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EY Entrepreneur Of The Year 2025

 nominations are open

Nominate Here

Nomination process

There are five EY Entrepreneur Of The Year award categories that have been established to recognise New Zealand’s best entrepreneurs.

Products - Nominees in this category are retailers, wholesalers and manufacturers of products from all industries.

Services - These entrepreneurs are providers of professional services e.g. financial, engineering, architecture, real estate, property, recreation and leisure.

Technology & Emerging Industries - Nominees who run businesses within software, hardware, telecommunications, digital media, biotechnology or health sciences industries.

Young - Entrepreneurs 35 years or younger (Thursday 19 June 2025) across all industries are eligible for this category.

Master - A category designed for leaders of well-established businesses that have made a significant commitment to entrepreneurship.

Criteria for eligibility

  • To be eligible for the programme, you must:
  • Be a company founder, owner or manager of a private or public company or organisation who is primarily responsible for the recent performance of the company or organisation, and an active member of senior management
  • Be a New Zealand citizen or permanent resident
  • Have a significant equity stake in the business
  • Have a company that has been in existence for at least two years at close of applications, Thursday 19 June 2025.

Judging critera

The independent judging panel considers each entrepreneur finalist against the following criteria, developed and used globally in country Entrepreneur Of The Year programmes as well as EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year. The four criteria are a balanced scorecard.

  •

    Impact
    • Positively impacts the customers they serve.
    • Integrates sustainable Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) practices in their strategy with robust commitments and execution plans.
    • Focuses on diversity and inclusion across multiple dimensions.

    Entrepreneurial spirit
    • Identifies opportunities to innovate and create a better world.
    • Takes risks to realize their vision.
    • Demonstrates courage, perseverance and resilience to overcome significant obstacles.

    Purpose
    • Commits themselves and their organization to an inspiring purpose and vision.
    • Drives strategies for a sustainable future business.
    • Creates and protects value in the long-term, across a broad group of stakeholders and ecosystems (e.g. consumers, employees, suppliers, government, communities, investors and shareholders).

    Growth
    • Increases market share and expands into new markets.
    • Drives positive financial performance.
    • Invests in attracting, developing and retaining a diverse mix of talent.
    • Builds a culture of innovation that pioneers new approaches or technologies.

Learn more

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EY Contacts

National

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Jason Macgregor
Program Director
Tel: +64 274 899 504

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Rebecca Seymour-East
Program Manager
Tel: +27 687 8977

EY refers to the global organization, and may refer to one or more, of the member firms of Ernst & Young Global Limited, each of which is a separate legal entity. Ernst & Young Global Limited, a UK company limited by guarantee, does not provide services to clients.
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