In early August applications closed for the 22nd annual North Harbour Club AIMES Awards. Since inception in 1995, the North Harbour Club and CharitableTrust has awarded over $1.85 million worth of grants to youth achieving excellence in the North Harbour region. Grant totals make the North Harbour Club one of the largest donors to individuals in New Zealand. With the presentation of this years awards this total will reach $2 million.

AIMES is the acronym for the categories that the awards cover. The Arts; Innovation; Music; Education; Sport and Service to the Community.

As has been the tradition, these awards will be presented to these young people at a wonderful black tie dinner held in November. Most often the North Harbour Club AIMES Awards Gala Dinner is held at the Bruce Mason Centre. This is the North Shore’s gala event of the year when the Bruce Mason Centre is transformed to fit with the theme of the year. This year the gala dinner is being held on Saturday November 11th and will be attended by a crowd of 500 people. Entertainment at the dinner includes current and previous award winners.

“We are hugely proud of what the North Harbour Club and Charitable Trust has contributed to the region through the AIMES Awards,” says the current President Aidan Bennett. “The founders of the club established something that’s very special and 22 years on what they created is more relevant than ever. It is a thrill that it continues to go from strength to strength."

The awards are provided in three sections. The top awards (AIMES Awards) are for those aged between 14 and 25 years of age, recognising and rewarding their excellent achievements in their chosen category. One recipient is selected in each category with an AIMES Awards Supreme Winner then selected from these recipients. This supreme winner receives the Sir Peter Blake Trophy – a special trophy created some years ago to honour the club’s founding patron. In 2016, AIMES Award winners each received a grant of $15,000, with the supreme award winner getting a total of $30,000.

Since 2006 an AIMES Emerging Talent Award category has also been established. This recognises individuals aged between 14 and 25 years of age who display considerable promise in any of the above categories, many of whom go on to win main awards in following years. Our panel of judges will determine whether an applicant fits into the Emerging Talent or main AIMES Award section. In 2016, AIMES Emerging Talent Award recipients received a grant of $5,000 each.
 
In 2015, a Junior Excellence category was also added. This is exclusively for those applicants aged 10 - 13 years. Junior Excellence Award recipients each receive a grant of $3,000.

Making these annual awards is only possible due to the support of a wonderful family of AIMES Awards category sponsors:- Arts, Sponsored by ASB; Innovation, Sponsored by Massey University; Music, Sponsored by Yamaha Home Entertainment; Education, Sponsored by Kristin School; Sport, Sponsored by AUT Millennium; Service to the Community, Sponsored by Albany Toyota; AIMES Emerging Talent Awards, Sponsored by Bellingham Wallace; Junior Excellence Awards, Sponsored by Library Lane (NZ Force Construction).

This list of AIMES Supreme Award Winners over the years demonstrates the spread of winners across all categories:- 2016 Eliza McCartney (Sport/Pole Vaulter); 2015 Carl Hume (Education/Doctor); 2014 Ben Sanders (The Arts/Author); 2013 Ella Yelich O’Connor/Lorde, (Music/Singer-Songwriter); 2012 Lydia Ko (Sport/Golfer); 2011 Richard Stebbing (Innovation/Biomedical Engineer); 2010 Jacko Gill (Sport/Shotput); 2009 Melissa Ingram (Sport/Swimmer); 2008 Tom Ashley (Sport/Board Sailor); 2007 Matthew Flinn (Education/Law)); 2006 Joint Winners Rebecca Spence (Sport/Triathlete) & Juliette Haigh (Sport/Rower); 2005 Nodira Khoussainova (Innovation/Computer Scientist); 2004 Heather Brown (Innovation/Scientist); 2003 Kristen Darragh (Music/Singer); 2002 Terenzo Bozzone (Sport/Triathlete); 2001 Mark Robinson (Education/Scholar); 2000 Clarissa Dunn (Education/Scholar); 1999 Rainer Gibbons (Musician/Trombone); 1998 Nathan Handley (Sport/Yachting); 1997 Philip Misur (Education/Doctor); 1996 Patricia Bolton (Arts).

ABOUT THE NORTH HARBOUR CLUB AND CHARITABLE TRUST
The North Harbour Club is made up of 180 leaders in local affairs, business, education, sport and social development. These members, who are all residents or have their businesses in the North Harbour region, have, among other stated aims, the desire to promote excellence by encouraging and providing financial assistance to the young people of the region who are achieving excellence in their chosen field. This support is provided through the annual AIMES Awards programme.
The stated objectives of the club, which were set by the founders are:- Maintain a Club of non-political character for Members to meet through regular lunches and social activities; Promote and develop local talent in the fields covered by the AIMES Awards; To support cultural, sporting and recreational activities in the North Harbour region; To foster a spirit of pride in the North Harbour region; To foster a 'good neighbour' and 'good citizen' ethos in the North Harbour region.

For more information visit: www.northharbourclub.co.nz