NIWA’s use of communications to tell the scientific story of the Hunga Tonga–Hunga Haʻapai volcanic eruption in 2022 has won its communications team the Supreme Award at the Public Relations Institute of New Zealand (PRINZ) Awards 2023. Called "Shotgun Blast from the Deep", the campaign also took out gold in the Best Use of Media Relations, at a gala dinner in Auckland.

Head judges Denise Mackay, Director of Communications, Engagement and Events at Te Puni Kōkiri, and Andrew Pirie, Communications Consultant and Chair of the Spark Foundation, said the NIWA campaign was well-researched, conceived and executed within a very short timeframe with little budget and while managing multiple agencies.

A total of 14 golds and two special awards were awarded, from 48 finalists, including four golds to Fire and Emergency NZ for its "You’re Cooked - if you’re cooked, stay off the stove" campaign.

Special PR took out PR Consultancy of the Year (large), while Waikato-based HMC was awarded small PR Consultancy of the Year.

In-house PR Team of the Year went to Auckland Airport, and the Sally Logan-Milne Young Practitioner of the Year award was won by Jessica Chaplin of NZ Police.

Denise Mackay said the 2023 awards lived up to expectation. “We were hugely impressed with our winning entries. The sheer breadth of public relations and communications was strongly showcased across all categories, from NIWA’s media relations to Fez's hugely innovative campaign that combined experiential, digital, and marketing communication to create impact."

Full details of all winners can be found here.