Victoria University

Brian Cox is an English physicist and former musician. He has presented numerous science programs for BBC radio and TV, especially the Wonders of... series. He is also the author of several popular science books. He has been lauded for his efforts to publicize science and was awarded the British Association's Lord Kelvin Award in 2006. 

Arthur Eddington was an English physicist, astronomer, and mathematician. He wrote numerous articles that explained Albert Einstein's theory of general relativity to the English-speaking world. He began his career in academics and eventually shifted to astronomy, becoming the chief assistant to the Astronomer Royal at the Royal Greenwich Observatory. He was a recipient of the Henry Draper Medal. 

Michael Wincott is a Canadian actor best known for his deep, raspy voice. Thanks to his voice, Wincott is often cast to play villainous roles. Among his best-known roles are Guy of Gisborne in the 1991 American action adventure film Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves and Top Dollar in the 1994 superhero film The Crow.

Three-time Olympic gold medalist Shane Gould was 15 when she participated in the Munich Olympics. She stunned everyone with her early retirement at 16 and stayed away from the limelight for 25 years, eventually re-emerging after raising her four kids on an Australian farm and then breaking records at the 2000 Sydney Games.

In 1993, Jane Campion became the first female filmmaker to be honored with the Palme d'Or for her film The Piano, which also earned her an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay. In 2022, Campion became the first woman to win Oscars for both screenwriting and directing when her film The Power of the Dog earned her the Best Director award.

Bill English is a New Zealand former politician best known for his service as the Prime Minister of New Zealand from 2016 to 2017. An influential politician, English also served as the Minister of Finance from 19 November 2008 to 12 December 2016. He also served as the leader of the National Party from 2016 until his resignation in 2018.

Malaysian track cyclist Azizulhasni Awang, also known as The Pocket Rocketman, has both an Olympic bronze and silver in his kitty. Adopted as a child, he took up cycling at age 10. While studying sports science in Australia, he became the first non-Australian to get a Blue Award from Victoria University.

One of New Zealand’s best-known poets, James K. Baxter was inspired by Romantic and British modernist poets and mythology. He also penned the popular radio play Jack Winter’s Dream, apart from various other plays and social and literary criticism. He used his Maori name Hemi later in life.

Michael King was a New Zealand biographer, historian, and author. He is remembered for writing a book titled Penguin History of New Zealand, which became a best-seller and the most famous New Zealand book in the year 2004. A much-respected writer, King won several literary awards, such as the Feltex television writers' award and Prime Minister's Award for Literary Achievement.

Robert Bateman is a Canadian painter and naturalist renowned for his realistic painting style that reflects his appreciation for nature. He is credited with establishing the Bateman Foundation, which aims at educating people on the prominence of human-nature connection. Over the course of his career, Bateman has been honored with several awards like Society of Animal Artists Award of Excellence.