The 2026 ILANZ Awards are now open for nominations.

The ILANZ Awards celebrate the inhouse legal profession’s leadership and excellence in the provision of legal services in Aotearoa, New Zealand.

From small beginnings, we have grown to ten awards across three categories, and the number of nominations increases year on year, highlighting some of the impressive work being carried out in our profession. 

To help you prepare a strong nomination we’ve put together some tips.

Please review the specific award criteria to assist with your nomination. 

Individual awards

• MinterEllisonRuddWatts Private Sector Inhouse Lawyer of the Year
• Public Sector Inhouse Lawyer of the Year
• MAS New Inhouse Lawyer of the Year
• Sole Inhouse Lawyer of the Year

Team awards

• Chapman Tripp Private Sector Inhouse Team of the Year
• Public Sector Inhouse Team of the Year
• Small Inhouse Team of the Year* 

Special awards

• Artemis Inhouse Innovation Award
• People & Culture Excellence Award
• ComplyWith Community Contribution Award 

Visit our Terms and Conditions and Awards Criteria for the full awards breakdown.
*no more than 10 full-time equivalent lawyers

Key dates:

• Friday 13 February: Nominations close at 5pm
• Week of 16 March: Finalists announced 
• Friday 8 May: Winners announced at the Gala Dinner and Awards Ceremony at Tākina Wellington Convention and Exhibition Centre

Award category limits

• A person can only be nominated in one of the individual award categories
• An inhouse team can only be nominated in one of the team award categories
• A person or team may also be nominated for one or more special award categories
• If nominations are received for a person or team outside these award category limits, the judges may disregard, re-categorise or merge the entries in their sole discretion.
• ILANZ Executive Members (being the ILANZ President, Vice President, Treasurer and Secretary) cannot be nominated in any individual award categories (but their colleagues and teams can be nominated for any other individual or team award categories)
  
  

Eligibility

All lawyers employed or engaged by organisations in an inhouse capacity and holding a current Law Society inhouse practicing certificate are eligible for the 2026 Awards.

Please note the Inhouse Innovation Award may also be awarded to another employee of the inhouse legal team’s employer (who may or may not hold a current practising certificate).

 
The 2026 award period runs from 1 March 2025 until nomination closing date. Activities started prior to 1 March can be included in nominations as long they continued into the award period.

Please note there are specific eligibility criteria for some awards. Members of the judging panels and the ILANZ Executive Committee members are not eligible for consideration in the individual award categories.