In the News
Dr. Jim Salinger, a long-time B’nai B’rith leader and New Zealand Councilor on B’nai B’rith Australia/New Zealand, has been named as the Kiwibank New Zealander of the Year for 2024. Read below for coverage of this wonderful story by Radio New Zealand and 1 News New Zealand.
Climate scientist Dr Jim Salinger has been named as the Kiwibank New Zealander of the Year Te Pou Whakarae o Aotearoa.
Dr Salinger is recognised as one of the first scientists to address global warming and has dedicated almost 50 years to advancing climate science.
Born in Dunedin in 1947, he completed a Bachelor of Science from the University of Otago in 1971, a Doctor of Philosophy from Victoria University in Wellington in 1981 and a Master of Philosophy in Environmental Law from the University of Auckland in 1999.
Dr Salinger is currently an adjunct research fellow with the School of Geography, Environmental and Earth Sciences at Victoria University.
He is an influential communicator on climate change and has addressed audiences nationwide.
Listen: Dr Salinger spoke to Jim Mora on Sunday Morning last month.
Dr Salinger is a renowned communicator on climate change and his studies investigate climate extremes including drought, and documenting the shrinking ice volume in the New Zealand Southern Alps.
He is a Companion of the Royal Society of New Zealand, an author and has published extensively in academic journals.
He was the lead author for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change in 2007, which was collectively awarded a Nobel Peace Prize.
Among his other awards are the NZ Science and Technology Medal in 1994 for ground-breaking research on Southern Hemisphere climate change and the 2018 World Meteorological Organisation Award and the 2019 Jubilee Medal in recognition of his lifetime achievements in climate and agricultural science.
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Climate scientist Jim Salinger has been named New Zealander of the Year.
Salinger has been one of the country’s top climate scientists for decades, dedicating almost 50 years to his research — having begun his pioneering research in the 1970s.
The scientist’s “groundbreaking” research included studies on climate change in the Southern Hemisphere, which helped earn him the Science and Technology Medal in 1994.
This morning, Salinger told Breakfast it was “humbling”. He said he was “overwhelmed” and “very surprised” to get the honour.
Salinger has published more than 190 studies and was a lead author on the 2007 UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which earned a Nobel Peace Prize.
Recently, he won the 2018 World Meteorological Organisation Award and the 2019 Jubilee Medal for his life achievements in climate and agricultural science.
He continues to advocate for environmental responsibility, doing talks across the country, and is a founding member of the Intergenerational Climate Ambassadors.
His fellow nominees were football executive Dame Sarai Bareman and fashion designer Kiri Nathan.
Dame Sarai has been FIFA’s chief women’s football officer since 2016, working to grow the women’s game around the world.
She helped bring the FIFA Women’s World Cup to New Zealand last year.
Nathan is an internationally renowned fashion designer whose work is deeply rooted in te ao Māori. In 2017, she founded the Kāhui Collective, which supports the growth and mentorship of indigenous fashion creatives and entrepreneurs.