The winners of the TECT Community Awards have been announced online, with winner videos published on the TECT Facebook and website available to view now.

The winners of the TECT Community Awards are:

• Event Excellence Award: Bay of Plenty Garden and Art Festival
• Sustainable Future Award: Maketū Ōngātoro Wetland Society
• Diversity and Inclusion Award: English Language Partners Bay of Plenty
• Heart of the Community Award: YWAM Ships Aotearoa – Trinity Koha Dental Clinic
• Youth Spirit Award: Quinn Boyle
• Volunteer of the Year Award: Bill Webb
• Lifetime Service Award: Maureen Paterson
• People’s Choice Award: YWAM Ships Aotearoa – Trinity Koha Dental Clinic

Youth Spirit Award winner Quinn Boyle is well known in the community for his open water swims – raising over $3,000 for charities last year.

Quinn has also been volunteering at local Bay of Plenty schools, Paengaroa and Otamarakau Primary, taking swimming lessons, coaching sports teams and supporting tamariki with their reading.

The 16-year-old Quinn is also a member and volunteer surf life saver, patrolling and fundraising for the Pukehina Surf Rescue Club.

Quinn says he feels honoured and surprised to be chosen as the winner of the Youth Spirit Award.

“I didn’t expect much back for the work I’ve been doing, but to get this award just feels amazing.”

His advice for other youth interested in volunteering is to follow your passion.

“Find something you’re passionate about and use that passion to give back to your community – for example me and my swimming.”

Bill Webb runs Good Neighbour’s Fruit Picking Team and rescues whatever is seasonal with his dedicated team of fellow volunteers.

Bill is also extremely dedicated as a volunteer at Tauranga Hockey Association. Bill is currently the hockey centre’s de facto ‘Facilities Manager’ – working each Sunday ensuring the facility is maintained for local and national events.

“I feel humbled and honoured that I’ve been selected, it’s a reflection on the status of Good Neighbour these days – it’s grown from very small beginnings seven years ago to an organisation with hundreds and hundreds of volunteers and I am but one of those,” says Webb.

“The quality of those volunteers is what I’ve got to give credit to – the people who help me each week picking fruit around the region. They’re wonderful people and they give of their time generously.

“I also need to pay tribute to the Tauranga Hockey Association. I’ve spent a number of years as a volunteer with Tauranga Hockey and it has enabled me to give something back to a sport that I have enjoyed for over 50 years.”

YWAM Ships Aotearoa's central purpose is to empower a healthy future in the Pacific through the use of the YWAM Koha to provide medical and dental services.

However, with the borders closed due to Covid-19, and aware of clear health inequities right here in Aotearoa, the charity pivoted to use its resources to help those with little access to oral health services at affordable prices in the Bay of Plenty, setting up the fully volunteer-run Trinity Koha Dental Clinic.

The clinic ran for five weeks in the Western Bay, supporting over 500 people with their dental needs.

YWAM Ships Aotearoa Managing Director Marty Emmett said it was a real honour to win the Heart of the Community Award.

“Winning the award was totally unexpected. We are just really honoured and grateful to TECT for this award.

“Looking forward, we want to keep doing more – we feel obligated to carry on delivering these dental care services to the most vulnerable. So our goal is to scale it to, do more, build more partnerships and be able to serve more people.”

Marty says winning both the Heart of the Community Award and People’s Choice Award came as a huge surprise.

“We are both amazed and humbled to be the recipients of both awards this year. It’s an incredible acknowledgement of the work our team of volunteers have done to deliver the services to vulnerable people through our region. There are way too many volunteers to name, but they know who they are – this award is for them as well.”

Videos on each winner can be found on the TECT Facebook page: ww.facebook.com/TECTNZ.

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