New Zealand’s most prestigious business awards take place tonight with the Deloitte Top 200 Awards held at Auckland’s Viaduct Event Centre.

The Herald will have exclusive full coverage of all the winners in print and online tomorrow, with a live video stream of the event starting about 7pm tonight.

Now in their 36th year, the Deloitte Top 200 Awards are well established as the pre-eminent platform for showcasing the best of New Zealand business. This year’s theme, “Celebrating those who move Aotearoa forward”, reflects a renewed sense of optimism and determination across the business community.

This year’s finalists include companies and leaders from the agribusiness, transport and logistics, manufacturing, retail and utility sectors, among others. Innovation and agility are two themes emerging from the line-up.

Finalists for Company of the Year are The a2 Milk Company, Rocket Lab and Fonterra.

Those lining up for CEO of the Year are Sky Network Television’s Sophie Moloney, Xero’s Sukhinder Singh Cassidy and Miles Hurrell of Fonterra.

Finalists for Chair of the Year include James Miller, Peter McBride and Pip Greenwood.

The evening will also include a special award for “Visionary Leader” of the year, recognising someone in the business world whose work is of importance to the business community.

• Scroll down for a full list of finalists.

NZME director of business reports and judging convenor for the awards, Fran O’Sullivan, said the finalists all exhibited strong responses to the recent economic difficulties in New Zealand.

“It’s an exciting year for the Top 200 with the inclusion of S&P/NZX 50-listed companies, and a new judge joining our panel, Forsyth Barr’s Darren Manning. Each year, we’ve maintained the parts of the awards that make them such an institution, while building on the foundations to ensure we continue to deliver a premier business awards event that evolves with the times.”

Together with O’Sullivan and Manning, this year’s Top 200 judging panel includes Jonathan Mason, Neil Paviour-Smith, Gavin Lonergan and Hinerangi Raumati-Tu’ua.

The Diversity & Inclusion Leadership Award is judged by Juliet Tainui-Hernandez, Dame Ranjna Patel and Rob Campbell, while Dame Joan Withers, Susan Peterson and Liam Dann look after the Young Executive of the Year category. Katie Beith and Kate Wilson Butler are the judging advisers for the Sustainability Leadership Award.

The Deloitte Top 200 Awards recognise the depth and range of New Zealand’s business community, featuring the industries and sectors that underpin the country’s success.

“We’re in an era where technology and innovation are reshaping the way businesses operate,” says Mike Horne, Deloitte New Zealand chief executive.

“After navigating tough times, New Zealand organisations are now seizing opportunities to transform and grow. The Deloitte Top 200 finalists are leading this charge; leveraging digital tools, embracing AI, and driving sustainable progress, and it’s a privilege to celebrate their leadership and impact.”

Full list of the 2025 Deloitte Top 200 Awards finalists:

• Amazon Web Services Company of the Year: Fonterra, Rocket Lab and The a2 Milk Company.

• ServiceNow Chief Executive of the Year: Sophie Moloney (Sky TV), Miles Hurrell (Fonterra) and Sukhinder Singh Cassidy (Xero).

• Tax Traders Chief Financial Officer of the Year: David Muscat (The a2 Milk Company), Richard Thomson (Air New Zealand) and Simon Kebbell (Port of Tauranga).

• Forsyth Barr Chairperson of the Year: James Miller, Peter McBride and Pip Greenwood.

• Sustainability Leadership: BNZ, Goodman Property Trust and Precinct Properties.

• 2degrees Best Growth Strategy: Contact Energy, F&P Healthcare and Xero.

• BusinessNZ Most Improved Performance: Port of Tauranga, Sanford and Tower.

• Snowflake Young Executive of the Year: Anna Mitchell (Chorus), Boyd Scirkovich (Ngāti Toa Rangatira) and Kate Boyer (Air New Zealand)

• Diversity and Inclusion Leadership: AIA, Clarus and Microsoft.

• Hobson Leavy Visionary Leader: To be announced on the night.

The Herald will have exclusive full coverage of all the winners in print and online here with a live video stream of the event, starting about 7pm.