This year’s first round of Hamilton City Council Civic Awards features a wide variety of individuals making a difference for people in their community and beyond, including:

• a tireless business, community and charity supporter
• a creator of a sport-focused, business-sponsored charity helping rangatahi (youth) overcome barriers to their future
• a wahine toa caring for Hamilton communities from her humble garage
• a supporter of Korean war veterans, honouring them in memory of his brother.

These are just four of the nine impressive recipients who received their Civic Award yesterday at a ceremony held at FMG Stadium Waikato.

Chair of the Civic Honours Committee, Councillor Martin Gallagher, says it’s no easy task selecting individuals for the Awards. “We’re also aware that recipients can only represent the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Hamiltonians doing great things for others in our community,” he says.

“Each of these nine people have contributed to their city, its people and their future in their own unique way. Their efforts are ensuring that those who need practical and emotional support, friendship, life skills, employment skills – or just a listening ear – get what they need.”

Together, each ceremony’s award recipients represent a contribution of thousands of hours of service to the city through their respective causes, something Hamilton Mayor Paula Southgate is acutely aware of.

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“Our volunteers are involved in real passion projects and much of their work is under the radar. They simply get on with it, quietly and without fuss. It’s not about accolades, it’s about doing the right thing to make their community and our city a better place,” Southgate said.

“That’s a wonderful, wonderful thing and I am extremely grateful to live in a city that values and honours people whose priority in life is to do good, on behalf of others. I thank them for that.”

The Civic Awards recognise substantial service of a voluntary nature or beyond normal employment benefiting the city of Hamilton and its people. The recipients were selected by a panel consisting of Councillors Gallagher, Southgate, Mark Bunting, Ryan Hamilton, Kesh Naidoo-Rauf and Maangai Maaori Olly Te Ua and Te Pora Thompson-Evans. The selections were ratified in the Council meeting on 18 March 2021.

Civic Award recipients
 

• Vinod Bhika
   
• Lauren Kerr-Bell
   
• Gemma Major
   
• Thomas Nabbs
   
• Tony Marchioni
• Margaret Stannard
   
• Warren Turnwald 
   
• Annie Williams
   
• Roy Wilson

Click here to read more about the recipients

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