When New Zealanders think about the organisations that shape our country, they tend to think of businesses, government agencies, councils, schools or charities.
Far fewer think about associations.
Yet associations help set professional standards, build workforce capability, inform public policy and solve problems that no organisation could tackle alone. Most New Zealanders experience the benefits of that work every day without ever seeing the organisations behind it. Associations are part of New Zealand's social, professional and economic fabric, and their impact reaches far beyond their membership.
That is why the inaugural NZSAE Associations Matter Awards were created: to shine a light on the people and organisations making a tangible difference. This year's winners demonstrate the breadth of what modern associations do and why they remain more relevant than ever.
The Association of the Year – Impact Award was won by Engineering New Zealand Te Ao Rangahau for its Wonder Project. The programme connects students with volunteer engineers and STEM professionals and has reached more than 200,000 students across 1,500 schools since 2018, with a strong focus on girls, Māori and Pacific learners, and schools facing greater barriers to participation.
What makes the Wonder Project especially significant is that it demonstrates the ability of associations to mobilise an entire profession around a shared purpose. When government funding was withdrawn, the programme was repositioned as an industry-led initiative, expanding its commercial partner base and rebuilding its funding model.
This is association work at its best. It is helping build New Zealand's future workforce, inspiring young people to pursue STEM careers and creating opportunities that may otherwise never have existed.
The Excellence in Member Engagement Award went to the Employers and Manufacturers Association (EMA) for its Change the Act campaign. Years of member frustration with the Holidays Act were transformed into a sustained campaign involving more than 30 briefings, major webinars, specialist workshops and a national roadshow. Thousands of employers had the opportunity to share their experiences and contribute to the reform process.
The result was credible, evidence-based advocacy that helped contribute to the legislation being reconsidered and redrafted through the Employment Leave Bill. The campaign demonstrates how associations can turn member experience into meaningful policy change.
The Association Leader of the Year Award was presented to Siobhan Molloy, Executive Director and Kaiwhakahaere Matua of the New Zealand Speech-language Therapists' Association. Since taking up the role in 2021, she has led a significant transformation of the organisation, strengthening its capability, professional standards, member services and long-term sustainability. Membership has grown from 953 to more than 1,530.
Her leadership highlights the role associations play in strengthening professions through better standards, governance and professional development. Under Siobhan's leadership, the Association has also championed culturally responsive leadership and initiatives such as the Te Rito Bicultural Competency Programme.
The Emerging Leader Award was won by Michelle Dogra of Steel Construction New Zealand. She played a significant role in the organisation's growth and digital transformation, helping membership increase from 284 to 800 and lifting conference attendance from around 100 to 300 participants. She also helped modernise systems and processes, creating lasting organisational efficiencies.
Perhaps most impressively, Michelle established the Women in Structural Steel initiative outside her formal responsibilities. The programme has expanded across Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch and become the organisation's second most-attended event series.
Her achievement reminds us that associations succeed because people are willing to turn good ideas into practical outcomes.
Together, these four winners demonstrate the many ways associations create value: developing future talent, advocating for better policy, strengthening professions and building more capable organisations. Their work benefits not only members, but the wider New Zealand community.
Too often, associations are seen only through the lens of events, networking and membership administration. In reality, they convene expertise, establish standards, build capability, foster innovation and help industries and professions respond to shared challenges. They help New Zealand work better.
The recipients of these inaugural awards show what is possible when people come together around a shared purpose. They also remind us of something important: associations do not exist for their own sake. They exist to create value for others.
As this year's winners demonstrate, associations help shape industries, strengthen communities and create opportunities that extend far beyond their membership. New Zealand is stronger because of their contribution.
By Brett Jeffery, Executive Director,
New Zealand Society of Association Executives (NZSAE)