Awards and Events
Gala Dinner 2009
2009 MacDiarmid Young Scientists of the Year Awards
To celebrate the achievements of New Zealand’s top emerging researchers, the 2009 MacDiarmid Young Scientists of the Year Awards took place on Thursday 27 August at Auckland’s SkyCity.
The awards ceremony and gala dinner is an annual highlight for the science and business communities.
Over 400 guests attended including prominent scientists and researchers, representatives from government, business leaders and all the successful finalists.
As well as being an entertaining and enjoyable evening, the event is an opportunity for the award winners to showcase their innovative and leading edge science to the distinguished audience and the media.
The MacDiarmid Young Scientists of the Year Awards is hosted by the Foundation![[definition]](/sites/all/themes/frsttheme/images/glossary-icon.png "The Foundation for Research, Science and Technology is a Crown entity governed by a Board appointed by the Minister of Research, Science and Technology.
We were established under the Foundation for Research, Science and Technology Act 1990. Under the Act the Foundation’s principle purposes are: to allocate funds for the production of outputs relating to public good science and technology; to allocate funds pursuant to ministerial schemes; and to provide independent policy advice to the Minister of Research, Science and Technology on matters related to research, science and technology, including advice on national priorities for those matters.
We invest close to $500 million a year in science and technology research on behalf of the New Zealand Government, seeking benefits to New Zealand’s economy, environment and society."){kind=icon}
for Research, Science and Technology in partnership with our Gold and Silver Sponsors.
Murray Bain, Foundation Chief Executive, John Watt, overall winner, Amy Whitehead, overall runner-up and Hon Dr Wayne Mapp, Minister of Research, Science and Technology 
The awards dinner was attended by over 400 guests
Performance by opera singer Ben Makisi