New Awards Launched to Celebrate Whanganui Community Heroes

The search to showcase our hardworking voluntary organisations will begin next week, with entries for the inaugural TrustPower Energy Direct Whanganui District Community Awards opening on Monday 29 July.

The Community Awards are open to all voluntary groups and organisations working for the benefit of the district.

The TrustPower Community Awards are run in 27 regions throughout New Zealand in conjunction with local council, and there is over $5,000 in prize money for this district’s voluntary groups.

TrustPower Community Relations Coordinator Suzi Luff says TrustPower is excited about launching the TrustPower Community Awards programme in the Whanganui region.

“With TrustPower recently acquiring Energy Direct (the locally based electricity and gas retailer) the TrustPower Community Awards is the perfect way to give something back to the community that has welcomed us so warmly,” says Suzi.

Mayor Annette Main is pleased that these awards will now be rolled out in the district.

“I am pleased that TrustPower is showing its commitment to our district by helping to recognise the outstanding voluntary organisations that play such a large role in who we are as a community,” says Mayor Main.

“We are very excited to be able to work alongside TrustPower on this initiative. There is such a broad range within the categories for the awards that all of our voluntary organisations and groups are eligible to enter. I’m sure that our community will be keen to get behind this and enter voluntary groups that they are involved in or have worked with.”

Anyone can enter a voluntary group or organisation for the TrustPower Community Awards – groups can even enter themselves.

“The TrustPower Community Awards are a brilliant way for local communities to get behind their voluntary groups.

There are hundreds of local volunteers and they dedicate thousands of hours to the community. Often they are not recognised for the invaluable work they do.

Now it’s the local community’s chance to say ‘thank you’ to these volunteers who work hard to improve the community – from sports clubs, to community events, to environmental groups in your backyard. It takes five minutes of your time to enter a voluntary group but it will make a real difference to the volunteers you are recognising,” says Miss Luff.

Entry Forms for the TrustPower Community Awards are available from Wanganui District Council offices and service centres or they can be downloaded from www.trustpower.co.nz/communityawards. Entry forms can also be received by calling TrustPower Community Relations on 0800 87 11 11 or if you prefer, the TrustPower Community Relations Team will take details of your entry over the phone.

The awards cover five categories; Heritage and Environment, Health and Wellbeing, Arts and Culture, Sport and Leisure, and Education and Child/Youth Development. Category winners receive $500, runners-up receive $250 and the Supreme Winner will take home $1,500 and an all-expenses paid trip to the TrustPower National Community Awards.

Entries for the TrustPower Energy Direct Whanganui District Community Awards close on Friday 27 September 2013.

The recipients of the inaugural TrustPower Energy Direct Whanganui District Community Awards will be announced at a function on Monday 18 November, to which all entered organisations and their nominators will be invited.
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