The Anchor AIMS Games and Kopurererua Valley - Tauranga City Council and Ngāi Tamarāwaho project have taken out top honours in at the 2018 New Zealand Recreation Awards last night. The Anchor AIMS Games won the Outstanding Event while Kopurererua Valley took out the Outstanding Project.
Meanwhile the Mauao Historic Reserve - Tauranga City Council, Ngāi Te Rangi, Ngāti Pūkenga, Ngāti Ranginui and Waitaha received a merit in the Outstanding Park category.
Tauranga Deputy mayor Kelvin Clout who attended the awards in Auckland said it was a fantastic effort by all involved and great for Tauranga.
''I thought it was a real feather in our cap.
"I'm incredibly proud to accept these awards, which recognise the dedication and expertise of everyone involved in these projects," Clout said.
"We all know how much work goes into our recreation activities in Tauranga, so it's wonderful to see this work recognised at a national level.
"The Kopurererua Valley and Mauao Historic Reserve are two of our most loved natural attractions, and both show the fantastic results we can achieve through partnering with iwi to restore and maintain our stunning environmental features.
"The Anchor AIMS Games are one of Tauranga's home-grown events. In 15 years, the games have gone from a small festival of sport to what is now considered the international sporting championship for intermediate schools. We, as the local council, are proud to be an ongoing part of this journey."
