during his tenure with the Air Force, as an independent contractor based in France, and then as a consultant through SSCL supporting the embodiment of software release 2 for the upgrade of the NH90 helicopter fleet.
Mr Ferdinando has delivered a huge amount for this project, showing dedication, work ethic and commitment. He worked long hours outside of normal operating hours due to time zone differences and, as a trusted and respected representative, could operate on behalf of the various interests within New Zealand.
Tū Tira – Comradeship
Matthew Rolston – Dynasty Sport
Over many years, Dynasty Sport has been the provider of sports kits for Defence’s Invictus Games and several sports teams. Mr Rolston has been an avid supporter of the Games and ensured the NZDF athletes had a custom sports kit at no cost, and friends and supporters had discounted kit available.
A compassionate and collaborative supporter, Mr Rolston has demonstrated an overwhelming passion for this hugely important work. During the Pacific Nations event (2023 Pacific Games), Mr Rolston also ensured several other countries were able to participate in full and new kit at a heavily discounted price.
He has worked closely with Defence to ensure its needs have been met, such as the design of bespoke ski suits adapted from the Canadian luge suits for the Skeleton event that was introduced at the Invictus Games Vancouver Whistler 2025. All of this has been voluntary and at no personal or financial gain.
Kotahitanga – Unity
Steve Smith – SS Construction Limited
Within the Waiouru precinct Mr Smith leads a team of staff that supports infrastructure repairs. Always readily available, and someone who gives freely of his knowledge and wisdom, Mr Smith provides building and repair work quickly and efficiently.
His work is meaningful, invaluable, and respectful. He genuinely cares about the outcomes and always operates professionally. With experience in working for Spotless and Downer, Mr Smith is prominent in the local community and like family amongst the Waiouru Base.
Auahatanga – Innovation
Lance Bauerfeind – Company-X
As lead contractor behind one of three VR and augmented reality training simulation providers under the Technology Enhanced Learning Environment (TELE) programme, Mr Bauerfeind assisted Navy with a training module for diving drills.
The existing training approach was conducted practically in swimming pools and observed by an instructor poolside. Mr Bauerfeind led the development of a virtual reality training module for descent into a virtual ocean and the conduct of rescue scenarios on a casualty.
His innovation was around the introduction of multi-player technology that enables the instructor, and training classmates, to enter the simulation and provide direct instruction within the training module. This solution has enabled a much more accessible training module, higher levels of instruction and, even without Wi-Fi, can be transported and set up at different locations.
Mr Bauerfeind has not only changed the means by which diver training is provided, he has been instrumental in helping to shift the culture and mindset of virtual training solutions.
Finalists for Prime Contractor of the Year
Pacific 7 & Bay Underwater Services Ltd
As part of Op RESOLUTION, Pacific 7 & Bay Underwater Services were contracted to undertake the safe removal, recovery and disposal of diesel oil and other potential contaminants from HMNZS Manawanui.
The magnitude and complexity of the salvage task, coupled with environmental challenges saw the team take innovative and collaborative approaches with Navy and other parties.
Known for salvage and diving capabilities through operations around New Zealand and the South West Pacific (including MV Rena), activity centred around environmental protection and required the safe removal of over 300,000 litres of fuel and oils into a barge that had to be moored in such a way to minimise damage to the reef on which Manawanui foundered.
Alongside Marine Industrial Design (winners of the 2025 Sub-contractor or SME of the Year – Service), they accurately penetrated the hull and internal tanks to safely remove all petrochemicals without leakage or Health and Safety incidents.
Rheinmetall MAN Military Vehicles Australia Pty Ltd
The NZDF’s fleet of 114 MAN HX60 Medium Heavy Operational Vehicles (MHOV) came standard with a 750mm fording ability, however it quickly became apparent that a greater fording depth was required to meet operational requirements, especially when deploying amphibiously from HMNZS Canterbury or supporting local flood relief support. A project investigated cost effective ways of increasing the vehicles’ fording depth.
The company worked with its global organisation to engineer the best available and affordable solution, coming up with a solution that achieved a fording depth of 1,200mm. It developed a demonstration vehicle with local companies as a proof of concept before the solution was approved for installation across the fleet.
Using the local network setup to support maintenance, an affordable and innovative solution was implemented ahead of schedule, delivering economic benefits coordinating work across the large and widely dispersed MHOV fleet and providing quality assurance of the work done.
Finalists for 2025 Sub-contractor or SME – Product
Marops
Marops was nominated for services for the C-130J-30 Hercules fleet’s capability, including sensor integration, systems testing, a Search and Rescue (SAR) training package and standard operating procedures. Adaption of their Wide Eye technology integration onto the C130J as part of the capability enhancements they supported has created export potential to other air forces.
Their work has enabled New Zealand to be the first military to use the C-130J fleet for SAR operations. The training package they developed has been used to train Maritime New Zealand personnel in SAR principles.
Marops also helped set up a New Zealand-based range, using Australian Defence Force (ADF) equipment, to test the aircraft self-defence capability in country – rather than using offshore facilities, saving money.
PwC New Zealand
The Royal New Zealand Navy engaged PwC to design, build and embed a strategic workforce planning capability across 2023 to 2025. With a significant naval regeneration underway, PwC was contracted to develop a dynamic supply tool that could gather information around aspects such as attrition and training lead times to help improve forecasting of future personnel requirements.
As many roles in Navy cannot be acquired directly from the market, this work factored in lead times and subordinate levels required to sustain personnel in certain trades. The tool was developed to gather information about workforce demands and requirements and enable modelling against potential future force structures.
Finalists for 2025 Sub-contractor or SME – Service
New Zealand Diving and Salvage Limited
New Zealand Diving and Salvage was engaged through prime contractor Beca to provide underwater services at the Royal New Zealand Navy’s Devonport Naval Base. This included dredging, inspections, and repair of core infrastructure.
An issue with the drydock sluice gate was identified as a potential risk to the facility’s operation. The company’s responded quickly, identified and sourced an interim solution and followed this with a permanent repair – with installation of a 1.5 tonne plate installed over the damaged area two metres below sea level.
Pet Transport
Military working dogs are often transported around New Zealand and deployed around the world to support several operations. Military working dogs have travelled to the Pacific Games in the Solomons, and with Exercise Talisman Sabre.
As live animals, navigating import and export rules of different countries can be complex and extensive, spanning biosecurity, welfare, export, and customs legislation and rules. Inadequate planning or attention to detail could result in dogs being quarantined or possibly destroyed.
Pet Transport drew on an overseas initiative to introduce a dog passport. As regulations have specific requirements around the data required and how it is presented, the standardised dog passports ensure every military working dog has the necessary information in one location.
New NZDF dog handlers are briefed on the aspects associated with transporting dogs domestically and particularly to foreign countries, and Pet Transport provides immediate assistance when needed to support the safe and efficient movement of military working dogs.
Finalists – 2025 Special Awards, Tū Tika – Commitment
Colleen Plummer of Babcock New Zealand in recognition of her significant contribution to strengthening health, safety, and environmental practices during complex ship maintenance activities, particularly for HMNZS Te Mana and HMNZS Te Kaha.
Gram Schweikert of Marine Industrial Design (MID) in recognition of his leadership and trusted problem‑solving in delivering a safe and innovative interim repair solution that enabled HMNZS Aotearoa to deploy to Singapore for critical maintenance.
