Latest news with #PredatorFreeWellington
Scoop
13-06-2025
- General
- Scoop
Wellington City Council And Predator Free Wellington Win Supreme Award At Local Government Excellence Awards
Wellington City Council and Predator Free Wellington have won the Supreme Award at the LGFA Taituarā Local Government Excellence Awards held at Tākina Wellington Convention and Exhibition Centre this evening. The LGFA Taituarā Local Government Excellence Awards celebrates programmes, projects, and approaches that demonstrate professional excellence in local government management, and are open to any council, or council-controlled organisation (CCO) in Aotearoa New Zealand. Three Wellington City Council projects were nominated in different categories, with Predator Free Wellington taking the top award for Excellence in Environmental Leadership, then going on to win the overall Supreme Award out of all the category winners. 'What a night for Wellington! This is a well-deserved national recognition that highlights the groundbreaking conservation work happening in our city, underscores Wellington's commitment to kaitiakitanga or environmental stewardship, and the role our community plays in achieving these ambitious goals,' says Mayor Tory Whanau. Predator Free Wellington - Excellence in Environmental Leadership (Winner/Supreme Winner) Wellington City Council is a proud partner of the Predator Free Wellington project (PFW), which is working hard to eliminate rats, stoats and weasels from Pōneke – and has already been successful on the Miramar Peninsula. 'This award recognises the dedication of the PFW team and also reflects the power of collaboration between local government, volunteers, and engaged communities. PFW's work is making a huge difference to our local biodiversity, and we are proud of their achievements and eager to continue supporting their bold vision for a predator-free capital,' says Mayor Whanau. Predator Free Wellington Project Director, Kaiwhakahaere Matua, James Willcocks says the award is great recognition of years of collaboration and the amazing mahi of all its volunteers. "This award reflects the strong partnership between Wellington City Council and Predator Free Wellington, built on our shared commitment and investment in creating a predator free Wellington. 'Together, we've created a blueprint for transforming urban environments worldwide, demonstrating that cities can be places where both people and biodiversity can thrive." The other two nominations for Wellington City Council were: Mākara Peak Mountain Bike Park - Excellence in Community Engagement (Nomination) Mākara Peak exemplifies excellence in community engagement through conservation efforts, volunteer contributions, and a successful partnership. This transformation highlights the power of collaboration and dedication to environmental stewardship. Nestled in Wellington's western hills, Mākara Peak Mountain Bike Park (MP) has transformed from gorse-covered terrain to an award-winning recreation area. Mākara Peak Supporters (MPS) and Wellington City Council (WCC) have driven this change, fuelled by thousands of volunteers. Volunteers have built trails, planted over 60,000 native trees, controlled pest plants, and maintained nearly 700 traps. Their efforts have rejuvenated native bush, providing habitat for kiwi, kākāriki, tītipounamu, kārearea, and kākā. TrackDem - Excellence in Digital Local Government (Nomination) Wellington City Council is taking a world-leading approach to transparency by making it easier for everyone to access and understand Council decisions by using technology to locate and track voting records and meeting data. The Mātai Manapori TrackDem system, delivered via enhanced website functionality, shows clearly how the Council and its committees have come to their final decisions, laying out initial recommendations, any changes or amendments to those recommendations, and how each individual Elected Member voted.
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.
RNZ News
07-05-2025
- Business
- RNZ News
Predator Free Wellington faces funding shortfall
money conservation 17 minutes ago Predator Free Wellington is facing a shortfall of 1.75 million dollars a year, due to a drop in government funding. Environment reporter Kate Green took a tour of its workshop.
