Latest news with #ExcellenceAwards
Scoop
4 days ago
- Business
- Scoop
Cost-Saving Water Project Sets Examples For Small Councils Nationwide
Hurunui District Council's award-winning Water Safety Project for protozoa compliance has been recognised yet again - this time for the impressive cost savings it's delivered while meeting new water standards. Council won the Excellence in Cost Effective Impact Award at the 2025 LGFA Taituarā Local Government Excellence Awards held last week. The category is new to the awards and recognises programmes or projects that generate significant and demonstrable reduction in costs without compromising the achievement of the desired outcome. Hurunui's Water Safety Project previously won the Excellence in Water Project Award at last month's Institute of Public Works Engineering Australasia (IPWEA) Excellence Awards. Council's Chief Operations Officer Dan Harris said winning the Excellence in Cost Effective Impact category award was especially meaningful as the project had been born out of the challenges of meeting the costs of impending drinking water standards, which, for many of the districts' smaller supplies, would have been unaffordable. The project involved upgrades to 16 water treatment plants at a total cost of $24 million to comply with water safety regulations requiring protozoa protection for each of these plants. 'It was an ambitious project by any standard but especially challenging for our district with its population of around 13,800 residents spread across 8,641 km2,' Harris said. In 2015, Council consulted with its communities on a way forward to meet protozoa compliance. 'We agreed to implement a district-wide equitable rating system for all drinking water supplies. This combined all finances for all but one of our schemes,' Harris said. To keep costs down, Council established an in-house Project Management Office (PMO), which significantly reduced the reliance on external consultants. Judges at the awards recognised the project as a 'prime example of how rigorous project management and quality engagement can enable a council to meet both a critical regulatory requirement and a significant community expectation'. Council CEO Hamish Dobbie said Hurunui is proud to be leading the way in developing a model of water delivery that is uniquely tailored to the district and has resulted in significant cost savings. 'Judges at both awards have commented that our model can be replicated by other councils, and is especially valuable for smaller councils managing multiple schemes,' Dobbie said. Hurunui Mayor Marie Black said delivering robust infrastructure with good financial management sits at the heart of Council's strategic vision. 'As a smaller council, we're showing that through collaboration and strong financial management, it's possible to deliver innovative solutions with benefits well beyond our own district.' This is the second year in a row Hurunui District Council has won its category at the Taituarā Local Government Excellence Awards, having previously won the Community Engagement category last year.
Scoop
13-06-2025
- Business
- Scoop
Predator Free Wellington Wins The Supreme Award At The 2025 LGFA Taituara Local Government Excellence Awards
Wellington City Council's groundbreaking initiative, Predator Free Wellington, has claimed the highly coveted Taituarā Supreme Award for Local Government Excellence at last night's Taituarā Excellence Awards event. Predator Free Wellington was selected from a field of 60 entries submitted by councils from across the sector, underscoring its exceptional impact and innovation. The judging panel praised the initiative, stating 'Predator Free Wellington is an exemplar of building social licence and deputising the community to assist with delivery. The clear and meticulous plan for rolling this programme out is both readily scalable and highly transferable to projects of any type. We were also highly appreciative of the clear and unambiguous evidence of the success of this project.' The Supreme honour follows Predator Free Wellington's success in also securing the GHD Award for Excellence in Environmental Leadership. This marks the second year in succession that the winner of the Environmental Leadership category. Last night's ceremony marked the 11th year of the Excellence Awards in their current format. Over this period, a remarkable 11 different councils have proudly taken home the Supreme Award, showcasing the diverse and widespread excellence within New Zealand's local government. Other entries recognised with Excellence Awards last night were: The Beca Award for Placemaking: Ashburton District Council for Te Whare Whakatere – Recreating the Heart of Ashburton The Award for Excellence in Collaborating for Results: Hastings District Council, Napier City Council and Hawke's Bay Regional Council, Stronger Together: Council's buyout puts people at heart The Datascape Award for Excellence in Digital Local Government: Auckland Council, Buzzly The FrankGroup Award for Excellence in Community Engagement: Wairoa District Council for Wairoa Whakapiri - Uniting Through Recovery Te Tohu Waka Hourua (the Buddle Findlay Award for Māori/Council Partnerships): Taupō District Council for He Whare Hono o Tūewharetoa The Award for Excellence in Cost Effective Impact: Hurunui District Council for Hurunui District Water Safety Programme. In addition to winning the Placemaking category, Ashburton District Council's entry won the Members' Choice Award – voted for by the members of Taituara. Other winners announced on the night: The Sheffield Emerging Leader of the Year Award – Ashley Hurua, Horowhenua District Council. The AskYourTeam Overseas Manager Exchange to Queensland – Brent Harvey, Horowhenua District Council The AskYourTeam Overseas Manager Exchange to Victoria – Steven May, West Coast Regional Council The Civic Financial Services Overseas Manager Exchange to the United States – Steve Gibling, Selwyn District Council The Marsh Overseas Manager Exchange to British Columbia – Jenni Cochrane, Matamata-Piako District Council The Auckland Council team, Rarunga, won the NZ leg of the Australasian Management Challenge from a field of 14 teams. Rarunga will represent New Zealand at the Australasian final in the finals in Perth.
