Brain scientist in finals for top New Zealander

The founding director of the University of Auckland Centre for Brain Research, Sir Richard Faull, is among three finalists for the 2026 Kiwibank New Zealander of the Year Award.

He is a global leader in neuroscience, who won New Zealand’s highest scientific accolade, the Rutherford Medal, in 2007 and was knighted for services to brain research in 2017.

One of his major contributions was groundbreaking research that revolutionised our understanding of the human brain, proving it can regenerate new cells and heal itself.

In 2007, his team was the first to discover that adult stem cells proliferate in the brains of people with Huntington’s disease, in an attempt to repair the brain.

By examining the brains of people after they died, Sir Richard discovered markers that showed if they had Huntington’s disease.

This discovery has provided certainty for family members wanting to know if they are at risk of developing the hereditary condition.

While researching Huntington’s, his team made a major discovery, identifying the parts of the basal ganglia that are involved in controlling mood and movement.

Over the years, families of people with Huntington’s offered to donate the brains of their loved ones after death for research.

Sir Richard says their generosity inspired him to establish the Neurological Foundation Human Brain Bank in 1994.

The brain bank now holds tissue from more than 1000 brains and has helped advance research on brain diseases, such as Huntington’s, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s and motor neurone diseases.

In 2009, Sir Richard launched the Centre for Brain Research as a platform for national and international academic collaboration, working with health professionals, community organisations, and families.

Giving back to communities who have contributed to the centre’s research has been an important part of his work.

“The centre is about working together for the good of the people,” he says.

Sir Richard, who grew up in rural Taranaki, has travelled around New Zealand informing communities about recent research on brain diseases.

He is of Ngāti Rāhiri and Te Āti Awa descent and has visited marae across Aotearoa to talk about dementia and other brain diseases.

In the 1990s, he helped introduce a whakanoa – spiritual blessing ceremony – so Māori medical students could feel more comfortable working with human body tissues after death. The ceremony was the first to consider tikanga Māori in the human anatomy laboratory in Aotearoa.

Sir Richard and his wife Diana have five children and 11 grandchildren.

The 80-year-old has also been an important mentor for many young brain scientists over the years.

Sir Richard says being chosen as a finalist for New Zealander of the Year was “surprising and overwhelming”.

“This nomination is not just acknowledging me, but my team and all the families who have made the most generous donation you can make – the donation of the brain of their loved one after their death, for research.

“That gift gives hope for future generations,” he says.

The other two finalists for New Zealander of the Year are Dame Julie Chapman for her leadership of KidsCan and Pet Refuge, and Xero founder and CEO Sir Rod Drury (Ngāi Tahu), for shaping New Zealand’s technology landscape.

Former University of Auckland history lecturer Dame Claudia Orange is in the final three for Ryman Healthcare Senior New Zealander of the Year, for her work on te Tiriti o Waitangi.

Celebrated cardiothoracic surgeon Dr Alan Kerr and his wife, alumna Hazel Kerr, are also in the finals for Senior New Zealander of the Year, for their work saving the lives of nearly 800 children through two decades of volunteer medical missions to Palestine.

Craig Piggott, University alumnus and Halter founder and CEO, is in the finals for 2degrees New Zealand Innovator of the Year, for agritech innovations that benefit farmers, animals and the environment.

The winners will be announced on 19 March.