The Recreation Awards recognise excellence, innovation, and effectiveness of outstanding activity within the recreation sector as well as the achievement and service of individuals whose commitment and contribution promotes the ongoing development and enhancement of the industry. Please see the bottom of the page for terms and conditions.

Need help with your nomination? 

Watch our webinar on how to make a great application here - https://vimeo.com/599284689

You can also check out application information and the judging criteria for the different categories here.

Recreation Aotearoa Fellowship Award This award recognises Recreation Aotearoa members who are regarded as having made a significant contribution to the purpose, aims and work of Recreation Aotearoa. This award calls for an outstanding and sustained contribution. APPLICATIONS CLOSED

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Outstanding Project This award is for an outstanding project that is the successful development or major redevelopment of a strategy or facility. Facilities can include pools, parks, or recreation facilities. APPLICATIONS CLOSED

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Outstanding Event This award is for an outstanding recreation festival or event. Please clearly state the intended outcome of the event and provide data and evidence on how the outcome was measured. APPLICATIONS CLOSED

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Outstanding Pool This award is for an outstanding facility where the principal purpose of the built structure is aquatic recreation. It is important that sufficient objective evidence is provided for areas such as ‘usage’ and ‘finance’. NOTE: The facility must have current Poolsafe status APPLICATIONS CLOSED

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Outstanding Park This award is for an outstanding natural environment that may or may not have built structures within it. Please state the intent of the park development, how the park met the intent and provide evidence on how the outcome was measured. NOTE: This award relates to the park as a whole rather than individual components such as a playground or particular garden. APPLICATIONS CLOSED

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Outstanding Recreation Facility This award is for an outstanding facility where the principal purpose is land-based dry recreation. It is important that sufficient objective data/evidence is provided for areas such as ‘usage’ and ‘finance’. NOTE: The facility must accommodate people with disabilities and mobility issues. APPLICATIONS CLOSED

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Outstanding Community Recreation Programme This award is for an outstanding recreation programme that has operated for a minimum of two years. The programme needs to reflect significant community involvement in the planning and delivery and clearly achieve a community development outcome. APPLICATIONS CLOSED

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Outstanding Research, Policy & Planning This award is for an applied work in research, policy development or planning that has relevancy and currency for the recreation industry. The emphasis is on nominations that improve the quality of information and decision making. This award in NOT intended to recognise statutory documents such as reserve management plans. APPLICATIONS CLOSED

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Emerging Recreation Leader of the Year We are looking for people whose leadership and commitment to professional development and innovation is exemplary. The nominee should be under 30 years of age OR have been working in the recreation sector for less than 5 years. Candidates not meeting these criteria may be eligible for one of the other individual awards.  APPLICATIONS CLOSED

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Ian Galloway Memorial Cup This award recognises excellence and outstanding personal contribution to the wider parks sector. It celebrates the innovative and pioneering contribution made to parks management  by Ian Galloway, particularly during his time in Wellington City in the 1950s and 60s.  APPLICATIONS CLOSED

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Paul Stuart Memorial Award This award recognises excellence and outstanding personal contribution to the wider facility management sector. It was first presented in 1995 and remembers Paul Stuart for his outstanding contribution to the sector. APPLICATIONS CLOSED

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Mark Mitchell Memorial Trophy This award recognises excellence and outstanding personal contribution to the wider recreation industry. It honours the outstanding contribution made by Mark Mitchell to the recreation industry. APPLICATIONS CLOSED

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TERMS AND CONDITIONS

By entering these awards, you have an opportunity to showcase what you have been working on, give your communities the opportunity to share their successes with others and convince the powers that be that ongoing commitment to and investment in recreation is both necessary and justified for healthy, engaged, sustainable communities and will help them achieve the wellbeing outcomes sought by Government.

There is no restriction on who can make a nomination. For example they could be from a Council, Regional Sports Trust, community group/Trust, consultant or contractor involved with the initiative. Just make sure it addresses all of the judging criteria, and work on the basis that the judges know nothing about your nominated initiative other than what they read in the nomination, so be clear and concise in your description.

NOTE: The Recreation Aotearoa judging panel reserves the right to change the category the nomination is to be considered under at their discretion.

The individual Recreation Awards recognise excellence, innovation, effectiveness and outstanding activity within the recreation industry by individuals whose commitment and contribution promotes the ongoing development and enhancement of the industry. They are not recognition for a single event or activity, or for contribution over a specific period or simply as part of regular employment.

By nominating an individual for one of these awards you are giving them an opportunity to have their efforts recognised by the whole the industry not just those who have had the opportunity to working with them.

Winners will NOT be notified in advance of the Awards ceremony so please encourage those nominated to attend

All nominations are to be made electronically. No hard copies will be required or accepted.

Nominations will be promoted through social media. Images of all nominations will be displayed at Recreation Conference and the Awards’ dinner and may be displayed on the Recreation Aotearoa website. Winning and highly commended nominations will be displayed on the Recreation Aotearoa website.