Honouring our community champions

Advocates, social heroes, and leaders in their communities - 20 individuals and groups have been recognised with Civic Awards for their outstanding service.

The awards are presented annually to honour those who go above and beyond for Christchurch and Banks Peninsula.

Recipients are nominated and selected for work that has benefited the city in such a way that has added to the quality of life of our residents. 

“It is a privilege as a city to be able to recognise those special people and organisations who have done extraordinary things to make Christchurch and Banks Peninsula such an amazing place to be,” Civic Award Committee Chair Councillor Yani Johanson says.

“What makes us unique is the wonderful people we have who work for the good of others to improve the wellbeing of our community, our environment, and our economy. These people and groups are our greatest assets.”

Cr Johanson says we are able as a Council to acknowledge and appreciate their contribution to our society by awarding them Civic Awards.

“Congratulations to all those who have received an award and thank you to all those who have supported their nominations and to their families who have also supported the wonderful and tireless work they do.”

The 2023 recipients are:

Victoria Andrews

For some four decades Victoria has been a forceful advocate for the heritage of Akaroa and the surrounding district.

Kevin Cole

Kevin has been a member of the Hornby Club for more than 30 years and was President for almost 25. During his tenure he steered the Club through many a crisis, not the least of which have been the Covid-19 pandemic and Christchurch earthquakes.

Louisa Eades

Louisa is one of the founding members of the Governors Bay Jetty Restoration Trust that was established in 2015 to save the Jetty which was damaged beyond repair following the earthquakes.

Dave Evans

Dave is an active supporter of many community groups in Christchurch, including but not limited to The Travis Wetland Trust, Forest and Bird, the Christchurch Workers’ Educational Association, the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra and Environment Canterbury.

Robert Flemming

Robert created the Wednesday Wheelies in 2017 as a means of organizing group bike rides along safe cycling paths in Christchurch, aiming to boost riders’ confidence and to discover the city’s ever-growing network of cycle ways.

Hayley Guglietta

Hayley has been a dedicated advocate for the Red Zone since the earthquake and is actively engaged in numerous projects across the city, developments such as the Richmond Community Garden, Ōtākaro Orchard, Urban Farm, Avon Ōtākaro Network, the Red Zone Action Team, the Richmond Residents and Business Association, and Envirohub.

Peter Hayes

For the past thirty years Peter has been a staunch volunteer member of The Green Effect Trust, and its project Trees for Canterbury.

Katrina Hill          

Katrina has worked tirelessly for the people of eastern Christchurch for more than thirty years. As Archdeacon within the Anglican Diocese she manages St Luke’s, St Faith’s and St Andrew’s Churches and she also works with Te Waka Aroha.

Dr Lynn Lochhead

Academic, historian and activist, Lynn has served as a committee member, secretary, treasurer, researcher, advocate and/or trustee of any number of groups over the decades; the Godley Head Heritage Trust, the Nurses’ Memorial Chapel Trust, the Friends of the Arts Centre, Historic Places Canterbury, the Canterbury Museum Revitalisation Project and many more.

Alfred (Lew) McIvor

Lew had been a vital part of the Bone Marrow Cancer Trust since its very beginning in 1990, as a founding member.

David Newton

David is the creator, driving force and Chairperson of the Eco-Action Nursery Trust, a project founded in 2016 with the purpose of becoming a competent and productive community organization supporting schools, students, and local people to restore the natural environment and to develop more sustainable lifestyles.

Brian Palliser

Brian is a lawyer with longstanding involvement in international relations, a degree in Earth Sciences and membership of the Royal Society of New Zealand. He has been involved in groups such as the Public Transport Advisory Group, the New Zealand China Cultural Promotion Foundation, Canterbury University, the NZ Automobile Association, the Independent Citizens’ Association, the Christchurch Seattle Sister City Committee, and the local Chinese Consulate.

Anthony Powell

Antz is an artist, one who has made it his life’s work to document the amazing and eternally mysterious continent, Antarctica, that is our near neighbour through a medium that is accessible to all.

Dr Bhola Ram Pradhan

Since arriving in New Zealand from Nepal in 1996 Bhola has relentlessly and unstintingly given of his time and many skills for the benefit of the wider Nepali refugee and migrant communities.

Barbara Price

Barbara offered her extensive accounting and management skills to the Christchurch School of Gymnastics at a pivotal time after the earthquakes and immediately made a significant contribution to the club sorting out funding applications.

Don Rowlands

Don’s ministry has been in the area of community mental health, but his involvement has gone far, far beyond that of a simple health worker. Don has spent six years as a volunteer Chaplain in the acute ward of Hillmorton Hospital, and as a volunteer member of St Martin’s Ministry team to Christchurch Men’s Prison.

Judith Thacker

Judith married into the Thacker clan of Okains Bay in 1965 and for the almost six decades since has maintained a whole-hearted commitment to the community of Okains Bay in general and the Okains Bay Museum in particular.

Verity Verster

In 2018 Verity founded and continues to manage the Kai for the Community Charitable Trust to address the considerable and growing problem of food poverty in the city of Christchurch, and the Trust has grown over time.

Vui Suli Tuitaupe

As a Registered Nurse and a Fitness Instructor, Vui is passionate about fitness, wellbeing, and health equity, particularly within vulnerable communities. He promotes physical activity as a form of illness prevention in all his various roles in the community.

The Ōtautahi Māori Wardens

For decades they have provided a service to the people of Ōtautahi that is beneficial not only to members of the Māori community, deploying Māori values to support and protect people of all ethnicities.