The recipient of the Kotahitanga Award, is Prue Halstead, Executive Officer of Invest South, an investment fund which supports local businesses. Prue is also the energy and inspiration behind the inception of COIN South, a membership based investment and support network for Southland’s startups. Recognising the need for more collaboration between all those supporting startups at the bottom of the South lsland, Prue worked with quiet tenacity and a huge heart to shepherd Mainland Angel Investors into existence. Mainland Angels was established in 2020 and pulls together early stage investors in Invercargill, Dunedin, Queenstown and Wanaka. Prue joined the Angel Association’s Executive Committee in 2020.

“Prue is passionate about early stage venture investment and has been not only a tireless champion for the asset class for the last decade but also for founders and their teams. She is a powerful and compelling voice for regional New Zealand too; making sure New Zealand’s startup and angel investment communities never forget there are incredible opportunities to be had outside the big cities. Prue’s tireless work and bone-marrow deep commitment to early stage investment and startups thoroughly deserves to be recognised and should inspire others. We are so lucky to have people like her in our world,” said Suse Reynolds.

Dana McKenzie received the Arch Angel Award which was first awarded in 2009 to Sir Stephen Tindall. See separate release.

–Ends–

For more information, please contact Suse Reynolds, AANZ Executive Chair

mob: 021 490 974 or email: suse.reynolds@angelassociation.co.nz