Tasman District Council’s 2007 Environmental Awards were presented on Wednesday 28 November at the Upper Moutere sports complex. The Awards recognise those who have made valuable contributions to the care of environment in Tasman District. The supreme winner of the awards was “Keep Motueka Beautiful” for their transformation of a toxic dump in Old Wharf Road, Motueka.
The winning group were represented at the award ceremony by Eileen Wilkins and Anne Fisk, who received the award from Mayor Richard Kempthorne. Landcare Research representative Peter Williams was there to congratulate the group. The image shows from left to right Peter Williams, Eileen Wilkins, Anne Fisk and Mayor Richard Kempthorne at the presentation.
The judges visited most of the applicants and were impressed with the quality of the entries, and the clear message from the standard of entries that environmental understanding and awareness is growing.
The ceremony was opened by Mayor Richard Kempthorne, who welcomed everyone with some words about his vision for the environment and sustainability in the Tasman District.
Guest speaker, Mr Darren Baars from the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA), delivered an excellent summary of the national push for energy sustainability, and discussed the New Zealand Energy Efficiency and Conservation Strategy (NZEECS).
Two Silver Enviroschools awards were then presented to local schools. Enviroschools is a national programme that seeks to bring concepts of sustainability and environmental care into every aspect of school life and the curriculum. Ngatimoti School and Salisbury School have worked extremely hard this year to earn the first Silver Awards for Tasman.
The presentation of the Environmental Awards was the highlight of the ceremony.
Keep Motueka Beautiful won the Community Groups category. The entries and winners in this category were:
Self Reliant Golden Bay Committee Commended
Marahau/Sandy Bay Residents and Ratepayers Commended
Friends of Flora Inc Highly Commended
Keep Motueka Beautiful Winner
Sponsor: Fulton Hogan
In the Individuals and Pairs category Kathy Hindmarsh from Golden Bay won the top award. Placings in this category were as follows:
Duncan Eddy Commended
Lorraine Walls Commended
Murray Burnett Special Commendation
Will Rickerby Highly Commended
Kathleen Hindmarsh Winner
Sponsor: Cawthron Institute
The Resurgence from the Riwaka Valley won the Business and Industry Award, with Parkes Automotive from Motueka being Highly Commended. Other entries and winners in this category were:
In the Heritage awards category for cultural and structural projects Ngati Rarua Atiawa Iwi Trust won the cultural award for their book “Toi Whenua – Ancestral Home”. The judges were extremely impressed with this publication. The Motueka Clocktower Trust won a Highly Commended Award in the structural category.
In the school category, the judges could not decide between the two top entries in this category and so, with the generous sponsorship of Sealord, two winning awards were handed out to both Ngatimoti School and Futures Early Childhood Centre in Richmond. The school results were:
Murchison Area School Commended
Mapua School Highly Commended
Futures Early Education Winner
Ngatimoti School Winner
Sponsor: Sealord
After the awards, Tasman District Council’s environmental education officer Jeremy Butler said “Congratulations to all the entries and winners in the 2007 Environmental Awards. You have all done a marvellous job and we look forward to seeing many of you having another go next year. With everyone’s help we can face the challenges of the future and make paradise even better.”
Tasman District Council’s 2007 Environmental Awards were presented on Wednesday 28 November at the Upper Moutere sports complex. The Awards recognise those who have made valuable contributions to the care of environment in Tasman District. The supreme winner of the awards was “Keep Motueka Beautiful” for their transformation of a toxic dump in Old Wharf Road, Motueka.