Purpose

• To recognise an individual or team who has made a significant contribution or major advances in operational meteorology or climatology in New Zealand,
• To promote the principal objective of the Society to encourage an interest in the atmosphere, weather and climate, particularly as related to the New Zealand region and to foster the exchange of information in meteorology and climatology.

Eligibility and Award Criteria

The Award recognises significant contributions to operational meteorology or climatology. Operational meteorology covers the core scientific processes of real-time weather analysis, diagnosis and prognosis, and the following as they relate to these processes: radar meteorology, satellite meteorology, instrumentation, numerical weather prediction, machine learning, training, and communication. Operational climatology refers to the applied branch of climatology focused on collecting, monitoring, analysing, and communicating climate data to support real-time decision-making and long-term planning.

The Operational Meteorology and Climatology Award recognises an individual or team who has:

• made a lifelong or highly significant contribution to a specific area of operational meteorology or operational climatology in New Zealand, or
• developed a major innovation or tool which has significantly advanced operational meteorology or operational climatology in New Zealand.

There is a requirement that the recipient is a financial member of the New Zealand Meteorological Society. The recipient will normally be resident in New Zealand.

Application deadline and processing

The Award is presented biennially (every two years), with nominations to be submitted by 30 September of the award year. The Award will only be conferred if nominations of sufficient merit are received. The Award may not be made in any given year if no suitable candidates are identified. Nominations, with supporting evidence and statements, should be sent to the Society awards sub-committee (awards@metsoc.org.nz) following the call for nominations. Self-nominations will not be accepted. Nominations should include the name and contact details of two independent referees.

The Society committee may obtain statements from the nominee's referees and may seek additional comments from appropriately qualified persons. The Society Committee will judge nominations subject to the Eligibility and Award Criteria. The recipient(s) of the Award will be presented with an award certificate at the annual Meteorological Society Conference. Nominees are encouraged to attend and present at the conference.