This award was established in 2004. Winners to date have been:
2023: Byron C. Clark to support an investigation into the spread of climate change disinformation online.
2022: No award was made.
2021: Denise Piper and Jason Dorday for their Stuff series, The Last Stand, on the dieback threat to our kauri forests.
2020: No award was made.
2019: No award was made.
2018: Aaron Smale for his award-winning podcast series The Lake and associated articles on the barbaric treatment of children at the Lake Alice psychiatric hospital in the 1970s.
2017: No award was made.
2016: No award was made.
2015: Jointly: Errol Wright and Abi King-Jones of CutCutCut Films for The 5th Eye, an investigation of the Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) and its role in the global Five Eyes network AND Catriona MacLennan for a report on the feasibility of adopting the living wage at Auckland Council, The Living Wage in the world’s most liveable city in 2016.
2014: Max Rashbrooke for a proposed work of “critical, informed, analytical and creative journalism or writing that will contribute to public debate in NZ on an important issue or issues” was awarded to Max Rashbrooke for an e-book on wealth inequality in NZ.
2013: Alister Barry, for his feature-length film documentary, Hot Air, which tells the history of the politics of climate change in New Zealand from 1988 to 2008.
2012: Rebecca Macfie for a planned book on the Pike River mine disaster. Now published as Tragedy at Pike River Mine.
2011: Max Rashbrooke, Wellington, for his book Across the Great Divide on inequality in NZ.
2010: Auckland transport researcher Dr Chris Harris for a study of NZ transport and planning policies in international perspective.
2009: No award was made.
2008: Auckland transport researcher Keith Mexsom for what became a two-part history of Auckland transport.
2007: Auckland freelancer Peter Malcouronne for two articles on economic growth in North & South magazine, later republished on Medium.
2006: Wellington freelancer Amie Richardson for a series of investigative articles on rest homes in the Listener.
2005: Freelance journalist Jon Stephenson for a two-part report from Iraq which appeared in Metro magazine and won France’s prestigious Prix Bayeux-Calvados.
2004: Wellington researcher Tina McIvor for an investigation into Work and Income’s treatment of beneficiaries judged to be living in marriage-type relationships; and writer Nicky Hager and writer Nicky Hager for research for his book on New Zealand’s
involvement in America’s “war on terror”, Other People’s Wars,
published in 2011.
