The Kūmara Awards is on a mission to celebrate fabulous placemaking happening across Aotearoa. Projects and public initiatives in Lower Hutt can now be nominated for the 2021 awards.
Projects big or small, permanent or temporary, inside or outside could win a Kūmara Award.
The awards are a community-driven showcase of outstanding recent placemaking projects.
A project could be a perfect candidate for an award in Te Panepane o Te Ika Greater Wellington Region if it:
- puts people at the centre of place;
- brings positive changes to the people in and of a place;
- is inclusive and participatory; and,
- helps people grow aroha and connection to each other and their places.
If you know someone who’s done some awesome mahi in their area, you can nominate them. This could be changes to the Hutt CBD, parks and reserves, a public class or community activity, or someone making positive changes in the neighbourhood you live in!
Kōre te kūmara e kōrero ana mo tōna ake reka.
The kūmara does not brag about its own sweetness.
Nominations close 1 October
Head on over to the Kūmara Awards website to nominate a project.
To meet the entry criteria, a project must have been live at any time in the 12 months from October 2020 to September 2021. It must also be in a publicly accessible space.
What is placemaking?
‘Placemaking’ is the mahi people do to make their neighbourhoods, suburbs, and communities thrive. These people bring ideas and initiatives to their local area, helping those places’ identity and kaupapa grow.
Placemaking is an approach to changing space, where people work together to make places better, not only for themselves but for others and for the place itself.
About the awards
2021 is the first time the awards will be presented in Te Panepane o Te Ika Greater Wellington Region and Ōtautahi Christchurch.
The first Kūmara Awards were held in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland in 2020. Spreading the awards to more towns and cities will help local authorities celebrate the community-led placemaking initiatives, giving them the recognition they deserve!
You can find more information on the Kūmara Awards on the Placemaking Aotearoa website.
