Twenty-four New Zealand Parks have achieved award winning status with the Green Flag Award® scheme.

The Green Flag Award® recognises and rewards parks and green spaces providing high quality and innovative recreational experiences for our communities. The award sets a benchmark standard for recreational outdoor spaces worldwide. Parks are awarded based on a criterion marked by experienced Green Flag Award® judges throughout the country.

The 2021/22 award winning sites are:

• Sanders Reserve, Auckland Council
• Waikumete Cemetery, Auckland Council
• Long Bay Regional Park, Auckland Council
• Tawharanui Regional Park, Auckland Council
• Ambury Regional Park, Auckland Council
• Parrs Park, Auckland Council
• Auckland Domain, Auckland Council
• Randwick Park (Auckland), RPSC Trust and For a Cause Ltd
• TECT All Terrain Park, Western Bay of Plenty District Council/Tauranga City Council
• Gisborne Botanical Gardens, Gisborne District Council
• Pukekura Park, New Plymouth District Council
• King Edward Park, South Taranaki District Council
• Flaxmere Park, Hastings District Council
• Havelock North Village Green, Hastings District Council
• Cornwall Park, Hastings District Council
• Te Mata Park (Hawke’s Bay), Te Mata Peak Trust
• Thompson House Park, Horowhenua District Council
• Te Maire Park, Horowhenua District Council (NEW)
• Te Awahou Riverside Cultural Park, Horowhenua District Council (NEW)
• Holben Reserve, Horowhenua District Council
• Driscoll Reserve, Horowhenua District Council
• Henley Lake (Masterton), Henley Lake Trust
• Queen Elizabeth Park, Masterton District Council
• Whenua Tapu Cemetery, Porirua City Council (NEW)

TECT All Terrain Park in the Bay of Plenty was also named one of the Green Flag Award® top ten parks in the world.

Established in 2010, the TECT All Terrain Park provides a regional destination between Rotorua and Tauranga that caters for a wide range of adventure and education activities all while being managed sustainably

TECT Park Manager Bill Wheeler says, “Little TECT Park is hanging around in some pretty illustrious company. We are doing well to even feature on this kind of list and that’s all down to the support of the users from all over the Bay.

“This really was the people’s choice, they have supported us and shown how much they really appreciate the work that both Councils have put into providing the Park facilities by taking time to vote. They will continue to be far stricter judges than Green Flag will ever send but they are also our greatest ambassadors.”

Recreation Aotearoa, the organisation responsible for managing and judging the New Zealand Green Flag Award®, were thrilled to see many parks achieve Green Flag status another year in a row and were pleased to have a number of new parks added to the list.

Recreation Aotearoa Parks, Play, and Open Spaces Manager, Garrett Blair, said: “Parks and open spaces are vital to our communities, they are havens for relaxation, connection, education, and escape. Aotearoa has an incredible network of parks and it’s fantastic to see our list of Green Flag Award® winners grow and be acknowledged internationally.”

“The Green Flag Award® is a significant way for us to recognise the value of these parks, as well as those people who work hard every day to create high quality outdoor experiences and places for our growing communities.”

The twenty-four winning sites will be gifted green flags to fly proudly in their respective parks.

You can visit the Green Flag Award® website to find out more about the programme, the winners, and how to get your parks involved: https://www.greenflagaward.org/

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