Researchers celebrated at 2025 Research Honours Aotearoa events

2025 Research Honours Aotearoa – Ōtautahi Christchurch,  Tuesday 28 October

Awards presented by the Royal Society Te Apārangi

The Humanities Aronui Medal

The Humanities Aronui Medal is presented for research or innovative work of outstanding merit in the humanities.

Distinguished Professor Jacinta Ruru MNZM FRSNZ (Raukawa, Ngāti Ranginui), of Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka – the University of Otago, has been awarded the Humanities Aronui Medal for internationally acclaimed research on how colonial legal systems ought to recognise Indigenous peoples’ interests in land and water.

As a legal scholar, Jacinta has written or co-authored many books, including Discovering Indigenous Lands: The Doctrine of Discovery in the English Colonies. Her groundbreaking ideas are shaping legal interpretations of the rights and responsibilities of Indigenous peoples around the world.

Within Aotearoa New Zealand, Jacinta’s work focuses on how law and policy can uphold Te Tiriti o Waitangi by enabling Māori to care for, own, and manage lands and waters. She has advanced innovative options including granting legal personhood to natural features such as mountains and rivers. She also successfully campaigned for inclusion of tikanga Māori into the teaching at all New Zealand law schools.

Beyond the law, Jacinta has contributed to the broader research sector, supporting and mentoring many Māori scholars and promoting development of research capability and infrastructure as Co-director of the Centre of Research Excellence Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga.  She has also coedited anthologies including Ngā Kete Mātauranga: Māori Scholars at the Research Interface and Books of Mana: 180 Significant Māori Non-Fiction Books.

“I’ve always been really interested in how our modern legal system can recalibrate to reflect modern values of reconciliation with iwi Māori.” – Jacinta Ruru

Read media release about Jacinta's prize>

Te Rangaunua Hiranga Māori Medal

Te Rangaunua Hiranga Māori Medal is awarded every two years for excellent and innovative research, co-created in community contexts by Māori, that has made a distinctive contribution to community wellbeing and development in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Te Kāhui-a-Te-Rū-Rangahau, of the School of Teacher Education at Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha – the University of Canterbury, has won the Te Rangaunua Hiranga Māori Medal for co-creating guides to enable culturally responsive teaching in Aotearoa New Zealand.  

The Hikairo Schema book series and its tertiary companion volume, Ngā Hau e Whā o Tāwhirimātea, were created by Te Kāhui-a-Te-Rū-Rangahau with and for kaiako teachers. The guides provide developmentally appropriate, evidence-based strategies to inform teaching practice.  

The Hikairo Schema books are designed to support teaching at early childhood, primary, intermediate, and secondary stages. They have been widely used in Aotearoa New Zealand (as part of the Better Start literacy approach) and internationally. 

Ngā Hau e Whā o Tāwhirimātea is an open-access publication that has been designed for use in undergraduate and postgraduate teaching.  

The problem the resources seek to solve is “filling the void that exists between the theory and practice”.

“The resources fill the void that exists between theory and practice by providing practical examples that enable teachers and educators to apply their new knowledge in non-threatening and mana-enhancing ways,”– Sonja Macfarlane

Read media release about this prize >

Scott Medal

The Scott Medal is awarded every two years for an outstanding contribution to the advancement of engineering sciences and technologies and their application.

Professor Brendon Bradley FRSNZ of Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha – the University of Canterbury has won the Scott Medal for pioneering research in earthquake science and engineering, and for translating these findings to advance seismic resilience in New Zealand and internationally. 

Brendon has pioneered new methods for ground-motion simulation which can identify areas that will experience the strongest earthquake shaking. His models use massive datasets, including the geological and geophysical properties of rock and soil at specific locations. This approach allows earthquake-strengthening efforts to be prioritised in vulnerable areas and where failure would be critical, resulting in more resilient buildings and infrastructure, while managing the costs.

Brendon has co-authored a landmark textbook on seismic hazards and risk analysis and was a major contributor to the 2022 update of our National Seismic Hazard Model that forecasts the likelihood of ground-shaking around the country and informs the design standards for all civil construction.

Brendon co-established QuakeCORE as a centre of research excellence, serving as a director for 9 years. He also displayed leadership in communicating lessons from the 2010–11 Canterbury and 2016 Kāikoura earthquakes – not only in Aotearoa but around the world.

“My vision for earthquake engineering is a future where quakes are just nuisances – people feel the shaking but generally resume life immediately, to a much greater extent than presently,”– Brendon Bradley

Read media release about Brendon's prize >

Pickering Medal

The Pickering Medal is awarded for innovation and excellence in technology that has generated significant impact and commercial success both nationally and internationally.

