Environmental winners 'earn region another shield'

Thu 09 Nov 2017

The region deserves an ‘Environmental Ranfurly Shield’ for all the good work being done in the outdoors, says the Taranaki Regional Council Chairman, David MacLeod.

Announcing this year’s winners of the Council’s annual Environmental Awards tonight, Mr MacLeod said their commitment and determination explains why Taranaki is at the forefront in environmental achievement in so many ways.

“If there was a Ranfurly Shield for good work in the environment, we’d have that in our trophy cabinet too,” he says.

Sixteen awards were made tonight to a variety of individuals and organisations including farmers, schools, businesses large and small, community groups and trusts, and a marae-focused waste minimisation campaign.

The awards were made in five sponsored categories, and bring the total to 265 since they were started in the 1990s. This year’s winners:

Environmental action in education – sponsored by Fairfax Media

• Woodleigh Primary School

• Hawera Christian School Habitat Heroes

• Para Kore ki Taranaki

Environmental leadership in land management – sponsored by Dow AgroSciences

• Wayne and Michelle Berridge

• Putere Farm Trust

• Chris Jury and Daniela Krumm

• Holly Johnson and Simon Bailey

Te taiao me te pākihi / Environmental leadership in business – sponsored by Ngāruahine, Ngāti Ruanui, Te Ātiawa, Taranaki and Ngāti Mutunga

• Julie Harkness

• Trustpower Ltd Taranaki Generation

• Double R Taranaki Ltd

Environmental leadership in dairy farming – sponsored by Fonterra

• Ray and Pauline Willy

• DP and JH Roper Family Trusts Partnership

• Ian Sharpe

Environmental action in the community – sponsored by Methanex

• Native Forest Restoration Trust

• Jenny Kerrisk

• Allen Stancliff

“The Council’s extensive monitoring tells us our environment is stable or improving in many key areas, most especially freshwater quality,” says Mr MacLeod.

“And of course that’s not by accident or good luck. All of us here in Taranaki takes our environment very seriously. But this doesn’t mean we can rest on our laurels. There’s always more to be done. As we all know, the bar is continually being raised and expectations grow greater, not smaller.

“Looking at tonight’s winners, we can be assured that the region’s in good heart, more than ready to tackle the challenges that lie ahead. The Council is committed to taking Taranaki forward.”

For more information on the winners, including video profiles, go to www.trc.govt.nz.

Related links

• 2017 award winners - profiles and videos

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