COMMUNITY OF THE YEAR 2012

 

 

Paeroa Community

There is more to the Hauraki town of Paeroa than a certain famous fizzy drink. 

Determined not to fall into decline as so many small towns do when faced with an increasingly mobile population and lack of opportunities, Paeroa has countered this with an active and successful events calendar and enhancement of its heritage attractions to actively promote Paeroa as a place to live, work and do business.

Fast becoming iconic events, the Paeroa Highland Games & Tattoo, Battle of the Streets, Wild Food & Wine Fest, jazz, arts and sporting weekends attract visitors and encourage participation by the locals at all levels.  The creativity of the people of Paeroa is endless with vintage rally’s, an eco walking festival and even a water ski race adding to an extensive calendar.

As Paeroa is located on a busy road linking the Waikato with the Bay of Plenty, a priority was to encourage the thousands of passersby to actually stop in the town.  This was achieved by upgrading the look of the town, maximising the towns heritage and encouraging retail diversity amongst the local business community.

At the heart of this community really lies with the large number of volunteers whose can-do attitude has seen the town develop to be a safe and vibrant community. The contribution and energy of a large number of groups is in contrast to the small population.

It is this strong sense of community that is the key to the towns continuing growth and proves what can be achieved when residents share a common goal and work together harmoniously.

 

 

 

Community of the Year 2011 - The Gibbston Community Association

The Gibbston Community Association (GCA) has united the community of Gibbston in a spirit of co-operation that can only be achieved through working and celebrating together. From a new school bus route to a walking track that spans eight kilometres, the GCA h

ave revitalised their community through a good dose of Kiwi ingenuity and sheer hard work.
Gibbston is a tiny rural community within the Wakatipu Basin of

 

 

Central Otago with origins steeped in the gold rush of the late 1800’s. The Gibbston Community Association (GCA) was established in 1998 with a mission to protect, preserve and promote the unique characteristics of Gibbston as an area of special character. Every cent raised through subscriptions or fundraising goes directly to their community projects. They are a 100% volunteer group – no one is paid for their time.
One of the GCA’s biggest achievements in recent years has been the development of the Gibbston River Trail. After six long and challenging years of clearing briar and gorse and raising $1.4 million, the association has built 14 bridges along eight kilometres of the Kawerau River and officially opened the trail to the public on December 4th, 2010. Hundreds of hours of voluntary time were spent developing the track which was designed to be accessible for people of all ages and fitness levels.
The trail offers stunning views of the Southern Lakes landscape and provides people with opportunities for recreation and leisure such as walking, mountain biking, fishing, rafting, swimming, and tours of wineries and natural and historic features. It is believed the track will attract over 20,000 visitors annually. The trail is truly an incredible achievement for a small community who have given so much of their time, money, and effort for the benefit of so many.
The association also works hard to organise social events and gather community members to celebrate their achievements together. The association has also developed a community reserve, rescued a 150-year old orchard, created an historic information rest area along State Highway 6, and helped to preserve local archaeological sites. In 2005 the association held the inaugural Gibbston Harvest Festival. This food and wine festival raises money for local charities and has raised more than $60,000 for local charities over the past five years.
Despite having a population no bigger than many urban streets, the Gibbston Community Association has demonstrated that through unity and hard work, incredible achievements are possible. 
 

Community of the Year 2010 - Victory Village

Victory Village, comprising Victory Community Health Centre and Victory Primary School, is a unique example of a community-based support group achieving positive health, social and educational outcomes.

After evolving from a number of health and social services operating randomly out of school meeting rooms in a disadvantaged area of Nelson, Victory Village and the wider Victory community have gone on to attract national attention for the way in which they respond and relate to their community’s needs and aspirations. This has resulted in a more sustainable community, with more effective service provision and families that are more stable and resilient.

Victory Community Health Centre actively promotes and provides accessible health services and programmes to residents, acting as an information and referral hub for 13 different agencies and groups.
Victory Primary is a decile-3 primary school of 400 students, providing Year 1 to 6 mainstream and bilingual Maori education. In doing so, it practices The Victory Pathway, which is an interactive approach to producing positively achieving young people, developing strong families and building on social capital in the Victory community.

Students at Victory Primary School begin their school life at or under the expected achievement levels for reading, numeracy and writing. On finishing, 90% of students are performing at or above expected achievement levels. The school has no stand-downs or truancy and referrals of students to social services have also dropped significantly. The school promotes a Home/School Partnership programme to enable parents to support their children in their studies.

The efforts of the wider community of Victory succeeded in getting a Community Constable appointed to the area in 1999, as well as arranging a programme to assist residents with literacy difficulties in acquiring their driving licences.

Victory Village hosts refugees and migrants from throughout Asia and the Pacific, the most recent of which coming from Nepali camps. All are supported by a community that includes a pharmacist who delivers medicine to the elderly and shopkeepers who provide basic items, without charge, to struggling families.

Along with concerts, movies, games and Race Unity Day in Victory Square Park, Victory is a vibrant community, with Victory Village at its heart; a one stop provider and facilitator of health, education, meetings and celebrations.
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