Council superstars shine at LGNZ’s SuperLocal Awards

Outstanding local government people and projects took out the top spots at LGNZ’s annual SuperLocal Awards, with judges noting the impressive calibre of entries this year.

The winners were announced at the LGNZ Fulton Hogan Conference Dinner in Wellington on Friday 23 August.

Councillor Neville Phillips of Gore District Council won the SuperHuman Award for what judges described as his “tremendous service” to the Mataura community, from supervising PEP schemes through to being a councillor and many other roles. “Neville comes across as a battler for Mataura and Gore”, the judges said. “He’s not afraid to pursue projects that are contentious, with the skills to win through and land outcomes”.

Masterton District Council scooped up the SuperEngaged Award for its innovative Your Place - Your Plan | Thinking about Masterton’s Future. This engagement on Masterton’s LTP generated 145% more submissions than previous consultations. Judges said it used clear, sharp messaging and closed feedback loops to overcome public consultation fatigue. “It was clear that the combination of bespoke engagements led to significant improvement in community engagement.”

Gisborne District Council secured the SuperCollab Award for its Marae Emergency Preparedness and Resilience project, which delivered 19 disaster-equipped pods to the region’s most isolated communities. Judges said the project demonstrated how strong collaboration with local marae could overcome isolation barriers and enhance community preparedness, as well as demonstrating marae resilience and connectivity.

Tasman District Council won the SuperSteward Award for its Mangatāwhai/Black Valley Wetland Restoration project, which combined Mātauranga Māori with modern environmental engineering techniques. For example, a weaving wānanga was held to produce harakeke geotextile baskets used for plugging old drains at a wetland site. Judges said this project was “a perfect example of this type of cultural collaboration and a lesson for other councils in how to work with local iwi”.

Gisborne District Council also won the SuperIdea Award for its Tairāwhiti Civil Defence Emergency Management Common Operating Picture project, which captures real-time data from trusted sources and displays it all on a 55-inch touchscreen TV in the Emergency Coordination Centre. Judges described the project as “the holy grail of disaster response”. As the judges said “tech is not the issue – the key thing is getting stakeholder agreement to share data. The success of this project is a tribute to the personal skills and persuasiveness of key people who made it happen. It should be a model for the whole of Aotearoa.”

LGNZ President Sam Broughton congratulated the winners and other finalists, as well as every council that entered this year’s awards. “Councils have so many unsung heroes delivering for their communities. It’s a privilege to celebrate these outstanding projects and teams”.

The judging panel for the awards was chaired by LGNZ Chief Executive Susan Freeman-Greene and included:

• Dame Fran Wilde
• Brad Olsen – Chief Executive and Principal Economist, Infometrics
• Nicola MacDonald – Chair, Auckland Conservation Board | Pou Taiao
• Don Cameron – Former Ruapehu Mayor, currently Recovery Manager, Tararua District Council
• Helmut Karewa Modlik – CEO, Te Rūnanga o Toa Rangatira
• Penny Nelson – Director General, Department of Conservation
• Bayden Barber – Chair of the Ngāti Kahungunu Iwi Incorporated Board
• Penny Hulse – Former Deputy Mayor of Auckland Council
• Tina Porou – Founder, Poipoia
• Bill Bayfield – Director, Citycare Group
• Sanchia Jacobs – Director of Local Government, Beca
• Rachel Smith (Ngāpuhi) – Former Far North councillor, currently Systems and Strategic Lead, Healthy Families Far North.