Professor Aaron Marshall, of Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha – the University of Canterbury and the MacDiarmid Institute, has been awarded the Pickering Medal for pioneering research in electrochemistry and for successfully commercialising sustainable technologies.

Electrochemistry uses electricity to control or drive chemical reactions at the surface of electrodes. Aaron uses a mix of fundamental research, thermodynamic modelling and engineering know-how to identify the optimal conditions to minimise emissions and operating costs of industrial electrochemistry. Aaron has focused his efforts on high-value problems with commercially viable solutions, and has founded two spin-out companies that are each valued at tens of millions of dollars.

Zincovery offers the world’s first low-carbon pure zinc, recycled from steel-industry waste. The company's innovative technology separates the zinc from the toxic waste, generating 95% less emissions with 45% lower operating costs than the conventional process. Zincovery is building a facility in New Zealand to produce ultra-high purity zinc.

Ternary aims to enable zero-emission transport by using a novel liquid that effectively stores electricity. Importantly the liquid can be stored and delivered using existing fuel infrastructure, then recharged after use, creating a completely circular renewable energy system. Aaron conceived the electrocatalytic pathway to efficiently harness energy from the liquid feedstock.

“I think the future’s really bright when we can take fundamental science and combine it with technologies, like electrical engineering, to solve real-world problems.” – Aaron Marshall

Read media release about Aaron's prize >

Awards presented by the Health Research Council of New Zealand

Catalyst in the Community Award 

The Catalyst in the Community Award is presented for accelerating translation of research findings to improve health outcomes in partnership with the community.

The inaugural winner of the Catalyst in the Community Award is the research team from Te Rūnanga o Ōtākou Taurite Tū Limited.

Te Rūnanga o Ōtākou Taurite Tū, a rūnaka-based, kaupapa Māori research unit led by pioneering Māori physiotherapist and researcher Katrina Pōtiki Bryant, has built a robust research programme blending physiotherapy, mātauranga Māori movement practices, kaumātua engagement, and public health expertise.

The team’s Taurite Tū programme, a uniquely Māori approach to falls prevention, rooted in both western science and traditional Māori practices, stemmed from a Health Research Council Ngā Kanohi Kitea community grant and has significantly reduced falls risk and injury rates for Māori aged 55-plus.

There are now 28 Taurite Tū programmes being delivered by iwi-based organisations in largely rural communities across New Zealand, with more coming on board with the support of partnerships with ACC and WellSouth.

Recently taking out the Conporto Health Best Senior Health Service category at the New Zealand Primary Healthcare Awards, Taurite Tū has upskilled many communities in healthcare delivery, with kaumātua engagement and feedback at the heart of all it does.

Beaven Medal

The Beaven Medal is awarded for medical research that has been translated into improvements in clinical practice and benefits for the health of patients. 

Two Beaven Medals are being awarded this year. The first was presented to  Professor Ben Wheeler and Associate Professor Martin de Bock, and their team from Otakou Whakaihu Waka – the University of Otago.

The collective efforts of this team, spearheaded by Ben and Martin, have transformed diabetes care in New Zealand and influenced global practice.

Their research and collaborations with industry have directly driven the nationwide adoption of automated insulin delivery and continuous glucose monitoring, with Pharmac announcing full funding of these technologies for all New Zealanders living with type 1 diabetes in October 2024.

This landmark achievement was underpinned by the team’s research and advocacy, in partnership with Diabetes New Zealand and the diabetes community.

Their clinical trials and contribution to international guidelines have helped make automated insulin delivery the gold standard globally for treating type 1 diabetes.

In many New Zealand clinics, more than 90 percent of children with type 1 diabetes are now using automated insulin-delivery pumps, vastly improving their quality of life and long-term health outcomes. The team have ongoing work trying to achieve this same goal for all New Zealanders living with type 1 diabetes regardless of age or region.

Liley Medal

The Liley Medal is awarded for an outstanding contribution to health and medical sciences that has delivered significant breakthroughs not only in New Zealand but internationally. 

Professor Logan Walker from Otakou Whakaihu Waka – the University of Otago, Christchurch has been awarded the Liley Medal. 

RNA splicing occurs during gene transcription and is essential for the proper expression of genes. When something goes wrong with this process, diseases can result.

Professor Logan Walker was lead author on a paper, published in the American Journal of Human Genetics, that has helped integrate complex RNA splicing biology into practical clinical recommendations that are now being used by major diagnostic laboratories in New Zealand and internationally.

The new framework he has helped develop for incorporating RNA-splicing evidence into the clinic has enabled laboratories to classify genetic variants with greater confidence, improving diagnostic rates and enabling earlier clinical interventions.

It has also reduced dependence on population-specific data, contributing to more equitable health outcomes, and reduced the need for expensive and prolonged clinical follow-up, directly benefitting the healthcare system.