The acronym AIMES stands for:
The ARTS, INNOVATION (Science & Technology), MUSIC, EDUCATION (Academic Excellence), SPORT; and SERVICE TO THE COMMUNITY.
The North Harbour Club & Charitable Trust awards grants annually through the AIMES Youth Excellence Awards to outstanding young people, aged 13 to 25, who are achieving excellence in these fields. Since the North Harbour Club’s inception in 1995, over $3.4 million worth of grants have been made, making the club one of the largest donors to individuals in New Zealand.
AIMES Youth Excellence Award Categories
A
(Arts & Creativity)
Sponsored by Milford Asset Management
I
(Science, Technology & Enterprise)
Sponsored by Bridgewest
M
(Excellence in Musical Performance)
Sponsored by RSM New Zealand
E
(Excellence in Education & STEM)
Sponsored by Kristin School
S
(Achievement in Sport & Physical Performance)
Sponsored by AUT Millennium
(Service, Impact & Sustainability)
Sponsored by Albany Toyota
North Harbour Club AIMES Youth Excellence Awards
(formerly AIMES Awards)
The North Harbour Club AIMES Youth Excellence Awards (NHCYEA) are our top awards with a winner selected in each category. Recipients of these awards are aged between 13 and 25. A Supreme Award Winner is then selected from these recipients every year to receive the Sir Peter Blake Trophy. Sir Peter was the founding patron of the club in 1995. Seven AIMES Youth Excellence Award category winners received $15,000 each in 2025, with the Supreme Winner – Caitlin O’Reilly – receiving a total of $30,000.
ROSS FINLAYSON AWARD
Sponsored by Alvarium
A legacy award honouring the Founding President, Ross Finlayson. This special award is presented annually to a talented young person highlighted by the judging panels as having strong leadership qualities.
Ngaawaimarino Simpkins was honoured to be recognised with this award in 2025.
EMERGING TALENT AWARDS
Sponsored by Andersen
Emerging Talent Awards recognise individuals whom have applied for a North Harbour Club AIMES Youth Excellence Award and display considerable promise. Many of our Emerging Talent Award winners go on to win AIMES Youth Excellence Awards in following years. Five Emerging Talent Award recipients received $7,500 each in 2025.
Congratulations to the 2025 Emerging Talent Award Winners: Lauren Wycherley (Arts, Ballet), Madeleine Xiao (Music, Piano), Yiyang (Andy) Tao (Education, Science & Medicine), Lewis Bower (Sport, Cycling), and Bailey Flavell (Sport, Basketball).
SCHOLARSHIP AWARDS
Sponsored by Vantage Windows & Doors, North Shore
The Scholarship Awards are exclusively for those applicants aged 13-18 years, they are awarded $3,000 each. These awards are the first stepping stone of our North Harbour Club AIMES Youth Excellence Awards pathway.
Congratulations to our 2025 Award Winners (L-R) Back Row: Paul Bayer (Vantage Windows & Doors North Shore – Scholarship Sponsor), Zachary Robertson (Service to the Community), Gabrielle Doyle (Sport), Yuetong (Victoria) Xin (Sport), Alex Liang (Innovation), Nathan Fry (Music), Mia Rajaratnam (Arts), Cecilia Lin (Service to the Community), Pam Bayer (Vantage Windows & Doors North Shore),
Front row: Tom Talbot (Arts), Joe Leith (Sport), YuYang Ding (Music)
Applying for an Award
Applications for the North Harbour Club AIMES Youth Excellence Awards (NHCYEA), Emerging Talent Awards, and Scholarship Awards are completed online.
Applications for the 2026 Awards open on Monday 23 March 2026 and closes at 5:00pm sharp on Friday 15 May 2026.
After applications close, a panel of judges – including North Harbour Club Trustees, Members, and invited specialists – will select the winners. This process takes approximately two months and includes interviews with shortlisted candidates. All applicants will be notified of their outcome after interviews conclude.
Awards will be presented at the NHCYEA Gala Dinner on Saturday 17 October 2026.
Reapplying:
Previous award winners (Alumni) are encouraged to reapply for a higher award level. Applications from past winners are judged primarily on achievements since their previous award.
Progression pathway:
Scholarship → Emerging Talent → Excellence Award → Supreme Winner
For example:
Scholarship winners can reapply for Emerging Talent or Excellence Awards but cannot win another Scholarship Award.
Emerging Talent winners can reapply for an Excellence Award or Supreme Winner consideration.
Excellence Award winners can receive this award a second time, but only in consecutive years. After this, they are eligible to apply one final (third) time, only if not awarded Supreme Winner during their second award.
Those who have won the Supreme Winner award are not eligible to reapply.
Note: Winners of the discontinued Junior Excellence Awards can reapply for any NHCYEA award level.
Application Criteria
To be eligible to apply for an NHCYEA, applicants must:-
- Be aged between 13-25 years as at Friday 15 May 2026.
- Have lived, worked or trained in the North Harbour region and/or can demonstrate a strong affiliation with the region for a period of not less than three calendar years.
- Be able to demonstrate the achievement of excellence in chosen category.
- Be able to complete all sections and meet the expectations of the application form in full as requested.
Every Youth Excellence award recipient receives
- Grant Funding relative to their award level
- Access to Shore Junction facilities during open hours
- Invitations to all future Youth Excellence Award Winners Network events
- Opportunity to further build a profile using North Harbour Club networks
Youth Excellence Award Winners Network
The North Harbour Club AIMES Youth Excellence Awards programme has been in place since 1995 … the Club has a strong network of past winners.
Many return in years to come and join the Club as members, to give back to the next talented youth.