Hon. Kieran McAnulty, Minister of Local Government, has presented the first award at the 2023 Taituarā Gala Dinner. The winner of the Minister of Local Government’s Award for Council/Community Relations is Waimakariri District Council for its 'Regeneration Kaiapoi' project.
Delivered by the Hon. Kieran McAnulty, Minister of Local Government, this award recognises programmes, projects or initiatives that demonstrate outstanding results through excellent community engagement or community empowerment. Entries may come from any area of local government activity but must have community engagement, empowerment, or partnership as a key aspect, especially those undertaken over and above statutory requirements. Entries may include successful collaboration with private or community organisations. The approach taken must be capable of transfer to other local authorities.
Waimakariri District Council's Regeneration Kaiapoi represents the culmination of more than decade’s recovery planning and delivery in the red-zoned parts of Kaiapoi. This entry showcases how the council ensured everyone had an opportunity to shape these spaces and participate in ongoing management of the amenities.
The judges said "this was a highly complex and challenging multi-year programme that is an exemplar for those communities needing to recover from a natural disaster. A planned purposive blending of engagement and some community empowerment has delivered a fantastic end result."
The Department of Internal Affairs is the sponsor for this category. The Department’s Local Government branch provides expertise and experience across central and local government agencies to build relationships, provide a two-way conduit for issues playing out in local government, and support a range of activities that are critical for communities and are a shared priority for both arms of government.
This is the seventh year the Department has sponsored a category in the Excellence Awards, and the fifth year it has sponsored this category (previously it sponsored the now discontinued Innovation in Asset Management category).