The Pickering Medal is awarded annually by the

Royal Society Te Apārangi The Royal Society Te Apārangi (in full, Royal Society of New Zealand) is a not-for-profit body in New Zealand providing funding and policy advice in the fields of sciences and the humanities. These fundings (i.e., Marsden grants and research fe ...

to a person or team "who, while in New Zealand, has through design, development or invention performed innovative work the results of which have been significant in their influence and recognition both nationally and internationally, or which have led to significant commercial success". The award is named for Sir William (Bill) Pickering. The front of the medal features the head of Bill Pickering, with the words technology, innovation, excellence inscribed round the edge, while the obverse features the Royal Society coat of arms. Up until 2012, the medal was accompanied by a prize of $15,000.

Recipients

{, class="wikitable" , + !Year !Recipient(s) !Affiliation !Citation , - , 2004 , Robert Buckley , , , - , 2005 , John Boys , , , - , 2006 , Murray McEwan , , , - , 2007 , John McKinnon , , A wool chemist whose technological advancements have been adopted worldwide , - , 2008 ,

Ross Ihaka George Ross Ihaka (born 1954) is a Māori people, Māori New Zealander statistician who was an associate professor of statistics at the University of Auckland until his retirement in 2017. Alongside Robert Gentleman (statistician), Robert Gentle ...

, , For his software package “R” that has revolutionised the practice of statistics with its unique open-source, extensible model , - , 2009 , Ken McNatty , , For his contribution to the field of reproductive biology, with products having been commercialised from his work , - , 2010 , Frank Griffin , , For his contribution to work in developing diagnostics tests for detecting two major bacterial diseases of New Zealand deer, and a vaccine for the prevention of

Yersiniosis Yersiniosis is an infectious disease of the gastrointestinal tract caused by bacteria of the genus '' Yersinia'' other than '' Y. pestis''. Most cases of yersiniosis in humans are caused by '' Y. enterocolitica'', with a small minority being cau ...

in deer , - , 2011 , David Ryan , , For developing technology which is at the heart of optimisation software used worldwide for solving complex logistics problems, such as airline scheduling , - , 2012 , David Williams , , For his contribution to the development of biomedical and gas sensors, which have been commercialised , - , 2013 , Harold Marshall , , For his research-based acoustical designs that have had a profound effect on the design of performance spaces for music, worldwide" , - , 2014 , Simon Malpas , , For his development and commercialisation of implantable wireless sensors that can monitor physiological processes such as heart activity or lung function in the body" , - , 2015 , Margaret Hyland ,

University of Auckland The University of Auckland (; Māori: ''Waipapa Taumata Rau'') is a public research university based in Auckland, New Zealand. The institution was established in 1883 as a constituent college of the University of New Zealand. Initially loc ...

, For her pioneering work into the reduction of fluoride emissions produced by aluminium smelters worldwide , - , 2016 , Iain Anderson , , For the development and commercialisation of electroactive polymer technology that can mimic the action of muscles , - , 2017 , Stephen Henry , , For the development and commercialisation of a surface-modification technology, called Kode Technology, with potential for therapeutic use including fighting cancer, reducing surgical infections and healing wounds , - , 2018 , AR37 Novel Endophyte Team ,

AgResearch AgResearch Ltd (formerly known as New Zealand Pastoral Agriculture Research Institute Limited) is one of New Zealand's largest Crown Research Institutes with over 700 staff and revenue of NZ$160.7 million in the year to June 2014. The New Zea ...

, For developing and supporting the AR37

endophyte An endophyte is an endosymbiont, often a bacterium or fungus, that lives within a plant for at least part of its life cycle without causing apparent disease. Endophytes are ubiquitous and have been found in all species of plants studied to date; ...

in agriculture, which is estimated to contribute NZ$3.6 billion to the New Zealand economy through the life of the patent , - , 2019 ,

Cather Simpson Miriam Cather Simpson is a New Zealand-American physics/chemistry academic and entrepreneur. She is currently a professor at the University of Auckland, a joint appointment between the physics and chemistry departments. She is the founder of th ...

, For pioneering research and commercialisation of innovative photonic technologies addressing challenges with a New Zealand focus and global impact , - , 2020 ,

Peter Beck Sir Peter Joseph Beck is a New Zealand entrepreneur and founder of Rocket Lab, an aerospace manufacturer and launch service provider. Before founding Rocket Lab, Beck worked in various occupations and built rocket-powered contraptions. Earl ...

and his research and development team ,

Rocket Lab Rocket Lab Corporation is a Public company, publicly traded aerospace manufacturer and List of launch service providers, launch service provider. Its Rocket Lab Electron, Electron orbital rocket launches Small satellite, small satellites, and ha ...

, For technical breakthroughs that have allowed Rocket Lab to become the world’s leading dedicated small launch provider for small satellites. These innovations include unique motor designs, 3D printing for manufacture and carbon-composite construction. , - , 2021 , Keith Cameron and Hong Di , Lincoln University , For inventing new technology to treat dairy farm effluent to recycle water and reduce phosphate and ''

E. coli ''Escherichia coli'' ( )Wells, J. C. (2000) Longman Pronunciation Dictionary. Harlow ngland Pearson Education Ltd. is a gram-negative, facultative anaerobic, rod-shaped, coliform bacterium of the genus ''Escherichia'' that is commonly foun ...

'' leaching into water , - , 2022 , Rodney Badcock , Robinson Research Institute,

Victoria University of Wellington Victoria University of Wellington (), also known by its shorter names "VUW" or "Vic", is a public university, public research university in Wellington, New Zealand. It was established in 1897 by Act of New Zealand Parliament, Parliament, and w ...

, For developing superconducting technologies that are enabling electrical machines at the leading edge of current engineering practice, such as electric and high-speed trains , - , 2023 , Low Methane Sheep Breeding Team.
Key contributors: Suzanne Rowe, John McEwan, Peter Janssen and Graeme Atwood. ,

, For breeding sheep which emit less methane, and for determining the potential reduction of methane emissions if these sheep can be farmed throughout Aotearoa New Zealand. , - , 2024 , Harjinder Singh , Riddet Institute,

Massey University Massey University () is a Public university, public research university in New Zealand that provides internal and distance education. The university has campuses in Auckland, Palmerston North, and Wellington. Data from Universities New Zealand ...

, For pioneering research and development, in creating a food ingredient to combat iron deficiency and other innovative food technologies that have bridged the gap between scientific discovery and commercial applications{{cite web , url=https://www.royalsociety.org.nz/news/2024-research-honours-aotearoa-event-in-te-whanganui-a-tara-wellington , title=2024 Research Honours Aotearoa event in Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington , date=28 November 2024 , website=Royal Society Te Apārangi , access-date=1 January 2025

References

Royal Society of New Zealand New Zealand science and technology awards Awards established in 2004