Friday, 27 May 2011

Twenty-nine nominees aged between 14 – 21 years were given the recognition they so richly deserve at the 6th annual Inspire: Upper Hutt Young Achiever Awards. The awards were held on Tuesday 24 May at Expression Arts and Entertainment Centre. It was an evening dedicated to celebrating the wonderful achievements of Upper Hutt young people and the contributions they make to our community.

The event began with drinks, nibbles and music from local young talent Renee Mason. At 6pm 130 inspirational young people, their families and community members filled the Genises theatre. The ceremony, hosted by Damien Ekenasio former Wellington Saints Basketballer, was opened powerfully by Nga Rou Matawhiro, a Kapa Haka group from Heretaunga College. There were two other amazing performances through out the evening from local singer/songwriters Finn Feaver and Renee Coffey.

His Worship the Mayor, Wayne Guppy, officially opened the ceremony and touched on the importance of Youth Week and praised this year’s nominees “This event in being held in Nationwide Youth Week, an entire week devoted to the young people of New Zealand and celebrating everything it means to be young. The vision for this year’s Youth Week is “STEP UP: Be heard, Take responsibility” and that is exactly what we are celebrating tonight - The vibrant young people of Upper Hutt who step up and achieve great things for themselves and for others around them. You should be so proud of what you have achieved”.

Amongst the nominees were dedicated volunteers, sporting champions, community fund-raisers and budding musicians – just some of the outstanding youngsters who proudly stepped up on stage to hear the winners announced.

The following is a list of runner-ups and winners.

Culture Winner - Amber Whitnall
Service Winner - Kent Harris Runner-up - Rochelle Harrison
Leadership Winner - Lee Tukukino Runner-up - Charlizza Harris
Recreation/Events Winner - Ezekiel Waring Runner-up -Kyra Thomson
Community Award Anastazia McBarron
Supreme Winner Sam Twomey

This year the judges awarded a special community award to Anastazia McBarron for demonstrating extraordinary dedication towards others in the community. They also named Sam Twomey the supreme winner for 2011 for his commitment and drive to try and recreate a programme, similar to SaVY (Safer Valley Youth that was run in 2010), that will raise awareness of the services available for youth and set up a sustainable street programme in Upper Hutt that works with youth on the street.

“I didn’t envy the judges task this year as the calibre of nominees was extremely high. I am in awe of what these young people have achieved and how much they give back to their schools and wider community. They should be so proud of themselves and I hope to see them all on stage again next year” said Frances McEwen, Community Development Advisor for Upper Hutt City Council, whose team put together the awards every year.

If you would like to read more about the 2011 nominees you can visit www.uhyouth.com to view the official programme and photographs from the evening.

About Upper Hutt City Council

Upper Hutt City Council is the steward and custodian of Upper Hutt City, providing governance, infrastructure, and community services and resources, and promoting opportunity in the city for business, recreation, lifestyle, and leisure. Upper Hutt City is located 30 km north-east of Wellington City (41°07'34" S, 175°04'06" E) and boasts 70% of the region’s parks and reserves, along with state-of-the-art entertainment and leisure facilities.

ENDS

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