E Award winners

The 12 winners of this year’s Auckland Regional Council’s Environmental Awards (E Awards) were announced this evening, on World Environment Day, at a ceremony in the Council Chamber.

Cr. Brian Smith, Chair of the ARC’s Environmental Management Committee, was delighted with the range and calibre of entries. “We had a large number of entries this year,” said Councillor Smith, “and the ARC is proud to recognise and celebrate the considerable success of all the volunteers and groups who put such a huge effort into so many wonderful environmental projects.”

The 2003 E Award Winners are:

Caring for our Air

Winner: Gull Petroleum (NZ) Ltd

Gull Petroleum won the Caring for our Air awards for its voluntary reduction, from 2350ppm down to 1000ppm, in the sulphur content of diesel, in response to growing concern about the quality of the air in the Auckland region. This move is estimated to have reduced the amount of toxic particulate pollution going into Auckland’s air by 1000kg per day.

Finalist:

New Zealand Refining Company Ltd

Caring for our Water

Winner: Waitakere Rivercare Group

The Waitakere Rivercare group is working towards the revegetation of the riparian margins of the Waitakere river, in order to improve water quality. They group has a very community focus and operates initiatives such as a native plant nursery and regular working bees.

Finalist:

Birkenhead Primary School - Le Roy's Bush Stream Project

Caring for our Land & Biodiversity

Winner (school):

Verran Primary School

Verran Primary School won a Caring for our Land award for its Verran’s Vision project, a multifaceted approach to environmental and sustainability issues. Projects such as the organic garden and the waste reduction programme are run with a high level of community participation and are often led by the children.

Winner (business):

AA Environmental Volunteer

AA Environmental takes a holistic approach to environmental management to the extent that participation in environmental initiatives is built into employees’ KPIs. Each month the company identifies an environmental volunteer project and arranges for employees, families, friends and clients to donate their time.

Winner (community):

Windy Hill - Rosalie Bay Catchment Trust

The Windy Hill - Rosalie Bay Catchment Trust was established in 2001 to manage the ecological restoration and enhance the biodiversity of the Windy Hill - Rosalie Bay Catchment area of Great Barrier. It works in partnership with organisations such as the Department of Conservation, the Auckland Regional Council, Work and Income New Zealand, Auckland War Memorial Museum and Auckland City Council, to create a sanctuary where species lost to Great Barrier or threatened elsewhere in New Zealand can be re-introduced. A major part of this project is pest eradication. The Trust has two successful on-going programmes which have seen pest numbers drop significantly.

Finalists:

Royal Forest & Bird Protection Society - Matuku Reserve Pest Control

Pohutukawa Trust New Zealand Programme

Puhoi Landcare Group - Possum Control Project

Horseshoe Bush Wildlife Habitat Group

Friends of St Johns Bush - Survival Project

Rangitoto Inorganic Cleanup

Caring for our Coasts

Winner: Guardians of the Upper Harbour

Whenuapai based, Guardians of the Upper Harbour have been in existence for 19 years. This very effective community group has demonstrated its ability to change behaviour and to influence resource management decisions on key issues.

Finalists:

Mike Percy

Guides Manukau Camp - Rutherford Wetland

Golden Heights Coastal Walk (Rakino Island)

Caring for our Cultural and Historic Heritage

Winner: Lake House Arts Centre

Lake House Arts Centre won the Caring for our Culture and Historical Heritage category for the community-driven project, which involved the restoration of one of the last pre-1900 buildings in Takapuna into what is now a thriving Arts Centre.

Special Awards

Bees On-Line

Bees Online is a venture which over a period of four years has grown from one hive to a successful exporting company. It produces organically certified, GE-free top quality honey products. The company is a member of the Sustainable Business Network, which focuses on the triple bottom line of economic growth balanced with social equity and environmental responsibility, and incorporates an environmental ethic into its business practises and premises.

Dianne McLeod & South Kaipara Landcare group

Dianne McLeod rallied together local residents to form South Kaipara Landcare in 2000. Since its inception, the group has instigated a number of key projects, such as improving local water quality, increasing biodiversity and increasing environmental awareness within the local community.

The Chinese Conservation Education Trust (CCET)

The CCET was established in the Auckland region in 2000 and came out of an initiative where the Department of Conservation begun working with communities new to the concept of conservation. The emphasis was to show, rather than tell, why places such as the Hauraki Gulf are special and worth preserving. This model is very successful and there have been requests from other regions within New Zealand for similar initiatives.

John Staniland

John Staniland has been active in the conservation movement for over 20 years, both in a hands-on capacity and in a political and advocacy role. His considerable achievements are the result of his versatile and collaborative approach to environmental issues.

Watercare Services Ltd

Watercare’s “Project Manukau” involved the development of a state-of-the-art wastewater treatment facility at Mangere together with the return of 500 hectares of oxidation ponds and 13 kilometres of coastline to a natural harbour environment.

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