From back left: Hamilton Mayor Paula Southgate, Dujon Cullingford, Jujhar (Jay) Singh Randhawa, Liaquat Ali Changezi, Jarnail Singh, Ashley Marwood (accepting on behalf of Shane Marwood), Paul Drage and Hamilton Deputy Mayor Angela OLeary. Front row from left, Mayssaa Sheikh Al Ard, and representatives from Te Whakaruruhau Waikato Womens Refuge. Photo: Stephen Barker / Barker Photography
From back left: Hamilton Mayor Paula Southgate, Dujon Cullingford, Jujhar (Jay) Singh Randhawa, Liaquat Ali Changezi, Jarnail Singh, Ashley Marwood (accepting on behalf of Shane Marwood), Paul Drage and Hamilton Deputy Mayor Angela OLeary. Front row from left, Mayssaa Sheikh Al Ard, and representatives from Te Whakaruruhau Waikato Womens Refuge. Photo: Stephen Barker / Barker Photography
Hamilton City Council is celebrating the work of eight community champions.
The annual Civic Awards ceremony on Thursday recognised community members who have contributed to the city.
The eight recipients were selected by the Civic Honours Committee made up of Hamilton Mayor Paula Southgate, councillors Ryan Hamilton, Kesh Naidoo-Rauf, Emma Pike, Melaina Huaki and Martin Gallagher.
The recipients ranged from a hip-hop artist, multiple community champions and Te Whakaruruhau – Waikato Women’s Refuge. Waikato Women’s Refuge was recognised for its 30-plus years of supporting thousands of women and children suffering family harm and domestic violence.
In an emailed press release, Southgate said each recipient had shown dedication and passion toward helping others.
“As a mayor, I feel humbled and privileged to lead a city full of such generous people. We honour those who know more than any of us probably ever will about things like linguistics, social cohesion, breakdancing, turban ties, plants and, sadly, family harm and domestic violence.”
Dujon Cullingford, centre, celebrates his Civic Award with family and friends. Photo: Stephen Barker / Barker Photography
Recipients:
Shane Marwood is a Hamilton City Cadet unit. He has represented New Zealand Cadet Forces abroad in Europe and India and became a qualified warrant officer within the New Zealand Cadet Force. In 2022, he was named New Zealand’s Cadet of the Year. Shane established and led Exercise Matariki, which was developed to assist with training warrant officers within the New Zealand Cadet Forces.
Jarnail Singh: Jay has committed his time to many voluntary groups and organisations at a governance level, including his chair’s role at the Hamilton East neighbourhood house Waimarie and the South East Kirikiriroa Community Association. Jay has been a Justice of the Peace since 2019 and serves as president of the Indian Cultural Society, assistant secretary of the New Zealand Central Indian Association, and a member of the multicultural advisory board for New Zealand Police in the Waikato.
Mayssaa Sheikh Al Ard: Mayssaa is the founder and chair of the Waikato Arab Social Club, organised New Zealand’s first-ever large-scale community iftar - the breaking of the fast during the holy month of Ramadan - held in Hamilton earlier this year and is translating the Treaty of Waitangi into Arabic. Mayssaa also sits on the Welcoming Communities Advisory Group.
Hamilton City Council Civic Awards took place at the Atrium, on Thursday, September 21. Photo: Stephen Barker / Barker Photography
Jarnail Singh: Jarnail is the president of the Waikato Shaheed-e-azam Bhagat Singh Sports and Cultural Trust. During the Covid-19 lockdowns in March/April 2020, the trust delivered almost 2000 food bags to our people. He has undertaken tree-planting with the council, hosts programmes for children and youth, launched Punjabi dance classes, free language classes, sports and cultural events and even turban tie training.
Liauat Ali Changezi: Liaut is the director of the Refugee Orientation Centre Trust (ROC). Since arriving in New Zealand, Liaquat worked as a cross-cultural worker with the New Zealand Red Cross, working alongside social workers, case workers and volunteers to provide cultural and linguistic support to assist newly-arrived refugees. He started with the ROC as an interpreter and has made his way to being executive director.
Dujon Cullingford: Dujon has a career in youth and community development and an international reputation in hip-hop and break dancing. He is currently seconded from his community adviser role with Hamilton City Council to lead a co-design programme with Wise Group for a new youth facility in Kirikiriroa. Between 2013 and 2015, Dujon was a music, dance and drama teacher at Hamilton Junior High School, teaching several hundred students from seven schools each year. In the arts, he has represented New Zealand in dance and through hip-hop he has travelled the world as both an artist, and a judge and as a selector for the Aotearoa NZ Breaking team for the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Paul Drage: Paul has been at the forefront of environmental restoration in Hamilton for more than 20 years. For the Waiwhakareke Natural Heritage Park project, he identified and ordered plants, built relationships with key nurseries, and assisted with detailed job descriptions for recruitment of the staff now employed by the council to manage the park. He is a member of the Waiwhakareke Advisory Group and a foundation trustee of Waikato Ecological Restoration.
Te Whakaruruhau – Waikato Women’s Refuge: Waikato Women’s Refuge is New Zealand’s largest women’s refuge and has helped thousands of women and children during its 30-year history. The refuge began in a one-bedroom flat and grew to a multi-million dollar organisation, advising governments on how to combat violence in the home. The refuge offers a 24-hour helpline, crisis intervention, community advocacy for long-term support and residential safe housing.
