Brightstar and Ecosystm are proud to present the 2026 New Zealand CIO Innovation Awards, recognising those who are pushing boundaries, embracing change, and creating meaningful impact through technology.

Now in its 16th year, the awards celebrate New Zealand’s legacy of innovation, celebrating how individuals and teams across Aotearoa are unlocking the extraordinary potential of technology to transform their organisation and community through leadership and innovation.

The winners will be announced at the NZ CIO Innovation Awards Gala Dinner at the New Zealand International Convention Centre, Auckland, on Tuesday 4 August 2026.
 

Awards Categories

Please log in to view the criteria points and eligibility for each category. 

New Zealand CIO of the Year
Emerging ICT Leader of the Year
Business Transformation through Digital and IT
Innovation Leadership Through an Emerging Technology
Excellence in Customer Value
Best ICT Team Culture and Inclusion
Innovation for Impact and Purpose
Outstanding Contribution to Technology and Business in New Zealand

Awards Dates

Nomination Guidelines

General Eligibility

• Nominations may be submitted by the individual or team themselves, or on their behalf by a third party.
• Nominations provided by a technology vendor or its partners , submitted on behalf of another organisation (such as a customer), for an initiative, team or individual must be qualified as the tech-user organisation. The docus of the entry must be on the organisational outcomes delivered, enabled by a technology not the cocreation of a product, or services. To verify eligibility the nominator can contact the awards organisers.
• Nominees must hold New Zealand residency and be working in New Zealand at the time entries close.
• Nominated organisations must be operating in New Zealand at the time entries close
• There is no cost to enter or nominate for the NZ CIO Awards.

Entries and Categories

• The same person, initiative/ programme or organisation may be entered into multiple categories, provided it meets the specific entry criteria for each category.
• You may provide attach documents or links to publicly accessible websites to support your nomination. Supporting documents do not count towards any noted word limits.
• Entrants should refer to individual category descriptions for eligibility.

Past Winners

• CIO of the Year and Emerging ICT Leader
  • Past winners are not eligible to re-enter the same category.
• All other categories
  • Past winning teams or organisations may re-enter with a substantially different entry, such as a new project, initiative, or team.

Sponsors and Judges

• Organisations sponsoring a 2026 award category or the CIO Awards Gala Dinner are not eligible to enter the awards.
• Organisations represented by a judge are not eligible to enter any of the awards.
• Judges are required to disclose any actual or perceived conflicts of interest. Examples of conflict of interest include;
  • A familial or working relationship with a nominee
  • A judge accepts a role (but not yet started) at any of the organisations nominated for an award – not just the award they are judging
  • Their employer is a partner or major customer of a nominee
  • Shareholding, board representation or investment in a nominated company