Turangi event wins top award
Safe Turangi has taken out Best Community Event of the Year with Turangi Christmas in the Park 2015 at the New Zealand Association of Event Professionals (NZAEP) annual awards.
The awards gala dinner was held at Auckland Museum last night, with the summer event beating competition from New Zealand's biggest cities to win the title.
Taupo District Council's district events manager Steve Giles said it was a huge achievement for a community group from a small town to be named the winner. "This category had some amazing events entered, and we are thrilled Christmas in the Park was named as the best of the best in community events," he said. "The win really solidifies our position as the events capital and strengthens our brand as the destination of choice for national and international events."
Mr Giles said Turangi Christmas in the Park was a great success last year, with pop star Stan Walker headlining and more than 5500 people visiting for the event as part of Turangi's 50th jubilee celebrations. "It was an amazing event not only for Turangi, but on a national scale," Mr Giles said. "We had people from all around the North Island coming for this event, and the doubling of the local population is evidence of this."
NZAEP chief executive Vicki Watson said a team of dedicated volunteers and young people contributed to the successful event, which provided community cohesion, identity and pride. "The event's primary sponsors Tuwharetoa Maori Trust Board and Taupo District Council enabled a live performance from one of New Zealand's biggest entertainers, Stan Walker, who was a major draw card for the event attracting visitors from the Auckland, Wellington, Bay of Plenty, Manawatu and Waikato regions.
"This project benefitted all sectors of the community particularly during Christmas time, where families and individuals are often challenged to meet day-to-day living cost on top of additional Christmas expenditure. To be able to provide an event of this calibre for free at this time of the year is hugely beneficial for families who struggle the most."
Ms Watson said the community events category attracted the highest number of entries and provided one of the toughest competitions in the awards.
Two other Taupo District events featured in the awards as finalists. Audio Visual People (AVP) were up for Best Industry Supplier for an Event category and Kellogg's Nutri-Grain were up for Best Partnership with IRONMAN New Zealand.
