Congratulations to Wairoa District Council for their winning entry in this year’s FrankGroup Award for Excellence in Community Engagement at the LGFA Taituarā Local Government Excellence Awards, held last night.

The Award recognises outstanding results achieved through excellent community engagament or community empowerment. It is for initiatives where engaging with, and empowering the community was a central and crucial element. 16 entries were received with Wairoa District Council’s entry Wairoa Whakapiki taking out the prize.

Wairoa Whakapiki was the Council’s solution to the cutting of digital, power and transport links in the wake of Cyclone Gabrielle. The newsletter emerged as a voice of truth, sharing essential information and guiding residents to crucial support. Judges said it is a textbook example of exceptional communications in a disaster recovery situation. It serves as a powerful reminder that successful engagement during and after a natural disaster must go beyond simply informing. It must actively cultivate a collective community spirit and empower cohesive action. Congratulations!

Congratulations to all those Councils who entered this year’s Awards and a special shout out to Supreme Winners Predator Free Wellington. What a great night!