Associate Professor Siouxsie Wiles is New Zealander of the Year after explaining the science of the Covid-19 pandemic to this country and sometimes the world.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern presented the award, 2021 Kiwibank New Zealander of the Year Te Pou Whakarae o Aotearoa, at a gala dinner in Auckland on 31 March.
Already a prominent science communicator before the pandemic, Dr Wiles talked the nation through all aspects of the emergency, from lockdowns to vaccines. She also updated international media on New Zealand’s progress.