The 2017 Sir Peter Blake Leadership Awards took place on Friday June 16. Hosted by Governor-General The Rt Hon Dame Patsy Reddy, the esteemed ceremony saw Sir Mason Durie take home the Blake Medal winner’s award, which was accompanied by an 18 carat gold lapel pin made by Newmarket's very own Greg Holland Jewellery. Each of the six award winners received silver lapel pins – ready for them to wear every time they represented the Sir Peter Blake Trust as award winners and leaders in the community.

Wearing your leadership on your lapel

The awards are a reminder of how Sir Peter Blake expressed through his actions the importance of dreaming and turning those dreams into reality, so "I was thrilled to once again be selected to create the lapel pins that symbolise the award in a physical, lasting way. Being part of something that celebrates dreaming just continues to drive my passion for being a ‘dream catcher’", said Greg Holland.  Greg has crafted the pins for each of the last 13 years.

“To receive one from the Governor-General in front of all Blake Leaders is recognition that one’s leadership and a desire to contribute to New Zealand is at the heart of what drives us and our achievements,” Trust CEO Shelley Campbell said.

Westpac CEO and Chair of the Sir Peter Blake Trust Ann Sherry, along with Leadership Awards Selection Panel Chair Sir Ron Carter, reinforced the importance of the lapel pins in making the awards ceremony as special as it could be. “It was critical for us to ensure that all parties to the awards felt they had a say in the way the design was developed,” the two said. “Greg’s ability to coordinate those thoughts and the hours of work he put into rethinking and recreating ideas for us were sincerely appreciated.”

See more of Greg's work here.