Porirua Mayor Anita Baker with Porirua Rowing Club president Tony Tikiku and the Wellington Airport Regional Community Awards supreme award on Tuesday.
Porirua Rowing Club was crowned supreme winner at the 2024 Wellington Airport Regional Community Awards on Tuesday night, while four individuals were honoured with Porirua civic awards.
The combined ceremony, held at Pātaka Art + Museum, highlighted outstanding volunteer work by community groups and people making a difference in our city.
The category winners for the Wellington Airport Awards were Le Moana (Art & Culture), Wellington Northern Region Polyfest Trust (Education & Child Youth Development), Porirua Women & Family Centre (Health & Wellbeing), Pest Free Whitby (Heritage & Environment) and Porirua Rowing Club (Sport & Leisure).
Porirua Rowing Club won the supreme award for their ongoing work fostering all ages into both competitive and learn-to-row programmes.
Porirua Mayor Anita Baker congratulated all Wellington Airport Award entrants and winners.
“What we see each year when these awards come before us is dedication and passion, doing mahi for the wellbeing of our communities to make Porirua a safe, healthy and connected place to live, work and play.
“I congratulate Porirua Rowing Club on the supreme award – you are a small, but mighty club.”
Wellington Airport chief executive Matt Clarke said these groups do selfless work to help others in the community and thoroughly deserved the spotlight they received on Tuesday night.
The Wellington Airport Awards is in its 20th year. The Porirua category winners will now go to the regional awards being held later this year.
Meanwhile, Colin Bleasdale, Hermann Salzmann, Nu’uali’i Eteroa Lafaele and Sala Nimarota were honoured with civic awards for their contribution to Porirua. The awards are awarded by the Council and are the city’s highest honour, Mayor Baker said.
Colin, a former teacher at Porirua College and justice of the peace, was chairperson of Plimmerton Residents Association and was involved in a number of projects in the suburb, including the restoration of the railway station, new subway murals and bridge entrance to Plimmerton, as well as chairing Partners Porirua and fundraising for WELLfed. He is currently chairperson of the Porirua Committee for the Nikau Foundation.
Hermann has been involved in Māori culture and art in Porirua for more than 20 years and is perhaps best known for his carving. His carvings adorn the Pukerua Bay foreshore, Te Manawa and outside Te Rauparaha Arena, and he helped create the waharoa (entry) to Ngāti Toa’s Whiti Te Ra exhibition in Pātaka. Hermann hosts classes arranged by Ngāti Toa to support carving and painting across the iwi.
Eteroa, from Cannons Creek, founded DigiTautua during the Covid-19 lockdowns to help Pacific people bridge the digital divide, refurbishing devices in her garage to distribute to young learners. She also raised $164,000 towards buying new devices for those families who couldn’t afford them, getting them out to 700 families across New Zealand. Eteroa co-founded Fibre Fale to help upskill Pacific people in technology and helped build a robotics course to support language preservation for the Tokelau community.
Sala is well-known in the eastern Porirua community for her volunteer work. She was one of the first volunteers for Porirua Guardians in 2003 and Cannons Creek Community Police, and in 2018 helped make the Porirua College reunion a success. Sala is very interested in Council, meeting councillors and the Mayor regularly, makes regular submissions and generously helps the elderly and those without the internet to submit on Council issues. She is out and about in the community, reporting graffiti, damaged footpaths or dumped rubbish.
17 Jul 2024
