A big congratulations to all involved in the Waiau Pool’s Posts-earthquake rebuild. ‘Taking the Plunge – The Story of HDC and the Waiau Pool’, is a finalist in the Local Government New Zealand (LGNZ) EXCELLENCE Awards.

The nomination is for a Social Well-being category and credit goes to all involved with the pools rebuild process: the fundraisers, the donators, the workers, the Waiau Pool Committee and the community.

We, the council, need to mention the amazing effort of council officers that went into the project, particularly Emma Duncan who was working as Project Coordinator within our Community Team and a member of the Waiau Pool Committee.

But, we also recognize how the people of Waiau raised funds for and drove the construction of their new pool. They demonstrated the power of small communities and we couldn’t be more proud to have such people in our district.

The award criteria is for a project that enhances the social well-being of its community, demonstrating strong community involvement and improved integration of information, service delivery and processes to ensure the organisation is responsive, and citizen-centric.

LGNZ President Dave Cull said being named as a finalist is a significant achievement and reflects strong leadership and the innovative work being delivered by councils across the country.

“These EXCELLENCE Awards demonstrate the value local government provides to community, economic development, infrastructure and the environment,” said Mr Cull.

“The sector should be incredibly proud of its achievements as we celebrate these outstanding projects. The finalist projects are real examples of how local government delivers exemplary value and services to New Zealanders in a collaborative and inclusive way.”

Hamish Dobbie, Chief Executive Officer at the Hurunui District Council, reaffirmed our pride in Waiau’s efforts following the award announcements.

“It’s great to see Mainpower Waiau Community Pool recognised as a finalist in the LGNZ Excellence Awards. The leadership shown by the Waiau community in getting this project up and running was superb and Hurunui District Council is proud to have been able to partner with the community in the delivery of this project” he said.

Judges for the awards are former Wellington Mayor Dame Kerry Prendergast, distinguished diplomat and public servant Sir Maarten Wevers, and Executive Director of the New Zealand Initiative, Dr Oliver Hartwich.

Category winners will be announced in Wellington on 8 July 2019.

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