Chair of the River Managers’ SIG and General Manager Hazards at Environment Canterbury, Leigh Griffiths, was honoured with the Wahine Toa award from the Engineering NZ Rivers Group at the International Association of Geomorphology conference in early 2026.
There were three awards presented at the conference, which recognise the recipients for the passion, dedication and service to New Zealand's rivers and their kaitiakitanga:
Leigh Griffiths - Wahine Toa Award
The Wahine Toa award acknowledges that women have historically been under-represented in the river management and engineering professions. The award “aims to celebrate a female role model who is leading the way in a river-related field”.
Khendra Harvey - Early Career Award
The early career award “recognises a young/early career person who has already made a significant contribution towards sustainable management of New Zealand Rivers.” Recipients must have been working in the field for under ten years.
Gary Williams - Arch Campbell Award
The Arch Campbell award is given in honour of Arch Campbell who made significant contributions to soil conservation and river control and management in New Zealand. The award was initiated first at the 1994 Water Conference, and in 2009 at the suggestion of David Best (a life member of NZWWA) and with the agreement of Arch Campbell’s family, the award was entrusted to the Rivers Group - a joint initiative between Engineering New Zealand and Water New Zealand.
