Koha Kai Gets Set to Represent Invercargill Southland at the Trustpower National Community Awards

Kohai Kai is about to go head to head with the country’s best and brightest voluntary groups and organisations at the Trustpower National Community Awards.

The 2016 Trustpower National Community Awards take place in the Rotorua Lakes region from 24-26 March 2017.

Kohai Kai is representing the Invercargill Southland at the National Community Awards – an honour they won after being named Supreme Winner at the Trustpower Invercargill Southland Community Awards last year.

Joining Kohai Kai at the National Awards will be representatives from 24 other voluntary groups or organisations from around the country that were named Supreme Winner at their regional Trustpower Community Awards.

The Trustpower National Community Awards is a chance for the voluntary organisations in attendance to learn with one another, share experiences, tell their story and see what Rotorua has to offer. Kohai Kai will give an eight minute presentation on what the group has achieved and why they deserve the title of Trustpower National Community Award Supreme Winner. Kohai Kai will be judged on that presentation, along with a 1,000 word summary of the organisation.

The presentations will take place on Saturday 25 March in the BayTrust Forum at Rotorua Energy Events Centre. The Winner, Runner-Up and recipient of theWhetū Mātaiata Award will be announced at an Awards dinner that evening at Blue Baths.

Trustpower Community Relations Representative Emily Beaton says Kohai Kai have a great story to tell.

“Koha Kai have a fantastic business model that positively impacts a large and diverse range of the community. It is purely volunteer driven and continues to develop and extend its services, which is a testament for the need for something like this, and the chord that it strikes with so many.

The community should be proud of Koha Kai. They will be fantastic ambassadors for the Invercargill and Southland community at the Trustpower National Community Awards,” says Miss Beaton.

Attending the Trustpower National Community Awards from Kohai Kai will be Janice Lee and Nicole McKnight, along with Invercargill Deputy Mayor Darren Ludlow and his wife Lyndal and Southland District Mayor Gary Tong and his partner Sharon Ayto.

The Trustpower National Community Awards Supreme Winner will take home a custom-made trophy, $4,000 in prize money, a framed certificate and a $1,000 consultancy voucher from one of New Zealand’s leading training providers for the community sector, Exult. The Runner Up will receive $2,500 in prize money, a $500 Exult voucher and a framed certificate. The Whetū Mātaiata Award recipient receives a framed certificate and a consultancy service package from award sponsor, Exult.

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