Computerworld NZ IT Leaders Awards: Delivering innovation and business value

Honouring the best in ICT talent globally, the Computerworld NZ IT Leaders represents the first time the Computerworld's IT Leaders program initiative has been brought to New Zealand.

Turning the spotlight not just on the individual members that have worked to set themselves apart, the Computerworld NZ IT Leaders Awards recognises the path-breaking projects that set the tone for peers and end-users across the country.

Highlighting risk takers and achievers in the country's ICT teams, the end-user awards represented eight categories, ranging from industries such as healthcare, manufacturing and education.

Christchurch electronics manufacturer Dynamic Controls took out the Innovative ICT Project of the Year award for its pioneering use of Internet of Things technologies around maintenance monitoring while Capital and Coast District Health Board claimed the Healthcare ICT Project of the Year for its adoption of a New Zealand developed solution which delivers measurably better clinical outcomes for patients.

“It’s great to be recognised in New Zealand for the vision we and CCDHB share, to provide accurate information supporting the decisions of those who care for patients with wounds,” says Dr Bruce Davey, CEO, ARANZ Medical, who helped deliver the project.

“We employ some of the world’s best engineers and software developers in Health IT, and this award recognises their determination to create solutions that make a difference to the lives of people afflicted with wounds.

“It’s also a great endorsement of the quality of IT coming from Christchurch. The future of health is in informatics, and we are taking a leading role internationally in making higher quality information available to practitioners in wound care.”

Meanwhile, Kiwi apparel company Icebreaker claimed the Manufacturing ICT Project of the Year following the business’s successful scaling of its existing supply chain, Silver Fern Farms received the Agriculture ICT Project of the Year award for its effective use of portable computing out in the field and the Ministry of Education took the Government ICT Project of the Year honours after moving its Wellington-based production data centre to Datacom’s Kapua data centre earlier this year.

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The New Zealand Association of Credit Unions is honoured as the ICT Team of the Year.

In a boost for the digital banking industry, Westpac claimed the BFSI ICT Project of the Year award for its Digital Customer Experience Transformation, defining the bank’s customer service strategy and its ongoing shift towards digital enablement.

“It’s great to be recognised within the IT industry and this award further vindicates the strategy we're delivering which places the customer at the heart of everything we do,” says Simon Pomeroy, chief digital officer, Westpac New Zealand.

“Focus for us is first and foremost delivering the best experience for our customers and this recognition further demonstrates how we're leading our industry through customer-led innovation.

“We've been focussed on delivering greater service, deeper engagement and making things easier and faster for our customers across all channels - digital is key to this.”

Rounding off the awards process, Hartley Holtzhauzen, infrastructure services manager, Auckland Council claimed both individual awards, after being voted as the Future CIO of the Year and ICT Manager of the Year.

Holtzhauzen will receive a full year's access to the Pathways ICT Leadership Development Program, delivered by the CIO Executive Council.

“Pathways is a unique, flexible, self-managed, self-paced 12-month professional development program that brings together best practices, thought leadership and business insights for today’s most promising ICT professionals,” says Barbara Simon, president and publisher of enterprise, IDG Australia and New Zealand, the publisher of Computerworld.

"Pathways, which is designed and delivered by local and global CIOs, has had a lot of interest from New Zealand's ICT professionals who regularly take the course. It seemed only fitting to give it to our individual award winners, as we honour both their technical knowledge and business sensibility.

The judges for this year’s awards are:

• Caroline Bucknell, General Manager, CIO Executive Council

• Alan Hesketh, Chief Technology Officer, LawMaster

• Andrew Crabb, CIO and Sales Executive, Soda Group

• Robin Johansen, Independent consultant

• Marcelo De Santis, Director, Information Systems & Enterprise Business Services, Asia Pacific, Mondelez International.

James Henderson (james_henderson@idg.co.nz) is the editor of Computerworld New Zealand.