The winners of the 2025 BlockchainNZ Awards were announced at a packed evening gala on December 5th. This capped off a major year that saw Web3 cement itself as a key fixture in New Zealand’s business and innovation circles.
More than just accolades, this year’s awards showcase how far Aotearoa’s Web3 ecosystem has matured, with seasoned pioneers, startup innovators, and institutional players all sharing the spotlight.
In a country where the tech sector is often overshadowed by larger markets, a national blockchain awards programme carries unusual weight. From lawyers and entrepreneurs to grassroots educators and corporates, their achievements signal that Kiwis are investing careers and capital into blockchain’s future. The winner’s broader narrative: New Zealand’s blockchain community is stepping into a new stage of growth, with greater credibility, real-world impact, and mainstream engagement.
Icon of the Year – Jeremy Muir: Partner, MinterEllisonRuddWatts; Chair, BlockchainNZ. Jeremy Muir was honoured as the BlockchainNZ Icon of the Year for sustained, high-impact mahi championing New Zealand’s crypto community. Long regarded as the country’s leading crypto lawyer, Muir has spent years setting legal standards, shaping policy dialogue, and opening doors for the industry. As chair of BlockchainNZ, he helped build key bridges between regulators and innovators, helping give the sector a credible voice. His recognition as “Icon” underscores the critical role legal and policy leadership has played in legitimising NZ’s blockchain ecosystem.
Entrepreneur of the Year – Jerome Faury: CEO and Founder, Immersve. Jerome Faury took home the Entrepreneur of the Year for turning bold Web3 ideas into real-world outcomes. As co-founder of Immersve, a cutting-edge crypto payments platform, Faury built teams and market traction that have propelled Aotearoa’s Web3 economy forward. A veteran tech entrepreneur with 20+ years scaling companies, he has launched one of the world’s first decentralized crypto Mastercards, enabling Kiwis to spend digital assets in everyday life. Faury is noted for driving innovation while mentoring the next wave of founders. His win highlights how homegrown entrepreneurs are creating real products and momentum in NZ’s blockchain scene.
Man of the Year & Corporate Leader of the Year – Paul Quickenden: New Zealand Country Manager, Swyftx (Easy Crypto). Paul Quickenden achieved a rare double honour, winning both BlockchainNZ Man of the Year and the Corporate Leader Award in 2025. Quickenden has been recognised for leadership that combines big-picture vision with on-the-ground delivery. Over the past year, he steered Easy Crypto, one of NZ’s largest crypto exchanges, through a major acquisition by Australia’s Swyftx, aligning strategy and execution to scale the business across borders. As an executive, he championed trust and compliance, helping to grow mainstream adoption while keeping community values at heart. He is also appreciated asa content creator and educator.
Quickenden’s twin awards reflect an exceptional impact: he not only guided enterprise innovation but also served as a public advocate for the industry. His mana within the community earned him “Man of the Year,” underscoring how one leader’s effort can advance an entire market’s credibility.
Woman of the Year – Rachael Jones: Web3 Strategist and Advocate (Centre for Digital Economic Analysis / AUDD). Rachael Jones was named BlockchainNZ Woman of the Year for influential leadership and community impact. Splitting her time between New Zealand and Australia, Jones has spearheaded initiatives that lift capability and inclusion on both sides of the Tasman.
She helped drive the adoption of stablecoins (such as the AUDD project) and has been a key voice in blockchain policy discussions through the Centre for Digital Economic Analysis.
Jones is also known for mentoring women in tech and ensuring diverse voices are heard in the blockchain space. Her award recognises how she has advanced the conversation, uplifted new talent, and driven meaningful change in the Australasian Web3 community. In a sector still finding its feet with diversity, Jones’s work exemplifies leadership through advocacy and education.
Start-up of the Year – Crypto Consulting NZ: Crypto Consulting NZ was recognised as Start-up of the Year for its impact-driven work helping everyday New Zealanders and businesses deal with real-world cryptocurrency problems, not theory or speculation.
Co-founded by Harry Satoshi and Nicolas Turnbull, both long-time community builders and Cryptocurrency NZ founders, the firm specialises in cryptocurrency investigations, scam analysis, wallet recovery, and expert advisory services. In 2025 alone, Crypto Consulting NZ assisted in the recovery and tracing of over NZD 2.3 million in stolen and lost digital assets and supported more than 500 clients across New Zealand.
Beyond recovery work, the team has helped prevent countless Kiwis from falling victim to crypto scams through early intervention, education, and risk assessment. For scam victims, Crypto Consulting NZ often provides a critical silver lining by delivering forensic evidence, transaction tracing, and clarity that can support legal action, insurance claims, or tax treatment of losses.
The award recognises a business built on practical outcomes, trust, and accountability, proving that in New Zealand’s evolving crypto landscape, protecting people and solving hard problems matters just as much as building new technology.
SME Innovation Award – Pay It Now (PIN): Pay It Now (PIN) earned the SME Innovation Award for bringing blockchain into everyday commerce through a homegrown payments ecosystem. Founded in Christchurch, PIN created a user-friendly platform that lets people buy, sell, and spend crypto seamlessly.
The startup now operates in New Zealand and Australia. It combines a crypto exchange, a merchant payments network, and even a Web3 Mastercard integration, making it “the simple way to buy, sell, and spend crypto” for Kiwis.
Over the past year, PIN onboarded numerous local businesses to accept cryptocurrency and launched a mobile app that allows consumers to pay with crypto at point-of-sale. By solving real-world problems like transaction speed, fees, and conversion to NZD, Pay It Now has exemplified the agility of SMEs to deliver practical blockchain solutions in often challenging conditions. Its win highlights a broader trend: New Zealand’s “middle layer” of blockchain companies is emerging to connect Web3 tech with everyday users.
Institutional Impact Award – Easy Crypto (powered by Swyftx): Rounding out the 2025 honorees, Easy Crypto received the Institutional Impact Award, a category symbolic of blockchain’s leap into the mainstream. Started as a Kiwi family-run exchange in 2018, Easy Crypto has grown into a cornerstone of the local industry, now backed by Australian fintech firm Swyftx.
The award recognises Easy Crypto’s role in accelerating mainstream engagement with digital assets. It has built consumer confidence, access, and momentum at a national scale. Hundreds of thousands of New Zealanders have used its platform to invest in crypto, benefiting from its emphasis on simplicity, security, and regulatory compliance. By attaining institutional-grade capabilities (from AML checks to insurance on assets) while retaining a customer-first ethos,
Easy Crypto bridged the gap between retail crypto and traditional finance. Having an exchange win an “institutional” category signals that professional services and trading platforms are now standing shoulder-to-shoulder with law firms and banks in this sector.
Conclusion
The 2025 BlockchainNZ Award winners collectively paint a picture of a maturing ecosystem.
The mix of honourees shows that New Zealand’s blockchain sector has truly come of age. Long-term leaders remain deeply involved, new founders are more commercially focused, SMEs are gaining traction, and institutions are finally on board. What was once a niche community of pioneers has grown into a credible industry with national visibility.
Aotearoa’s Web3 revolution is no longer just about potential; it’s about delivery. Each winner is proof that Kiwi innovation in blockchain is translating into real-world value, professional excellence, and a collaborative network poised to shape the next chapter of the digital asset economy in New Zealand.