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Supporting NZ Geographic's Photographer of the Year
Published on 10/09/2025
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Simplicity are proud to be supporting New Zealand Geographic's Photographer of the Year awards - the country's largest photographic competition and a hugely popular annual visual arts event.
After plenty of internal debate, we have decided to sponsor the Portrait category, given our members - everyday Kiwis - are at the absolute heart of what we do. Supporting New Zealand artists to capture beautiful (and sometimes surprising) moments of their friends, family or even fellow strangers who inspire them felt aligned with our mission of enabling dignity for all Kiwis.
There has been seven finalists announced for the Portrait category, all of which we have shared below - along with the photographers' inspiring stories. We hope you enjoy this slightly different visual showcase, and we highly encourage you to go and vote for your favourite finalists via the New Zealand Geographic website (link below):
LINK TO VOTE FOR YOUR FAVOURITE FINALISTS
Portrait of the Year finalists:
Fort Street, Auckland - Elie Kayrouz
Mister Sunshine, real name Larry Woods, is one of Auckland’s most colourful characters. A former multimillionaire who lost it all–as the documentary about his life recounts–Mister Sunshine makes a living shining shoes. Elie Kayrouz complimented his hat, and, after some back-and-forth, asked him for a picture: “Lovely guy,” he says.
Medlands Beach, Aotea/Great Barrier Island - Duncan Innes
A spontaneous portrait of Duncan Innes’s 12-year-old daughter Eva after a morning swim captured a sense of imminent change. “This moment struck me as the first glimpse of adolescence: the makeup, the towel twisted on her head and the way she was sitting, with a poise that feels beyond her age,” he says.
Ōkaihau, Northland - Te Rawhitiroa Bosch
After receiving his own mataora, a facial tattoo, Te Rawhitiroa Bosch offered to photograph the process of his friend, the musician Troy Kingi, receiving his. “The uenuku [rainbow] appeared at the completion of his mataora and so we went outside to capture this portrait under its magnificence,” he says.
Armageddon Expo, Auckland - Dean Purcell
Sarah Holdaway poses in costume as Osamu Dazai from the manga Bungo Stray Dogs during the Armageddon Expo, an annual science fiction and pop culture convention held in Auckland. Dean Purcell photographs street style for the magazine Viva, capturing the portrait’s environment as well as the person at its centre.
Woolston Boxing Club, Christchurch - Kai Schwoerer
Nine-year-old Isaia Rapata-Gage and 11-year-old Nico Tia-Faitaua wait outside the Woolston Boxing Club following a training session. Schwoerer was setting up for a portrait of the pair of them outdoors when he noticed their expressions and quickly captured this shot. In March, both boys competed in the South Island Novice Championships alongside around 200 others.
Waitangi Park, Wellington - Abe Mora
In November, tens of thousands of people joined the Hīkoi mō Te Tiriti, a march towards Parliament in opposition to a bill that attendees believed would dilute the Treaty of Waitangi. Among the many Tino Rangatiratanga and He Whakaputanga flags, Abe Mora noticed the Palestinian flag. “Indigenous peoples see the struggle to overcome oppression as a common goal,“ he says.
Te Waihora/Lake Ellesmere, Canterbury - Joe Harrison
Don Brown, who lives in one of the 32 Greenpark Huts, has worked as a customary fisherman on Te Waihora/Lake Ellesmere since the 1970s. On June 30, 2025, all residents of the huts were required to leave; their leases had expired, and the landowner, Ngāi Tahu, had not renewed them. Brown, whose ancestry includes Ngāi Tahu, Ngāti Mamoe and Waitaha, protested the evictions.
Judges have selected 69 images from more than 6000 entries that tell the story of an exceptional year in Aotearoa. You can choose up to five of your favourites to vote in the People's Choice award over on New Zealand Geographic now.
