Waitematā Local Board recently took the opportunity to pay it forward when it recognised its Good Citizen Award recipients.
COVID-19 restrictions meant an award ceremony event had to be held online in December, but changes to gathering rules earlier this year saw the board hold a small get together to meet some of the award winners in person.
“This was a chance to meet these wonderful people in person and to acknowledge the great things they do for our community so once we were able to do it safely, we took the opportunity,” says local board chair Richard Northey.
“Because of COVID-19 and various other reasons, only a small number of people could attend so we had quite a bit of left-over food, which we donated to Sunday Blessings, which also happens to be one of our Good Citizen Award winners.”
Sunday Blessings Auckland is a grass-roots community group, utilising community surplus food and volunteers to feed up to 170 guests each Sunday evening at The Ellen Melville Centre in central Auckland.
Since it started in 2018, the group has coordinated more than 50,000 meals for Auckland’s unhoused community through food rescue, donations and love from our kitchens.
The Good Citizens’ Awards acknowledge people and groups that stand out for the voluntary work they do in the local board area with 22 recipients in 2021 across several categories. A special award was given to Aroha Hawke and her late husband Bob Hawke for their long service to the city centre community.
View the video of the virtual award event and see the full list of the winners.
Board member Julie Sandilands with recipient Mark van Kaathoven
Board member Kerrin Leoni with award recipient Ram Singh Spall.
Board member Graeme Gunthorp with some of our young recipients.
Waitematā and Gulf ward councillor Pippa Coom joined us to recognise the award winners.
