Air New Zealand celebrates Kiwi Ambassadors with new award

Marcia Rogers of Cedar Rapids, Iowa was tonight named the inaugural recipient of the Air New Zealand Ambassador Award, introduced as part of the 2007 AmCham-UPS Success & Innovation Awards.

The new award sponsored by Air New Zealand is designed to recognise those who have made a significant contribution to raising New Zealand’s profile in the United States over the previous year.

Ms Rogers was nominated by former Governor of Iowa Tom Vilsack, who said no American had been a better friend to New Zealand.

Mr Vilsack, who was Governor of Iowa from 1999-2007, says Ms Rogers has been tireless in her effort to promote all things New Zealand to business leaders and political leaders in Iowa.

“Marcia’s vocation is President of Management Resource Group, but her avocation is New Zealand,” he says.

Air New Zealand Sponsorship and Tourism Development Manager Jenny Simpson says the award is designed to highlight enthusiastic advocates of New Zealand or the Kiwi ‘way of life’.

“We are very proud to have created this award in recognition of a special person or group who are making a real difference when it comes to raising the profile of New Zealand,” says Ms Simpson. “Their actions benefit us all and they deserve to be applauded.”

Ms Simpson said Ms Rogers had done, and continued to do, a superb job to promote New Zealand since her first visit to the country in 1990.

In 2002 Ms Rogers was appointed by then-Governor Vilsack to the Iowa Department of Economic Development, and soon realised there were growth opportunities for New Zealand businesses in Iowa, as well as additional markets for Iowa businesses in New Zealand.

By 2003 the first joint meeting was held between representatives for New Zealand and the state of Iowa, followed by a business delegation in 2004 from Iowa to New Zealand. This was the largest delegation ever assembled from Iowa to another country.

Three months later, then Research, Science and Technology Minister Pete Hodgson hosted a reciprocal visit to Iowa with a delegation of 30 representatives from life science, biotechnology and Government.

By 2005, Governor Vilsack and Minister Hodgson signed a Memorandum of Cooperation between Iowa and New Zealand to advance economic development opportunities in the area of life sciences between the two regions.

Today, the New Zealand-Iowa relationship continues to grow and in less than three years numerous business and university relationships have been established.

Mr Vilsack says Ms Rogers remains the leading expert on business development for New Zealand and Iowa partnerships, and remains one of the first people businesses call when they need information.

“This has all been a labour of love for Marcia as being on the Board of Economic Development is a volunteer. Although she is president of her company, she has taken quite a bit of her own time to foster these partnerships.”

The Air New Zealand Ambassador Award was judged by New Zealand Consul-General in Los Angeles Rob Taylor, adventure television personality Phil Keoghan, Air New Zealand General Manager Americas Roger Poulton and Tourism New Zealand Regional Manager Americas Bruce Lahood, with Ms Rogers selected from a large number of individuals and organisations nominated by members of the public.

The panel looked for enthusiastic advocates whose work has resulted in significantly raising the profile of New Zealand in United States, says Mike Hearn, Executive Director of the American Chamber of Commerce.

”There are so many fantastic supporters of New Zealand and it’s time they were given the opportunity to be recognised,” says Mr Hearn. “The Air New Zealand Ambassador Award is about acknowledging the work of people in any field, of any nationality, who have in their own way shone the spotlight onto New Zealand.”