Khaleej Times
11-06-2025
- Business
- Khaleej Times
ICAI Dubai Chapter celebrates success of first-ever Excellence Awards 2024-25
The ICAI Dubai Chapter marked a historic milestone with the grand success of the inaugural ICAI-Dubai Chapter Excellence Awards 2024-25, recognising outstanding professional achievements of its members. Launched for the first time, the prestigious awards initiative aimed to honour excellence within the CA community. The Chapter appointed a qualified excellence adviser to steer the development and execution of the awards framework, ensuring alignment with international standards. A comprehensive awards flyer, detailed award criteria and sub criteria, category-specific weightages, award submission and assessment templates were created to provide transparency and structure. The campaign saw robust promotion across multiple platforms, with extensive guidance offered to award applicants. This resulted in a strong response, with high-quality entries received across all five award categories (Best Member, CFO, Business Leader, Buddy CA & Young Achiever). An esteemed four-member award jury, selected for their expertise, conducted a rigorous and independent evaluation process, unanimously selecting one winner per category. The Awards culminated in a glittering ceremony graced by internationally renowned innovator Sonam Wangchuck, who presented trophies and elegant Montblanc pens to each winner. Jury members were also honored on stage with special trophies, adding to the celebratory spirit. This successful first cycle sets a new benchmark for excellence and recognition within the ICAI Dubai community.
Daily Maverick
09-06-2025
- General
- Daily Maverick
Bay teachers stand out at Education MEC's Excellence Awards
Several outstanding educators from Nelson Mandela Bay were celebrated at the annual Excellence Awards Ceremony last Friday night, shining a spotlight on their dedication and impact in shaping the future of pupils. Educators from Nelson Mandela Bay shone brightly this past weekend, taking home top honours at the MEC for Education Fundile Gade's annual Excellence Awards. The ceremony celebrated the province's finest teachers, whose dedication often goes beyond the classroom. In his address, Gade acknowledged the harsh realities many educators face, including challenging working conditions and personal risks. 'Some have fallen precisely because of their commitment to have evening studies, and then they don't come home,' he said. Gade also praised the province's school governing bodies for their steadfast support and 'zeal for stability', stressing that their efforts do not go unnoticed. Ray Tywakadi, Deputy Director-General of the Eastern Cape Department of Education, confirmed that winners were chosen not only for their dedication, but for exceptional performance nationally. 'So they are also the cream of the crop in South Africa,' he said. He said the department had also incorporated e-learning and excellence in innovation in their decision. The Nelson Mandela Bay award winners are:
The Star
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Star
Scaling heights at lion dance competition
FORTY teams from 15 countries will participate in the 15th Resorts World Genting (RWG) lion dance championship. First held back in 1994, this year's competition will take place from July 25 to 27 at RWG's Arena of Stars in Genting Highlands, Pahang. The participating countries are Australia, Brunei, Canada, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, the US and Vietnam. The top three teams will receive cash prizes totalling US$34,000 (about RM146,000), said RWG sales, marketing and public relations executive vice-president Spencer Lee. Lee: Top three teams will receive prizes totalling about RM146,000, and there will be seven Excellence Awards. 'There will also be seven Excellence Awards worth US$1,800 (RM7,700) each,' he said at a press conference in Kuala Lumpur. A new category, 'Best Difficulty Award', was also announced by Selangor and Federal Territory Dragon and Lion Dance Association chairman Leong Lik Tong. This new prize will be awarded to the team who executes the most daring stunts during their performance. 'We decided that the team showcasing the most impressive set of stunts deserves to be acknowledged too,' said Leong, adding that the first prize was US$2,000 (about RM8,600) and a trophy. Leong: New category recognises the most daring stunts. To close the competition with a bang, Miss Universe Malaysia 2024 Sandra Lim will present a martial arts routine. 'I will be performing on the day of the finals,' said Lim, who does her own stunts as an actress. For tickets, visit or RWG's mobile app. — By LEE JUNE LING
