Dr Siouxsie Wiles, Supreme Winner at the Stuff-Westpac 2020 Women of Influence Awards

Siouxsie Wiles has been named the Supreme Winner of the 2020 Stuff-Westpac Women of Influence Awards.

The associate professor, a microbiologist at the University of Auckland, was chosen from a host of inspiring women who stand out on the local and international stage, at the 8th annual awards ceremony at Auckland’s Aotea Center on Tuesday evening.

The scientist’s accessible and evidence-based commentary on staying safe during the pandemic helped ease the nation’s anxiety and became the foundation for the World Health Organization’s communication tools, the justices said.

The Women of Influence Awards, jointly presented by Westpac NZ and Stuff, had 339 nominations in 10 categories this year.

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Wiles also received the award for scientific and health innovation.

Wiles nudged his award and thanked his family and colleagues.

“I feel absolutely privileged to have been in a position to have the skills and knowledge to help us get here because February and March was a really scary time,” said Wiles.

“I want to remind you that it is not over yet. Keep scanning that app.

“To overcome this, we are going to need everyone. This pandemic has shed light on all the things that are wrong in this country, in other countries and we have to fix those things. So we’re all going to get out of here doing everything we can to make sure we make the world a better place. “

Stuff CEO Sinead Boucher said the judges were impressed not only by the leadership Wiles had shown this year, but by his strong advocacy of other women in science.

“What I admire about Siouxsie, as well as her undoubted experience in her field, is how she has persevered through all manner of personal attacks and trolling to ensure the incredibly important facts of the Covid-19 pandemic, and what we must do, they communicate in a clear and articulate way, ”said Boucher.

“In a year when dangerous conspiracies and false information about Covid-19 were rife, where people had high levels of anxiety and fear, Siouxsie has rightly become one of our most trusted and respected voices.

“She has had an incredible influence on how we have all understood and responded to one of the greatest challenges of our age.”

Westpac NZ CEO David McLean said that as the country faced a host of social, environmental and economic challenges, Kiwi women were at the forefront of the response.

“With that in mind, I can’t think of a more deserving winner than Siouxsie,” McLean said.

“Whether it’s tackling our domestic violence problem, mobilizing the climate change movement, or helping young people become more involved in their financial futures, all of the winners in our category deserve to be recognized for their incredible work.”

In addition to the category winners, New Zealand’s first MP of Pacific Islander Luamanuvao Dame Winnie Laban received a lifetime achievement award for her decades of service to the Pasifika community.

Laban was the first female parliamentarian from the Pacific Islands, honored by an order of service from the queen in 2011.

She was honored as a Dame Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit (DNZM) for her services to the Pacific education and community in 2018.

Laban, who received a standing ovation, said her award went to all those women who were not recognized for their contribution to their communities, in her acceptance speech.

“Over the years, I have had the privilege of working with many enthusiastic and talented women in New Zealand, the Pacific region and around the world who give me hope for the future,” Laban said.

“All women have leadership potential, we can all become influential women.”

Co-founders of investment platform Sharesies, Sonya Williams and Brooke Roberts, took the award to the trading company.

The pair launched Sharesies in 2017, with a subscription-based service that encourages investors to drip money into New Zealand stocks and funds online.

Now it has expanded that to include US stocks and has attracted 240,000 investors who together have invested more than $ 8 million.

Williams said Sharesies was on a mission to create a financially empowered generation.

Complete list of 2020 Women of Influence Award winners:

Supreme Winner and Innovation, Science and Health: Siouxsie Wiles, microbiologist and leading Covid-19 commentator.

Art and culture: Parris Goebel, award-winning music director and choreographer who has worked with some of the biggest stars in the music industry.

Board and administration: Give me Alison Paterson, pioneering entrepreneur, company director and “Grand Lady of Government.”

Business company: Brooke Roberts and Sonya Williams, co-founders of micro-investment company Sharesies, are credited with making investing more accessible for tens of thousands of kiwis.

Community Hero: Ranjna Patel, a domestic violence activist who works with police to identify men at risk and help them change their behavior.

Diversity: Tupe Solomon-Tanoa’i, which helps fund research on criminal justice and family law; activist for cultural recognition and inclusion.

Global: Jane Kelsey, professor of law, prominent scholar, and commentator on neoliberalism and international trade policy.

Public politics: Una Jagose, attorney general who incorporates Maori values ​​into crown law; First acting director of female GCSB.

Rural: Trish Fraser, Soil Scientist, Plant & Food Research, leads a team of scientists to help improve the productivity and sustainability of kiwi farms.

Young leader: Aigagalefili Fepulea’i Tapua’i, activist for climate change and social equality, author and poet, director of Aorere College.

Life Achievement: Luamanuvao Dame Winnie Laban, leader of the Pacific community and New Zealand’s first female MP in the Pacific Islands.