International Award For NZ Weedbusters Website

April 7, 2005

International Award For NZ Weedbusters Website

The NZ Weedbusters website has won a prestigious international award, recognising excellence in interactive media production.

The website for Weedbusters, an interagency public awareness programme for invasive weeds in New Zealand, has taken the bronze award in the public service category of the 2005 Horizon International Awards

The website was designed by Differentdays, a Wellington company formed in 2003.

The Horizon awards, based in the United States, attract hundreds of entries from throughout the world.

A judging panel of industry professionals from diverse multi media, graphic design and marketing organizations seek excellence in creative concept, artistic excellence, and technical execution. The Awards are limited to firms or agencies that earn less than $5 million a year or an inhouse department with an annual budget of less than one million dollars for multimedia projects.

Differentdays last year took gold in the Horizon Awards for the best flash animation site.

Acting National Weedbusters Coordinator Carolyn Lewis, is thrilled with Weedbusters bronze award.

“The Weedbusters website was put up only last year, and has been a success from day one. It currently enjoys in excess of 60,000 hits a month,” Ms Lewis said.

“This award recognises the creativity and hard work put in by Differentdays, and by Amber Bill, the previous national Weedbusters coordinator, who got this programme off the ground in New Zealand.”

Ms Lewis said the Weedbusters website contained information to assist communities, schools, groups and individuals play their part in stopping the spread of invasive plant species in New Zealand.

“The website at www.weedbusters.org.nz has been designed to be user friendly and attractive to visitors,” Ms Lewis said. “It has to make the issue of weeds fun and interesting, and it achieves this very well.”

Weedbusters is an interagency organisation supported by the Department of Conservation, Biosecurity New Zealand, Federated Farmers, Biodiversity New Zealand, NZ Landcare Trust, Nursery and Garden Industry Association, NZ Biosecurity Institute, NZ Plant Protection Society, and all unitary and regional councils in New Zealand.

ENDS

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