The Public Relations Institute of New Zealand (PRINZ) has announced 55 finalists for the 52nd annual PRINZ Awards.
Despite the tough economic environment, this year’s finalists reflect the resilience, creativity and hard work carried out in the public relations and communications sector in 2025.
The PRINZ Awards honour excellence, promote continuous improvement and showcase the outstanding work achieved by public relations and communications management professionals in New Zealand. The awards are designed to highlight the importance of good communication across every aspect of society.
Strategic maturity and impact
The finalists have been selected following a thorough judging process.
The judging panel is comprised of industry professionals across New Zealand and overseas with backgrounds in agency, in-house and government roles. They are overseen by two chief judges Tracey Bridges and Nikki Wright.
They say: “The calibre of this year’s finalists is exceptionally high, reflecting both the strategic maturity of the profession and the growing impact of communications in complex environments.
“The judging process has been rigorous and thoughtful, with strong debate around work that demonstrates clear outcomes, insight and real-world influence.”
The best in PR and communications
There are 14 categories to be awarded this year including the new Best Use of Small Budget for Impact category.
Beyond campaign categories, finalists in the PR Consultancy of the Year, PR In-house Team of the Year and the Sally Logan-Milne Young Practitioner of the Year categories will be awarded.
Gold award-winning finalists in the campaign categories are shortlisted to take home the PRINZ Supreme Award, the ultimate award of the evening.
The 2026 PRINZ Awards Gala Dinner will be held at the Hilton Auckland on Thursday, June 4.
PRINZ would like to acknowledge the support of their sponsors: Isentia, Truescope, Streem, Telum Media, Momentum Consulting and Celebrity Speakers.
Finalists list
| Agency | Initiative |
| The New Zealand Automobile Association | AA App: Early employee access building confidence, readiness and advocacy |
| Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori | Ake Ake Ake – 50 years of Te Wiki o te Reo Māori |
| FleishmanHillard Aotearoa | All Brads are equal at Macca’s |
| New Zealand Police | All roads lead to recruitment |
| Summerset Retirement Villages | An EVP anthem unites Summerset’s employees |
| Eleven PR | ANZ x Auckland FC Record Season |
| Acumen New Zealand | Attracting more diverse learners to the trades |
| PowerNet Ltd | Backbone Broken: PowerNet’s October 2025 Storm Response |
| Carterton District Council | Carterton District Council Community Survey – a fundamental shift |
| Ngāi Tahu Tourism | Celebrating 60 years of thrills on the Kimiākau |
| Development West Coast | Changing the narrative in a contested sector |
| Silvereye Communications | Craigieburn Basin Restoration Trust: Feel the Burn |
| Hamilton City Council | Election 2025 – Breaking down barriers |
| Alexander PR | Giving an industry its voice back: How Master Electricians used government relations and public affairs to reshape New Zealand’s electrification future |
| Association of Salaried Medical Specialists | Healing the Nelson Hospital |
| Suncorp NZ | Insuring New Zealand’s Future: How Suncorp prepared Kiwis for the reality of climate risk |
| Suncorp NZ | Insuring New Zealand’s Future: How Suncorp shaped NZ’s National Adaptation Framework |
| Spark | Introducing SPK 30 to Spark’s People |
| Tertiary Education Commission | Job Hunters’ Workbook campaign |
| Auckland Airport | Karawhiua: Give it heaps! |
| FleishmanHillard Aotearoa | Kina Cottage |
| One NZ | Leading the Way: How One NZ is building trust on its journey to become the most AI‑enabled telco |
| One NZ | Leading the Way: One NZ empowering every employee to work with AI confidently and responsibly |
| HMC Communications | Making Private Wealth a Public Conversation |
| Great Scott | Making the longest day last even longer – Sharing Coast to Coast stories |
| Alexander PR | Master Electricians: Building the backbone of New Zealand’s electrification future |
| Barnados Aotearoa | Media in action: Rallying and driving change for children |
| Network Communication | National Blood Donor Week – New Zealand Blood Service |
| Great Scott | Night for Flight: Turning local stories into life-saving support |
| ProCare | Patient Voice: How patients drove the fight for fair GP funding |
| Breakout Room NZ | Raising awareness by asking people to ‘Please Ignore It’ |
| Convergence Communications & Marketing Ltd | Regional Investment Done Well |
| Convergence Communications & Marketing Ltd | Regional Investment in Business Done Well |
| Eleven PR | Scammers Bloom |
| Port Malborough NZ Ltd | Seen, Valued, Recognised |
| Scope Communications | Selling a Legend: How the Cardrona Hotel campaign became a national moment |
| Anthem | Spark Kids: Launching New Zealand’s First Purpose-Built Kids Mobile Plan |
| Whakatāne District Council | Stand for Something | Tū Tūturu – Election campaign 2025 |
| One Plus One Communications | Stopping the Stigma Surrounding Medicinal Cannabis |
| One NZ | Swift, Values-Based Response: Managing reputational risk and protecting trust during the Acacia O’Connor incident |
| Auckland Council | Taking the lead: protecting at-risk communities with dogged determination |
| Māia | Te Paringa Tai – How WIPCE 2025 lifted Indigenous voices to lead the news |
| Māia | Te Paringa Tai – How WIPCE 2025 united diverse communities |
| FleishmanHillard Aotearoa | The Pollination Tour |
| Breakout Room NZ | The Teaseburger |
| Development West Coast | Unlocking minerals through trust and policy alignment |
| Belle PR | Urban Miners Digital Graveyard – Tech or Treat |
| FleishmanHillard Aotearoa | Worst Children’s Library |
