Wellington Airport receives record number of Community Award nominations

Today Wellington Airport and Wellington Community Trust announced the finalists for the 2021 Wellington Airport Regional Community Awards.

Despite the challenges Wellingtonians have faced over the past year, the airport received more than 270 nominations this year, the highest number ever received.

Wellington Airport’s Manager Brand and Sponsorship, Jo Maxwell said “We are absolutely delighted with the number of nominations we have received this year, and it’s timely to be shining a light on the finalists this week as we celebrate the amazing efforts of thousands of volunteers across New Zealand as part of National Volunteer week.

“After a break in 2020, we’re so pleased to be recognising the wonderful work volunteers have been doing across the region to support their local communities. Over the past 18 months community groups have really risen to the challenge to keep their communities connected and cared for, and to rebuild. It’s heartening to see Covid hasn’t stopped Wellingtonians helping each other”.

In total 165 community groups have been named as finalists in the awards in the areas of Art & Culture, Education & Child Youth Development, Health & Wellbeing, Heritage & Environment and Sport & Leisure, along with new and emerging groups eligible for the Rising Star award.

Wellington Community Trust’s Chief Executive, Linn Araboglos said “The Community Awards highlight the incredible work that volunteers and community leaders do in the Wellington Region.”

Wellington International Airport, Wellington Community Trust, and the five local councils come together to recognise the work carried out by community groups in the wider Wellington region.

Nominations for the awards closed on 31 May 2021 and local award winners and runners up will be announced at functions hosted by the five local councils in July/August. Later in the year a Regional Supreme winner will be selected by the regions’ mayors and 2019 Regional Supreme Award Winner InsideOUT. The public will also have an opportunity to vote for a People’s Choice Award.

Finalists include:

• #Hangout, Upper Hutt
• 2nd Avalon Lower Hutt Scout Troop, Hutt City
• Age Concern Wellington, Wellington City
• Ahu Charitable Trust ki Pukerua Bay, Porirua
• Air Training Corps Wellington, Wellington City
• Animal Evac New Zealand, Wellington City
• Arts a Go Go!, Upper Hutt
• Assisted Golf (Dementia Wellington), Upper Hutt
• Avalon Tennis Club, Hutt City
• Bellyful Hutt Valley, Hutt City
• Bellyful Karori, Wellington City
• Bellyful Porirua, Porirua
• Birthright Hutt Valley, Hutt City, Upper Hutt
• Birthright Kāpiti, Kāpiti
• Camp Quality, Wellington City
• Camp Survivor - LifeSwitch, Upper Hutt
• Chrissy's Community Closet, Porirua
• Christians Against Poverty (CAP), Wellington City
• City of Porirua Cadet Unit, Porirua
• Cloud 9 Children’s Foundation, Wellington City
• Clyma Park Community Garden, Upper Hutt
• Coast Access Radio, Kāpiti
• Collaborate, Wellington City
• Community Sports Bank, All Regions
• Compassion Soup Kitchen, Wellington City
• Crofton Downs Predator Free Community, Wellington City
• Dynomites, Hutt City
• Eat My Lunch, Wellington City
• Edible Earth Porirua, Porirua
• Ekta, Kāpiti
• Ellie's Canine Rescue and Rehome, Upper Hutt
• Evaro (Wellington After Care Association), Kāpiti
• Fabric-a-brac Wellington, Wellington City
• Food 4 Thought, Upper Hutt
• Football for the Community Development Trust, Wellington City
• Footnote Dance Company, Wellington City
• FreeForAll, Wellington City
• Friends of Pataka, Porirua
• Friends of Taupo Swamp & Catchment, Porirua
• Friends of Waiwhetu Stream, Hutt City
• Gender Minorities Aotearoa, Wellington City
• Ghost Diving New Zealand, Wellington City
• Greenstone Doors Charitable Trust, Upper Hutt
• Heretaunga Players Inc, Upper Hutt
• Hospice Shop, Upper Hutt
• Hutt Valley Riding for Disabled, Upper Hutt
• Hutt Valley Sports Awards, Hutt City
• Inano Dance, Hutt City
• International Friendship Club, Victoria University, Wellington City
• Island Bay Softball & Baseball Club, Wellington City
• Island Bay Tennis and Squash Club, Wellington City
• Kāpiti Basketball Association Incorporated, Kāpiti
• Kāpiti Bears Rugby League Club, Kāpiti
• Kapiti Equestrian Advocacy Group, Kāpiti
• Kāpiti WDS Support Group, Kāpiti
• Kāpiti Women's Centre, Kāpiti
• Karori Lions Club, Wellington City
• Kelson School - Playground Fundraising Committee, Hutt City
• Kickstart Community Youth Trust, Upper Hutt
• Kitten Inn, Hutt City
• Kokiri Marae Pataka Kai, Hutt City
• Landing Press, Porirua
• L'Arche Kapiti, Kāpiti
• Life In Motion, Wellington City
• Lower Hutt Muslimah Committee, Hutt City
• Mataora (Abundant Life Church), Wellington City
• MIX - Connecting, Creating, Living Inc, Hutt City
• Nature School NZ Trust, Porirua
• Neighbourhood Support Wellington & Porirua, Wellington City
• New Zealand Remembrance Army, Wellington City
• Newtown Festival Trust, Wellington City
• Ngati Toa Sea Scouts, Porirua
• Northern United Rugby Football Club, Porirua
• Nourish @ Christmas, Hutt City
• Nuku Ora - Event volunteers, Wellington City
• Operational Support Unit Wainuiomata Volunteer Fire Brigade, Hutt City
• Orange Sky Wellington, Wellington City
• Orongomai Marae, Upper Hutt
• Ōtaki Food Bank, Kāpiti
• Ōtaki St John Shuttle Van Service, Kāpiti
• Pablos Art Studios Inc., Wellington City
• Pallets for Pickup or Deliverys, Porirua
• Paraparaumu Scout Group, Kāpiti
• Parkinson's NZ Charitable Trust - Wellington Action Group, Wellington City
• Pauatahanui Burial Grounds Volunteers, Porirua
• Petone Beach Clean Up Crew, Hutt City
• Pickle Pot Be-In, Kāpiti
• Porirua Sing Your Lungs Out Choir, Porirua
• Punchfit, Hutt City
• Rachel's Coffee Group, Wellington City
• Raranga Whiriwhiri O Paparakau, Upper Hutt
• Red Door Recovery, Upper Hutt
• Rimutaka Inline Hockey Club Inc, Upper Hutt
• Room at the Inn, Wellington City
• Rotary Club of Plimmerton, Porirua
• Samaritans of Wellington Inc, Wellington City
• Samoan Youth Legion of Mary - Porirua & Wellington City
• Sands Wellington - Hutt Valley, Hutt City
• Seeds to Feeds, Wellington City
• SeniorHangouts, Wellington City
• SeniorNet Kāpiti, Kāpiti
• SeniorNet Upper Hutt, Upper Hutt
• Shoebox Christmas Wellington, Hutt City
• Sola Power Throwing Academy, Hutt City
• Special Olympics NZ, Wellington City
• St Anne's Pantry, Porirua
• St Augustine's Scout Group, Hutt City
• Stella Maris, Wellington City
• Strathmore Park Stitching Lounge, Wellington City
• Supergrans, Wellington City
• Sustainability Trust - Wellington Curtain Bank, Wellington City
• SwimZone Racing, Hutt City
• Tawai Park Community Garden, Upper Hutt
• Te Ara Korowai, Kāpiti
• Te Hahi, Upper Hutt
• Te Omanga Hospice, Hutt City
• Te Rito Maioha, Hutt City
• Te Whare Tane, Upper Hutt
• The Chelsea Club, Wellington City
• The Free Store, Wellington City
• The Hub Social, Upper Hutt
• The Hutt Valley Singers, Upper Hutt
• The Major Minors Children's Choir, Upper Hutt
• The Neonatal Trust, Wellington City
• The Nest Collective, Porirua, Porirua
• The Social Supermarket - Wellington City Mission, Wellington City
• The Swan Nest, Wellington City
• Titahi Bay RSA, Porirua
• Totara Park Playcentre, Upper Hutt
• Trailblazers (Porirua Kids Run Club), Porirua
• Upper Hutt Autism Group, Upper Hutt
• Upper Hutt Hospice Shop, Upper Hutt
• Upper Hutt Housing Trust, Upper Hutt
• Upper Hutt Maidstone United Netball Club Inc, Upper Hutt
• Upper Hutt Repair Cafe Trust, Upper Hutt
• Urban Wildlife Trust, Upper Hutt
• Victim Support, Upper Hutt
• VietKidsNZ, Wellington City
• Vulnerable Support Charitable Trust, Hutt City
• Vulnerable Support Charitable Trust, Wellington City
• WELLfed, Porirua
• Wellington Access Radio, Wellington City
• Wellington Bridge Club, Wellington City
• Wellington City Cadet Unit, Wellington City
• Wellington Coastguard, Hutt City
• Wellington Free Ambulance, Wellington City
• Wellington Group Riding for Disabled, Porirua
• Wellington Marine Conservation Trust, Wellington City
• Wellington Multiple Sclerosis Society Committee, Wellington City
• Wellington Racqueteers, Wellington City
• Wellington Timebank, Wellington City
• Wellington Youth Orchestra, Wellington City
• Whakaahuru - The Gentle Singers, Wellington City
• Wharekai Pepe, Hutt City
• Whitford Brown Community Trust, Porirua
• Willowbank Reserve Care Group, Wellington City
• World Marudào Karate Organisation, Wellington City
• Worser Bay Life Saving Club Inc, Wellington City
• Writers Plot Bookshop, Upper Hutt
• Yafeng Group, Wellington City
• YMCA Upper Hutt, Upper Hutt
• YODAT Younger Onset Dementia Aotearoa Trust, Wellington City
• Youth Cultures Community Trust / Praxis, Wellington City
• Youthline Wellington, Wellington City
• Zero Waste Ōtaki, Kāpiti