About our Awards

Each year, we celebrate excellence in the industry with our awards

Here’s your chance to showcase yours – or someone else’s – mahi, celebrate success with your communities, and demonstrate why ongoing investment in recreation is essential. 
Depending on which industry you work in, you can nominate a person or organisation in one or more of the following sectors:

• Aquatics Awards 
• Parks Awards 
• Outdoors Awards 
• Recreation Awards

You don’t need to be a Recreation Aotearoa member to be nominated for an award. Any individual or organisation involved in aquatics, community recreation, outdoor recreation, or parks, play, and open spaces can be nominated.

Types of Awards

Leader Awards

Our Leader Awards celebrate the people who shape the future of recreation across Aotearoa. These awards recognise leadership at every stage — from emerging professionals to senior sector champions — and span our four sector events.

Leader Awards recognise excellence, innovation, effectiveness, and outstanding activity by a person whose commitment elevates and enhances our industry. These awards do not recognise a single event or activity, a short-term contribution, or work carried out as part of regular employment.

Download our awards matrix below to see how our Leader Awards fit across the sector and how they can ladder up through different career stages and event platforms.

• Recreation Aotearoa Awards Matrix

Organisation Awards 

Our Organisation Awards celebrate the programmes, projects, facilities, and initiatives that strengthen recreation across Aotearoa. These awards recognise excellence delivered at an organisational level — from innovative new developments to long-standing initiatives that create lasting community impact — and span our four sector events.

Organisation Awards recognise excellence, innovation, effectiveness, and strong community value demonstrated by organisations whose mahi enhances the places where people live, play, and connect. These awards focus on meaningful impact, thoughtful design or management, and outcomes that contribute to the wellbeing of communities across the motu.

All Organisation Award winners at the Aquatic Awards, Outdoor Awards, Parks Awards automatically progress to the most relevant category at the Recreation Awards, ensuring outstanding mahi is celebrated on a national stage.

Download our awards matrix below to see how our Organisation Awards fit across the sector and how they can ladder up through different career stages and event platforms.

• Recreation Aotearoa Awards Matrix

Competitions

Our National Pool Lifeguard Competition and Young Amenity Horticulturist of the Year competitions celebrate the skills and passion that strengthen recreation across Aotearoa. The National Pool Lifeguard Competition brings together lifeguard teams to test their skills, teamwork, and professionalism, while the Young Amenity Horticulturist of the Year competition celebrates emerging talent in public and community green spaces. 

Our National Pool Lifeguard and Young Amenity Horticulturist of the Year competitions have different formats and criteria. Find more information about these competitions, an overview of what’s involved, and entry criteria on our website. 

• National Pool Lifeguard Competition 
• Young Amenity Horticulturist of the Year

New awards in 2026

In 2025, we undertook a review of our awards. As a result, we made some changes for 2026 to better celebrate the people, places, and facilities that strengthen recreation across New Zealand.

New leader awards

We’re introducing three new Leader Awards in 2026.

A new Aquatics Leader of the Year award will be presented at the Aquatics Awards, while a new Community Leader of the Year award, and an overall Recreation Leader of the Year award will be presented at the Recreation Awards. These will sit alongside the Parks Leader of the Year award that is presented at the Parks Awards.

Together, these awards recognise leaders whose mahi already makes a real difference and who may be on the pathway to becoming tomorrow’s sector leaders. Park rangers, project managers, community recreation advisers, aquatic trainers or supervisors, and programme leaders may all be fitting nominees.

Updates to existing awards

We’re refreshing the names of three aquatic and parks awards in 2026.

• The Outstanding Pool award becomes Aquatic Facility of the Year and is presented at the Aquatics Awards. The winner will automatically progress as a nominee for Outstanding Recreation Facility at the Recreation Awards. 
• The Healthy Park of the Year award becomes Community Park of the Year, presented at the Parks Awards. This new name better reflects the positive impact that parks, play, and open spaces have for communities. 
• The Active Park / Sportsground of the Year becomes Sports Park of the Year, presented at the Parks Awards. This new name opens the award to a broader range of parks that support active recreation. 

Calendar for award nominations

Our Award presentation dinners happen throughout the year.