North Shore City wins Creative NZ Award

Another award for North Shore City

North Shore City Council collected a prestigious award at the Local Government New Zealand Conference and it was fitting that city councillor and heritage advocate, Tony Holman, was in Queenstown for the occasion.

North Shore City won the Strategic Arts Initiatives: City Councils' Category for Heritage Trails, a series of heritage walk guides, in the Creative Places Award 2003, presented annually by Creative New Zealand, recognising the vital role that local authorities play in the arts of their communities.

Councillor Holman, who chairs the council's strategy and finance committee, is a life-long North Shore resident and a founding trustee of the North Shore Heritage Trust.

"Our heritage walk guides were initiated as part of a larger, co-ordinated programme to raise awareness of heritage and enhance our local community's understanding of some of the cultural factors that have shaped the development and life of the city," says Councillor Holman.

"So far, we've produced four guides which tell stories that are special to North Shore City," he says.

In a project led by heritage advisor, Greg Bowron, these guides include one which takes a stroll down the city's rich literary memory lane.

Judges singled one of North Shore City's heritage guides which describes four different literary walks as "an innovative initiative that made me want to do these walks". An aspect of the city's arts and cultural heritage that was not previously well-known, this guide recognises a number of important New Zealand writers: Frank Sargeson, Janet Frame, Robin Hyde, Sam Hunt and Maurice Duggan.

Tony Holman praised the calibre of the heritage walk guides, produced by the city's strategy and policy division, some of which are already being reprinted to meet strong community demand.

North Shore City received as a prize a work by leading ceramic artist Merilyn Wiseman and a certificate.

"The Creative Places Award celebrates the wonderful and innovative arts projects happening in communities throughout New Zealand," said Elizabeth Kerr, Chief Executive of Creative New Zealand. "It helps us profile this outstanding work beyond the communities in which it was created.

"All these projects are inspirational because they demonstrate the positive impact that creative places and spaces have on the well-being of New Zealand's diverse communities."

"Creative New Zealand values its partnership with local government and this award acknowledges its huge investment and commitment to the arts of this country," Miss Kerr said. "This is the fifth year of the Award and it is gratifying to see it attracting such strong entries."

EDNS

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