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...
⚠️ DOGS DIE IN HOT CARS. If you love them, don't leave them. ⚠️
It's a message we share time and time again, and this year, we're calling on you to help us spread that message further.
Did you know that calls to SPCA about dogs left inside hot cars made up a whopping 11% of all welfare calls last summer? This is a completely preventable issue, and one which is causing hundreds of dogs (often loved pets) to suffer.
Here are some quick facts to share with the dog owners in your life:
👉 The temperature inside a car can heat to over 50°C in less than 15 minutes.
👉 Parking in the shade and cracking windows does little to help on a warm day. Dogs rely on panting to keep cool, which they can't do in a hot car.
👉 This puts dogs at a high risk of heatstroke - a serious condition for dogs, with a mortality rate between 39%-50%.
👉 It is an offence under the Animal Welfare Act to leave a dog in a hot vehicle if they are showing signs of heat stress. You can be fined, and prosecuted.
SPCA has created downloadable resources to help you spread the message even further. Posters, a flyer, and a social media tile can be downloaded from our website here: www.spca.nz...
We encourage you to use these - and ask your local businesses to display the posters if they can. Flyers can be kept in your car and handed out as needed.
This is a community problem, and one we cannot solve alone. Help us to prevent more tragedies this summer by sharing this post.
On behalf of the animals - thank you ❤️
Would you like a free copy of our February 2025 issue?
Kia ora neighbours. We give away free copies to readers whose recipes are used in our magazine. We're still on the hunt for tomato recipes, so send your family's favourite way to use up your homegrown harvest, to: mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz. If we use it in the mag, you will receive a free copy of the mag