Celebrating youth at our upcoming Prime Minister's Oranga Tamariki Awards

This year’s awards will be held on 24 June and will acknowledge the 14 participants, who have travelled from across the motu to the award ceremony held at Naumi Hotel in Pōneke. 

PMOTA aims to recognise the talents, achievements and enormous potential of the care-experienced rangatahi we support and will help them to build a more positive and brighter future.  

The Awards provide scholarships, valued at $3,000, to help recipients achieve their goals and aspirations for the future – whether that’s study, sport, following a passion, or developing their leadership skills.

Behind the scenes

The organisers of this year’s event, Senior Events and Engagement Advisor Sumana Freshwater and Senior Communications Advisor Tanya Fea, say they are incredibly proud to help bring this event to life. 

“This is such an important event to be a part of, as we give these young people a chance to stand up and feel proud of the positive steps they are taking toward their future,” said Sumana.  

Nominators who recognise the potential in these rangatahi can have a profound impact. 

 “Their belief inspires these young people to pursue their goals, knowing that someone values their worth,” said Tanya.  

Being nominated 

Being nominated can be a life-changing experience for a young person and reinforces the strength and support they have behind them.  

Award nominations are submitted by social workers, NGO’s, caregivers, and members of the community.  

Finalists and recipients are selected by a panel comprised of Oranga Tamariki leaders, sponsors, and previous recipients.  

“I’m always blown away by the quality of the nominations we receive,” said Tanya, who has been involved in organising these celebrations for the past few years.  

She said that it was evident how incredibly proud their nominators are to support them on this journey.     

What to expect  

The recipients, their nominator and their support person will all attend a special two-day celebration in Wellington on Tuesday 24 and Wednesday 25 June 2025.   

The MC for this year’s awards is Oranga Tamariki Advisor Tamariki and Rangatahi Voice, Tahirah Morton.