Mahi Aroha Awards
Volunteer Wellington Te Puna Tautoko hosted the Mahi Aroha Awards 2024 on Thursday 20th June celebrating volunteers in the Wellington Region. The Mahi Aroha Awards are an opportunity honour the collective energies and mana of volunteers and the contributions they make to our communities.
There were over 80 outstanding nominations this year for three award categories presented by the Honourable Louise Upston, Minister for the Community and Voluntary Sector.
Congratulations to the 2024 Mahi Aroha Award recipients:
⭐ Mitre10 MEGA Volunteer of the Year Winner – Juliet Clare from Lower Hutt Foodbank.
⭐ Mitre10 MEGA Volunteer of the Year Runner up – Tui Davies from Youthline Wellington.
⭐ Volunteer of the Year Highly commended – Corban Plester from Mountain to Sea Wellington.
⭐ Volunteer of the Year Highly commended – Harita Gandhi from National Council of Women NZ and Wellington Indian Association.
⭐ LEAD Team Governance Winner – Perinatal Anxiety & Depression Aotearoa / Tu mate Tuatea, me te mate Pōuri o Aotearoa.
⭐ LEAD Team Governance Runner up – Vogelmorn Community Group.
⭐ Employee Volunteer Community Team Winner – Salesforce and House of Science (Wellington Branch).
⭐ Employee Volunteer Team Runner up – Spencers and Kaibosh.
The awards were supported by Mitre 10 MEGA Wellington and LEAD Centre for Not for Profit Governance & Leadership.
Gail Marshall, Volunteer of the Year 2023, spoke about co-founding the Community Comms Collective and the impact of their mahi supporting the community sector.
The Kapa Haka group from Karori Normal School gave a wonderful performance which the guests thoroughly enjoyed.
The Hon Louise Upston Minister for the Community and Voluntary Sector was a speaker and presented the awards:
“As we look to the future, I want to confirm this Government’s commitment to seeking ways to enable communities to thrive and be at the forefront of their own successes. This will best happen when community, government and business work together for aligned outcomes that strengthen our society.
Your dedication to your communities is inspiring, and your efforts do not go unnoticed. Whether it's organising events, implementing projects, or advocating for change, your tireless contributions make a real difference in the lives of those around you.”
Pictured: Volunteer of the year Winner Juliet Clare from Lower Hutt Food Bank with Jeremy Prentice Mitre10 MEGA and Honourable Louise Upston Minister for the Community and Voluntary Sector
Photo Credit – Broadmedia www.broadmedia.co.nz...
Have you got New Zealand's best shed? Show us and win!
Once again, Resene and NZ Gardener are on the hunt for New Zealand’s best shed! Send in the photos and the stories behind your man caves, she sheds, clever upcycled spaces, potty potting sheds and colourful chicken coops. The Resene Shed of the Year 2026 winner receives $1000 Resene ColorShop voucher, a $908 large Vegepod Starter Pack and a one-year subscription to NZ Gardener. To enter, tell us in writing (no more than 500 words) why your garden shed is New Zealand’s best, and send up to five high-quality photos by email to mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz. Entries close February 23, 2026.
Step by step for a great cause!
Our amazing Hillary Hikers from Edmund Hillary Village showed their support for Bowel Cancer New Zealand's Move Your Butt campaign this month!
Sporting the bright purple and orange campaign shirts, these wonderful walkers hit the Auckland waterfront and marched from Mission Bay to Kohimarama, raising awareness for bowel cancer and the importance of early detection along the way.
Click read more to read the full story.
MEGA – February 2026 Edition - First Birthday and look …… we are still here!
Plans Missing. Pipes Bursting. Names Changing. Backbone Required.
February’s MEGA issue asks one simple question: where’s the plan — and who’s in charge?
In Days Bay, the shared path currently plays hide-and-seek. It starts. It stops. Kerbs change personality mid-block. Drainage experiments with lagoon living. If there’s a fully resolved design — alignment, parking numbers, cross-sections, timeline — publish it. We’re not anti-cycleway. We’re anti-afterthought.
Ferry Road looks like it’s studying the Howard Point collapse manual. Cracks, water and gravity are a familiar trio. Fix it now or rehearse another apology.
At Moa Point, untreated wastewater has redefined “edgy capital city.” Councils are “monitoring.” The ocean would prefer maintenance.
On the positive side, MEGA supports exploring smart, regulated additional moorings in Days Bay and Lowry Bay. A bay with boats feels alive. Views alone don’t create vibrancy.
Nationally, Sky Stadium is now HNRY Stadium — not Henry, HNRY. The Cake Tin remains undefeated. Meanwhile, touring maps increasingly hit Auckland and Christchurch, then fly home. That’s not branding failure. That’s routing laziness.
The 2026 World Cup will be spectacular football wrapped in visa queues and hotel prices that require refinancing. Rugby coaching appointments may outlast the season itself.
Super City merger talk continues. In mega-structures, small boards tend to “streamline.” If Eastbourne wants influence, it needs guarantees, not nostalgia.
One clear win: HCERT now has a community-funded reconnaissance drone. Big cities have helicopters. We have propellers.
February’s message is blunt:
Publish the plans.
Fix the pipes.
Stabilise the roads.
Back ambition with delivery.
Or MEGA will keep asking.
visit: www.mega.kiwi.nz...
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