Last weekend, Dame Cindy presented 83 recipients with their Gold Duke of Edinburgh’s Hillary Awards in a very special ceremony at Government House.
The Governor-General’s involvement in this ceremony has long been a tradition, with the first Kiwi recipients receiving their Gold Awards from then Governor-General Sir Bernard Fergusson at Government House in 1965. Eight young men and one young woman were presented with their awards on that occasion – showing just how popular the award has grown in the intervening years.
Dame Cindy noted in her speech how the late Prince Philip established the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award to help young people ‘discover fresh interests and make new friends, and find satisfaction in giving service to others.’ This idea was perhaps captured best by our most revered explorer and humanitarian, Sir Edmund Hillary, for whom the award was renamed to honour in 2009.
Gold Award recipients must successfully complete several tasks to a high level in the areas of skill development, voluntary service, physical recreation and adventurous journey to achieve their award.
Dame Cindy delivered two speeches at these events, to each group of recipients. You can read both of these here: Duke of Edinburgh's Hillary Gold Awards 2026 AM Ceremony and Duke of Edinburgh's Hillary Gold Awards 2026 PM Ceremony.
Congratulations to all recipients on your wonderful achievement!
You can view more images from the event here: Duke of Edinburgh's Hillary Gold Awards 2026.