Congratulations Western Bay of Plenty District Council - winner of the coveted LGFA Supreme Award
Western Bay of Plenty District Council has won the coveted LGFA Supreme Award as part of the 2021 LGFA TaituarÄ Local Government Excellence Awards, presented at a Gala Dinner event in Wellington.
The Award is for Transfer of Ownership of Panepane Purakau, an initiative to return 172 hectares of land to the five hāpu of Matakana Island through a significant negotiation and community engagement process.
The initiative was praised by the judges as an exemplary initiative of successful engagement with Māori with strong elements of co-design, investment in relationships, and a commitment of time and resources to succeed.
Western Bay of Plenty District Council also won the Minister of Local Government's Award for Excellence in Council/Community Relations - a category which recognises projects that demonstrate outstanding results through excellent community engagement or empowerment.
Taituarā Chief Executive, Karen Thomas, congratulated Western Bay of Plenty District Council and said other local authorities can learn a lot from the Panepane Purakau project.
She also thanked the Local Government Funding Authority. This is their first time as Supreme Award sponsor, but their seventh year of supporting our Excellence Awards.
For further information, please contact Ann Thomson on 027294385.