69 entries have been received for this year’s LGFA Taituarā Local Government Excellence Awards®. This marks third year in a row that a record number of entries has been received, with last year’s record at 60.
This year’s entrants are drawn from 36 councils (another record) and one council-controlled organisation (Auckland Transport).
Raymond Horan, Chief Advisor at Taituarā, has overseen the Awards since 2015 and was pleasantly surprised by the breadth of this year’s entries.
Raymond said, “Some of this year’s entries have come from councils who have never entered before, it’s fantastic to see so many councils represented.”
The entries come from across the full range of local government activity and services, ranging from the protection of historic heritage items to managed retreat to social housing.
Resilience comes across as a strong theme this year, with ten entries focussing on various aspects of resilience, and a further three entries featuring local recovery from civil defence emergencies.
The 2025 elections also feature with five initiatives to get out the vote having been entered in the engagement and cost-effectiveness categories.
There are 18 entries this year for the Award for Excellence in Community Engagement, highlighting the extensive mahi happening to engage in a meaningful way with communities across the country.
“We’re seeing that councils are taking their job of engagement seriously. These entries tell stories of local authorities working jointly with communities to identify an issue or problem and how to resolve it. They are working with communities, not because they have to, but because it makes for a better solution.”
Other categories with high (record) entries this year are the Morrison Low Advisory Award for Excellence in Collaborating for Results , with a category record 13 entries, and in Te Tohu Waka Hourua (the Double Canoe) – Buddle Findlay Award for Excellence in Māori – Council Partnerships, with a category record 12 entries.
“We’re pleased to see a record number of entries in Te Tohu Waka Hourua. Partnering with Māori provides local authorities with longer term, holistic, and richer insights into the needs of our local communities that make better outcomes for the entire community”
There are seven Award Categories plus the Supreme Award which will be announced on the night.
- The Datascape Award for Excellence in Digital Local Government
- The Award for Excellence in Community Engagement
- The Morrison Low Advisory Award for Excellence in Collaborating for Results
- The Beca Award for Excellence in Placemaking
- Te Tohu Waka Hourua (the Double Canoe) – Buddle Findlay Award for Excellence in Māori – Council Partnerships
- The GHD Award for Excellence in Environmental Leadership
- The Co-Lab Award for Excellence in Cost Effectiveness
- The Local Government Funding Agency Supreme Award
A Member’s Choice Award will also be run over the coming weeks with our Taituarā members getting the chance to vote for their favourite entries in each Award category.
The awards will be announced alongside the winners of the Management Challenge, the Emerging Leader of the Year Award, and five Overseas Manager Exchanges at the 2026 Excellence Awards event will be held on Thursday 18 June at Tākina in Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington.
Tables, half tables and individual tickets are available to purchase now.
Join us to celebrate innovation, leadership and excellence in local government.
