Oxfam Trailwalker wins top NZ event awards
Oxfam Trailwalker wins top NZ event awards
Oxfam New Zealand’s annual fundraiser Oxfam Trailwalker scooped the accolades at the Event Industry Awards last night, winning Best Environmentally Sustainable Event and Best Partnership award for the Taupo-based 100km team challenge.
Oxfam Trailwalker attracted 1500 participants in April 5-6 this year, with more than 3000 support crew involved in the event where teams of four walk or run a 100km off-road trail in under 36 hours to raise money for Oxfam’s work.
"It’s a dream result to be recognised for the second year running for our commitment to environmental sustainability - and to celebrate the Best Partnership award with sponsor Maui who directly contributes to that commitment,” says Jo Jukes, Oxfam’s Marketing Events Manager.
“Ultimately we'd hope that our success empowers the events industry and our event participants to make environmental sustainability a priority every day."
The awards are judged by a panel of industry specialists from throughout New Zealand who have been selected across various event disciplines.
The judges hailed Oxfam Trailwalker as an event that ‘walks the talk’ when it comes to environmental sustainability and clearly demonstrates the keys to successful partnerships.
Jukes said some of the measures that contributed to the Environmental Sustainability award included: sticking to the basics of ‘reduce, reuse, recycle’; developing internal ‘green events guidelines’; developing systems to tangibly measure energy and water consumption, waste water and landfill volumes; and importantly communicating this to the participants.
More than $1 million was raised from Oxfam Trailwalker 2009 to support Oxfam’s work in the Pacific, East Asia and Africa. Oxfam New Zealand works with developing communities to access safe water and sanitation, to build sustainable livelihoods, to provide education and healthcare and to live free from persecution and violence.
For more information visit www.oxfamtrailwalker.org.nz
ENDS