Each year, the Best Places to Work™ Awards celebrate organisations across Aotearoa New Zealand that are raising the bar for people-first leadership. Behind every award is an invitation to others: Learn what can work, elevate your practice, and help float all the boats higher so we can make New Zealand one of the Best Places to Work in the world!

Our judging panel has a clear mission: to recognise organisations where ‘people first’ is more than a motto - it’s embedded in strategy and systems, championed by leaders, and visible in everyday practices that shape culture and performance.

The Annual Survey: The voice that underpins it all

At the heart of the Best Places to Work™ programme is the BPTW™ Annual  Survey. This captures the voices of employees across nine pillars of workplace excellence, creating the benchmark data that underpins the entire Awards process.

For judges, survey results are not just supporting evidence, they are the foundation. They provide:

• Direct insight into the employee experience: how people feel about leadership, culture, wellbeing, growth, and more.
• Benchmarking: showing how organisations stack up against peers.
• Checks and balances: ensuring that employer Awards submissions align with the lived experiences of their people.

Combined with evidence of strategy and practice, the Awards turn employee voices into measurable impact. This balance ensures the finalists and winners truly reflect the best of workplace leadership  in New Zealand.

Judging the BPTW™ Awards 

Awards entries are assessed by an independent panel guided by impartiality, confidentiality, consistency, and impact. Our judges look at each submission holistically using the BPTW™ Annual Survey (the voice of employees) alongside customer feedback and evidence of business performance. They want to see genuine, measurable outcomes – not just one-off initiatives or statements of intent.‍

Awards Submissions

In addition to the Annual Survey results, Awards submissions are structured around the BPTW™ pillars of workplace excellence: 

• Trust in Leadership & Purpose  - confidence in leaders, clear direction, and line-of-sight to meaningful purpose.
• Culture & Team Connection -  inclusive, fair, collaborative environments where belonging and teamwork are lived, not just stated.
• Wellbeing - work designed to support mental/physical health, balance and safety, with measurable outcomes (not perks alone).
• Innovation, Tools & Technology - curiosity and safe experimentation supported by modern systems that enable productivity and connection.
• Performance & Growth - clear expectations, ongoing development, quality feedback, and authentic recognition that lifts results.
• Sustainability - environmental and social responsibility embedded in strategy and operations with transparent goals and progress.

Judges look for long-term, measurable outcomes; a whole-of-organisation, strategy-embedded commitment to people; people-first decisions under pressure; co-designed, feedback-driven improvements; and clear leadership accountability shared across the organisation.

Measurement Lenses

Customer Experience, which looks at how employee experience translates into customer satisfaction, loyalty, and outcomes, and Business Performance, which considers how resilience, growth, and competitiveness are directly linked to the strength of employee experience.‍

Award Categories

‍There are two types of awards: Organisational Size (Micro to Large), and Spotlight Awards, which recognise standout performance/initiatives in:

• Wellness -  effective, outcomes-driven wellbeing practices and flexible work.
• Innovation & Tech - employee-led ideas, smart use of tech/AI, and systems that enable innovation.
• Sustainability - credible goals, transparent reporting, and measurable environmental/social impact.
• Community & Regional Impact - authentic partnerships and benefits delivered to local communities/regions.
• Human-Centred Impact - people-first approach embedded in organisational DNA.
  

Impact

The BPTW™ Awards set benchmarks, celebrate what’s possible, and inspire continuous improvement - helping make New Zealand one of the world’s Best Places to Work™­, now and into the future.

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