AusLeisure

Encompassing the people, places and organisations that enable recreation experiences to occur, the New Zealand Recreation Association (NZRA) has presented its 2016 Awards.

The Awards recognise that people who are healthy and well connected to their communities and the environment grow up with the opportunity to pursue their dreams and make lasting contributions to society.

For its 2016 Awards, presented at this week’s NZRA National Conference, the Association’s judging panel were pleased to see not only an increase in the number of nominations, but also in the overall quality. This made deliberations challenging but very exciting.

The 2016 award winners span the length and breadth of New Zealand and represent the quality recreation opportunities available.

The Outstanding Project award was given to Opus International Consultants Ltd for the design of the Tākaro ā Poi/Margaret Mahy Family Playground in Christchurch, a particularly innovative playspace that has great engagement with children and has led to a positive economic impact on the post- earthquake CBD.

Richmond Aquatic Centre was the recipient of the Outstanding Pool Award. The judges were impressed with the clever use of digital marketing and saw this as an good example of how an aquatic centre, managed well, can turn a community initially opposed to its cost and construction to one regarding it as an essential community asset.

The Outstanding Community Recreation Programme award recognises programmes that reflect significant community involvement and clearly achieve a community development outcome. The years winner was Harbour Sport’s SportSPasifik Programme. The judges were taken with how they managed to deliver real outcomes for the community on many levels.

The NZRA Awards were presented at an awards dinner held last night at the Millennium Hotel, Queenstown during NZRA's National Conference.

The NZRA’s 2016 Award winners were:

Outstanding Project Award
Winner - Opus International Consultants Ltd for the design of the Tākaro ā Poi/Margaret Mahy Family Playground, Christchurch
• High level of play value and integration of play activities into a wider park setting
• Extensive consultation with children and use of their ideas in the design
• Use of vulcanised rubber to artistically resemble a New Zealand topographical map
• Family park story arc honours all stakeholders involved
• Pushing the boundaries of challenge and managed risk

Merit Award
Gisborne District Council’s Oneroa Cycle and Walkway

Outstanding Pool Award
Winner - Richmond Aquatic Centre
• Joint venture between Community Leisure Management and Tasman District Council
• Innovative programming includes maritime school, stand up paddle boarding, free-diving, dive school, water safety skills, learn to swim and aqua robots
• Impressive Yardstick results – for higher swim school numbers, Fitness Centre and total admissions per metre² and lower water consumption and staff cost as a percenttage of revenue than the New Zealand
• Staff actively engaged with the local community supporting local events and fundraising initiatives

Outstanding Park Award 
Winner - Hamilton Gardens
• The concept of a modern museum or art gallery has been applied to a garden
• Themed garden collections tell the story of gardens and civilisation and the level of authenticity • has been internationally recognised
• Recognised by Council as strong link to the economic vibrancy of Hamilton and supported accordingly
• Has held the Qualmark Enviro-Gold Award since 2011 for responsible tourism and sustainable management practices
• To the judges this is an eye-catching and fascinating themed garden that has taken this facility from a local asset to both a national and international tourist attraction with positive economic flow-on for the whole community

Outstanding Research, Planning and Policy Award
Winner - Auckland Council & Opus International Consultants Green Infrastructure for Auckland’s Sports Parks
• Recognises fundamental role green infrastructure plays in sustainable design within sports parks
• Extensive use of technical and peer reviews throughout the project
• Tool to consider alternative options to current practice
• Provides best practice research, guiding principles and actions
• 3D video provides visual interpretation of a sustainable sports park

Merit Award
Hamilton City River Plan

Outstanding Community Recreation Programme Award 
Winner - Harbour Sport’s SportSPasifik Programme
• Developed to address specific barriers to participation by Pacific families and their community using multi-disciplinary programmes
• Culturally relevant programmes for all ages from under five through to older adults
• Strong focus on family involvement, church groups and local schools
• Achieves more with less and has grown from one programme in 2013 to six in 2016
• The judges were taken with how this programme managed to deliver real outcomes for this community on many levels and how it reminded us how important it is as recreation professionals to understand your community.

Outstanding Recreation Facility Award
Winner - Papakura Leisure Centre
• Self-sustaining unsubsidised standalone recreation centre
• Recognised by the community as a family recreation centre
• Strong partnership with Massey Park Pool
• Strong marketing mix of traditional and digital
• Clever cost effective programming recognises low socio-economic mix in the community and achieves 95% usage of its stadium
• Creative programming not only shows how an older facility can still meet the needs of its community but can respond to a nil subsidy by increasing usage and profitability

Merit Award
YMCA Auckland Camp Adair

Outstanding Event Award
Winner - iSPORT Foundation ‘Believe You Can’ Leadership Day:
• Direct involvement of students, teachers/staff and principals from 52% of Auckland secondary schools
• Live streaming on YouTube to estimated 10,000 more people
• Participant-centred approach saw student groups put learnings into perspective for their own lives
• The use of participant focussed self-reflection made this a worthwhile learning experience for the students involved and the use of technology ensured that many more than just the lucky few that could attend, were able to benefit from it.

Merit Awards
Myers Park Centennial Celebrations 2015
Wellington Parks Week 2015 & 2016

NZRA Fellowship Award 
Winner - Chris Rutherford
• 40 year commitment to all facets of parks, recreation and community facility management
• Qualified and experienced arborist
• Played a key role in the establishment of New Zealand’s first arboricultural training facility
• Awarded Ian Galloway Memorial Cup in 2007
• ARPro accredited and a Certified International Parks Professional (World Urban Parks)
• Strong commitment to the benefits of benchmarking

Mark Mitchell Memorial trophy - Recognises excellence and outstanding personal contribution to the wider recreation industry
Winner - Brent Eastwood 
• 27 year career in the sector
• Started his career working on the gym floor and now is heading a highly respected and performing organisation
• Driven by a desire to get Northlanders more active
• His work in the facility space in Northland has created a remarkable legacy
• Strong voluntary commitment to a number of sport and recreation organisations at a participation, coaching, administration and governance level
• His efforts were recognised earlier this year by Sport NZ at their sector conference awards

Paul Stuart Memorial Award - Acknowledges outstanding personal contribution to the facility management industry
Winner - Rob McGee
• A relative youngster with only 10 years in the sector but packed with impressive achievements
• Key role in transition of staff and different operating models from eight legacy Councils to Auckland Council’s Parks, Sport and Recreation Department
• Great skills for the development and implementation of both strategy and operational delivery
• Has a common touch with staff at all levels and ability to easily articulate a vision to inspire those around him
• Has overseen the free swimming pool entry policy for children under 16 and recently and quite controversially introduced a sugar free drinks policy across Auckland facilities

Ian Galloway Memorial Cup - Recognises outstanding contribution in the Parks, Amenity Horticulture and Open space
Winner - Lance Vervoort
• Breadth of experience across amenity/ biosecurity/ parks and recreation/ community facilities for over 30 years
• Known for making things happen, doing the right thing for his communities and minimising 
• Well respected by elected members and community stakeholders
• Known for his good negotiating/ people management skills

Emerging Recreation Leader
First presented in 2010 to an individual who demonstrates leadership potential and excels in both paid employment and voluntary service to our sector.
Of all the categories the judges found this one to be the hardest as the calibre of all nominations was high. As a result, they decided that the award would go to two people this year:

Jenn Halliday
• Demonstrated leadership potential during university studies
• Youngest leader to be selected to attend the Sport Canterbury Leadership in Sport Programme
• Recently selected for the National Women in Sport Governance Mentoring Programme through Sport NZ
• Chair of the Generate Network and Director on the Board of World Urban Parks

Tom Mann
• Complete commitment to professional development
• Holds senior marketing position developing marketing and advertising material that is fit for purpose and meets varying Council requirements
• Creative in programme design and active participant in the programmes he associated with
• Recipient of NZRA Northern Auckland Region scholarship for a new recreation professional in 2013.

Images (from top): Tākaro ā Poi/Margaret Mahy Family Playground, Papakura Leisure Centre and Jenn Halliday.

Tākaro ā Poi/Margaret Mahy Family Playground was featured in the September/October 2016 issue of Australasian Leisure Management.

1st November 2016 - NELSON CAMP ADMINISTRATOR NAMED SKILLS ACTIVE 2016 APPRENTICE OF THE YEAR

24th October 2016 - BEST PRACTICE AQUATIC INDUSTRY GUIDELINES FROM THE NZRA

11th May 2016 - ANNUAL NZRA AWARDS TO CELEBRATE CHAMPIONS OF RECREATION

2nd February 2016 - NEW ZEALAND TO DEVELOP NATIONAL FACILITIES BENCHMARKING TOOL

20th November 2015 - AWARDS RECOGNISE TOP PERFORMERS IN NEW ZEALAND RECREATION

13th November 2015 - PARTICIPATION AND RISK TAKING AMONG KEY THEMES AT NEW ZEALAND’S TOP RECREATION CONFERENCE

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