Before starting your submission, you may wish to review the full list of questions.

Download the PDF version of the submission form here to see all questions and prepare your responses before completing the online form.

Friday 29th May 2026 (Friday)
Applications close

June 2026
Judging period

1 July 2026 (Wednesday)
Finalists announced

5 August 2026
Winners announced at the Associations Matter Awards Dinner

ELIGIBILITY

This award is open exclusively to current financial members of NZSAE.

To be eligible:

• The organisation must be a current financial member of NZSAE.
• The organisation must have been operating for a minimum of three (3) years.
• The submission must be endorsed by the Chief Executive or Executive Director.
• Membership must remain current through to the Awards presentation.

Nominees who are not current financial members of NZSAE at the time of nomination must complete membership prior to submission closing in order for the nomination to proceed.

Board members of NZSAE and members of the judging panel are not eligible to enter.

Please provide a brief overview of the organisation, including:

Purpose and scope

Membership size and structure
Staff size
Revenue band (optional – choose one):
☐ Under $1m
☐ $1m–$5m
☐ $5m–$10m
☐ Over $10m
Core strategic focus

Describe your organisation’s current strategic direction.

Please include:

• Major strategic priorities
• Significant shifts or repositioning within the past three years
• How strategy is governed and measured
• How the organisation is positioned for long-term sustainability

Describe how your organisation delivers measurable value to members.

Please include evidence where possible, such as:

• Retention trends
• Participation and engagement metrics
• Programme evolution
• Member satisfaction or feedback measures
• Volunteer or committee activation

Submissions should demonstrate measurable outcomes, not intentions.

Provide evidence of organisational performance, including:

Financial sustainability

Revenue diversification

Operational maturity

Risk management

Governance alignment

Describe the broader impact your association has had on:

Your profession or industry

Public policy or advocacy

Economic or social outcomes

Collaboration within the wider association community

Outline a significant challenge faced by the organisation and how it was addressed.

Please include:

• The nature of the challenge
• Strategic response
• Stakeholder management
• Outcomes and learning

Please provide two written referee statements (maximum 500 words each).

At least one referee must be the Board Chair, President, or equivalent governance leader.

For each referee, provide:

• Full name
• Position
• Organisation
• Relationship to nominee
• Email address

Upload referee statements below.