TIMARU HARDCOURT BIKE POLO GETS SET TO REPRESENT TIMARU DISTRICT AT THE TRUSTPOWER NATIONAL COMMUNITY AWARDS

Meanwhile, search for this year’s winner about to get underway when entries open on 27 March

Timaru Hardcourt Bike Polo is about to go head to head with the country’s best and brightest voluntary groups and organisations at the Trustpower National Community Awards.

The 2016 Trustpower National Community Awards take place in the Rotorua Lakes region from 24-26 March 2017.

Timaru Hardcourt Bike Polo is representing Timaru District at the National Community Awards – an honour they won after being named Supreme Winner at the Trustpower Timaru District Community Awards last year.

Joining Timaru Hardcourt Bike Polo at the National Awards will be representatives from 24 other voluntary groups or organisations from around the country that were named Supreme Winner at their regional Trustpower Community Awards.

Richard Brown and Sam Callander will attend the Trustpower National Community Awards to represent Timaru Hardcourt Bike Polo along with Timaru District Mayor Damon Odey.

Richard and Sam will give an eight minute presentation on what the group has achieved and why they deserve the title of Trustpower National Community Awards Supreme Winner. Timaru Hardcourt Bike Polo will be judged on that presentation, along with a 1,000 word summary of the organisation.

The presentations will take place on Saturday 25 March in the BayTrust Forum at Rotorua Energy Events Centre. The Winner, Runner-Up and recipient of the Whetū Mātaiata Award will be announced at an Awards dinner that evening at Blue Baths.

Trustpower Community Relations Representative Abbie Siely says the group has created something unique in the Timaru district.

“Timaru Hardcourt Bike Polo set out with a straightforward purpose – to enable people to enjoy the sport of bike polo – but they’ve achieved so much more than that.

The club now has 25 members and affiliates with both Bike NZ and the Australasian Hardcourt Bike Polo Association.

In 2016, Timaru Hardcourt Bike Polo hosted the 7th World Hardcourt Bike Polo Championships, with 55 teams from 48 cities across five continents. Spectator entry was free to the Canterbury public and the event was enjoyed by thousands of locals who had never seen anything quite like it.

The Timaru District can feel incredibly proud to be represented by Timaru Hardcourt Bike Polo,” says Miss Siely.

The Trustpower National Community Awards Supreme Winner will take home a custom-made trophy, $4,000 in prize money, a framed certificate and a $1,000 consultancy voucher from one of New Zealand’s leading training providers for the community sector, Exult. The Runner Up will receive $2,500 in prize money, a $500 Exult voucher and a framed certificate. The Whetū Mātaiata Award recipient receives a framed certificate and a consultancy service package from award sponsor, Exult.

ENTRIES FOR 2017 TIMARU DISTRICT COMMUNITY AWARDS OPEN MONDAY 27 MARCH

Meanwhile, entries are about to open for the 2017 Trustpower Timaru District Community Awards. There’s more than $5,000 up for grabs for community groups this year. And the Supreme Winner of the 2017 Trustpower Timaru District Community Awards gets to attend the Trustpower National Community Awards in 2018.

Anyone can enter a group in this year’s awards – groups can even enter themselves.

Entry Forms will be available from the Council offices or service centres, they can be completed online at www.trustpower.co.nz/communityawards, or you can call Community Relations on 0800 87 11 11.

ENDS

© Scoop Media