It’s time to nominate an environmental hero, or team of heroes, for their work helping Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland’s nature to thrive.
The annual Ngā Tohu Tiaki Taiao a te Koromatua / Mayoral Conservation Awards recognise and celebrate community-powered conservation and nominations are now open.
The awards recognise the effort made to protect our native species by Ngā Iwi Mana Whenua o Tāmaki Makaurau, communities, households, landowners, youth, and schools across Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland.
Winners of last year’s awards included a group of schools from Aotea / Great Barrier, a landscape-scale revegetation project, a marine project and a south Auckland shorebird protection group.
These annual awards are pivotal in recognising and celebrating the wonderful work happening in the community and recognise environmental champions in 3 categories:
Collaboration
This category recognises working with others in the community, and/or across a wider landscape or network, to achieve significant conservation outcomes
Innovation
This category recognises:
- projects that have used creativity and initiative, and/or developed or refined techniques, methods or systems, to achieve positive results in their conservation work
- new ways of working
- western science and/or Mātauranga Māori.
Schools / Youth
This category recognises:
- schools (including kura kaupapa and early childhood facilities) who use an authentic learning approach to enable and empower students to take conservation action in their community
- outstanding leadership and achievement by a young individual or group of young individuals (under 25 years old) to achieve positive conservation outcomes.
All category winners will be eligible for the Penny Hulse Supreme Environmental Award.
If you know of, or are involved in, conservation work being driven by extraordinary communities, groups or individuals, check out the online nomination form here.
Nominations are open to all conservation projects in the Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland region carried out on private land, or public land, e.g. parks and reserves managed by Auckland Council or the Department of Conservation. The work needs to have happened since 1 December 2021.
Nominations are open until Monday 8 August at 5pm and finalists will be announced on Friday 2 September.
This year’s awards ceremony will take place on Tuesday 13 September 2022. All finalists will be invited.
If you have any enquiries, email pestfree@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz
