The stand-out achievements of Whakatāne rangatahi will be celebrated in October at the inaugural 2022 Whakatāne Mayoral Youth Community Awards.
Following a two-year absence due to Covid-19, Whakatāne District Council has taken the bold step of renewing the format; changing the categories for nomination; reducing the number of participating schools and renaming the awards.
Students from Year 9 -13, attending Whakatāne District schools and/or home schools will be invited to enter this year’s awards.
This year’s event replaces the Young Achiever Awards that had been an annual fixture for more than 40 years, originally introduced by the late Mayor Rex Morpeth.
It was considered that, over time, the awards had become of less significance and value to students due to the numbers of nominations and categories becoming too large.
The focus of the awards has shifted to align with the four wellbeings of Local Government NZ: Community; arts and culture; leadership/economy; environment.
As well as providing core services, local government has a responsibility for improving the social, economic, environmental and cultural wellbeing of our communities.
Council hopes the awards open a new pathway for youth to explore how their talents and aspirations can contribute to community life.
The awards continue to be supported by the Whakatāne-Ōhope Community Board and Rotary Whakatāne.
Nominations for the awards include strict eligibility criteria and successful candidates will be selected by a sub-committee consisting of Council and sponsor representatives.
The invitation-only Mayoral Awards ceremony will be held on Friday, 21 October 2022 at the Whakatāne War Memorial Hall.
Visit whakatane.govt.nz for more information on the Whakatāne Mayoral Youth Awards.