The NZIIP Intelligence Community Awards are an annual event where we celebrate the wealth of talent and diversity across the New Zealand intelligence community that has contributed to the continuing potential and achievements of the sector. These awards are means of recognising outstanding contributions to single agencies, across the intelligence sector, as well as outstanding performance as a new member, experienced practitioner or manager, as nominated by colleagues and superiors.
The NZIIP Intelligence Community Awards are held every year in conjunction with the annual conference.
Two new categories have been added, as a result of feedback from the NZIIP Diversity Assessment survey feedback, and in consideration of the 2021 Conference theme Participation, Protection and Partnerships in the Intelligence Profession.
These categories are: The Emerging Leader Award and The Classified Recognition Award.
Lastly, the Intelligence Community Award has been updated and renamed in honour of the late Oliver Harper. The Oli Harper Award for Inter-Agency Excellence sets out to recognise those individuals who have pursued and enabled the greatest inter-agency cohesion, ensuring more effective intelligence across the sector. It has been updated to better reflect the standards and dedication needed from intelligence professionals working across the sector and at an all-of-Government level. It recognises those intelligence professionals who give the most in developing whanaungatanga either between a select number of agencies or broadly across the sector.
Oli Harper was the standard bearer for greater intelligence collaboration across New Zealand government agencies. While working for New Zealand Customs Service, Geospatial-Intelligence New Zealand (GNZ) and the New Zealand Defence Force, Oli worked tirelessly to tap into the potential caught between agencies’ responsibilities. As a NZIIP Committee member, Oli introduced and maintained excellent inter-agency relations between the Institute and domestic agencies. He was also responsible for establishing the NZIIP Intern programme to better shepherd new members of the profession into the intelligence community. “To me he was the epitome of community – easy-going, embracing, and encouraging in his manner and outlook,” says the inaugural NZIIP Intern, Grace Carroll. Despite being described as quietly and diligently working away more often than not, Oli inspired countless aspiring and young intelligence and security professionals.