NZPI MEDIA RELEASE

2 March, 2015

Planning Awards panel begins looking over nominations

Nominations have closed for the New Zealand Planning Institute (NZPI) Awards covering 2014, and the judges are now considering them.

Awards include the Wallace Ross Graduate Award for undertaking research that advances planning practice, process and theory; the Reginald Hammond Scholarship for planners still undertaking study, the Rodney Davies Project Award recognising how projects are formulated and justified, and the Lance Leikis NZPI Young Planner Award recognising contributions by graduate planners.

“From responding to natural hazards in Christchurch, to responding to urban growth issues, planning is integral to how we manage and grow our communities,” said awards panel chair Andrew Willis. “Planning is never far from the news.”

The awards for 2014 will be presented during April’s Back to the Future 2015 national conference in Auckland.

Project complexity, the quality of the work, areas of innovation and the quality of the application itself are key aspects the awards judges consider in nominations, Mr Willis said. “It’s great to learn about planning projects undertaken across the country.”

Planning projects nominated in the Best Practice open award category often had transport at the heart of them, including the Auckland Public Transport Network Plan, Auckland Harbour Bridge Adaptive Management Framework, the Ara Tuhono Puhoi-Warkworth-Wellsford highway project, Selwyn District Council’s development strategies, and the Huntly Section of the Waikato Expressway. Plans with environmental and Maori themes included the Tapuika Environmental Management Plan, NgatiRaukawa’s Environmental Management Plan, Tainui’s Waikato Raupatu River Trust plan and the Waitomo Caves Village Structure Plan.

Further details about the awards may be found here.

A full Planning Institute conference programme and registration opportunities may be found here.

ENDS

New Zealand Planning Institute (NZPI)
The NZPI is the voice of planning in New Zealand. It is the professional organisation representing this country’s planners, resource managers, urban designers, and environmental practitioners. Planners have a critical role in shaping New Zealand’s future by helping to develop solutions to key issues, such as population growth, infrastructure needs, pressure on natural resources and environments, demographic change and transport.

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