This year's Rotorua Community Leadership Awards are now open for nominations.
The awards were held for the first time last year.
Awards were presented to 16 leaders in the Rotorua community.
Click here to nominate someone
This year Rotorua Mayor Kevin Winters in association with the Sir Peter Blake Trust, The Daily Post, Rotorua Trust, Rotorua Chamber of Commerce and Rotorua District Council, is calling for nominations for this year's awards.
There are seven categories to enter including Sport, Youth, The Arts, Iwi, Business, The Environment and Community Service.
Nominations close on May 25.
Leadership Week is the last week of June and will be marked by several activities as well as the mayoral presentation of this year's awards.
Click here to nominate someone
Last year's winners:
Performing Arts Leadership
Jo-Anne La Grouw
Jo-Anne has provided many years of leadership in the arts through her involvement with many groups and organisations. She currently chairs the NZ Aria Trust and the Rotorua Competition Society. She is the Rotorua Trust's spokesperson on arts and is a trust member on both the Lakeside Concert Charitable Trust and the Rotorua Festival of Arts. She has been a member of the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra Board, Rotorua Arts Village Trust and Opus Orchestra. Jo-Anne gives very generously of her time, support, including financial and leadership skills for the betterment of our community.
Elizabeth Marvelly
Elizabeth has been a leader in her field of singing and has performed with distinction both in New Zealand and overseas in Europe, Asia, China, Australia and many other parts of the world. Elizabeth has also sung for Prime Minister John Key and the Governor General. Her debut album went gold after only eight days and her second album Home went to number one on the Marbecks charts on debut. Elizabeth recently put together a major national fundraising concert To Christchurch with Love which raised more than $115,000 to help the people of Christchurch. Elizabeth is an academic and a leader in many other areas of endeavours as well as being a singer/composer.
Eraia Kiel
Eraia has travelled the world extensively promoting Rotorua and New Zealand with the New Zealand Tourism Board and other organisations throughout New Zealand. Together with his partner Tania, they formed the Manaia kapa haka group that has performed very creditably in te Matatini o te Ra competition. Eraia teaches performing arts to students of the Manaakitanga Aotearoa Trust. He also facilitates team building and empowerment training days for Team One, a company owned by Tawera Nikau and Eric Rush. Eraia helps his iwi by getting involved in many marae activities and is also a member of the current Rotorua District Council Te Arawa Standing Committee.
Youth Leadership
Katheryn Margaret Pascoe
Katheryn Margaret has proven her leadership skills in environmental, school and community contributions. She was a founding member of the Rotorua Youth Environment forum in 2008 and has served two years as a member of the Rotorua District Youth Council. She is dedicated to raising awareness of environmental issues and has made submissions to both local and central government. In 2009 Katheryn Margaret attended the Murray Darling River Basin Authority Conference in Australia with a small handful of New Zealan students and got involved in leadership workshops and presented on environmental based issues. Involved in various school activities Katheryn Margaret is well deserving of a leadership award.
Cody Hireme
Cody is a Staff Sergeant in the Rotorua District Cadets Unit and spends much of his time leading and encouraging young cadets to achieve to the best of their ability. He is held in high regard by his peers and mentors, and has been recommended as a proactive youth leader. Cody has been awarded the Hauraki Sword of Honour, an award given to the overall top cadet of an elite group of participants throughout the Bay of Plenty area. Cody has been given the opportunity to undertake outdoor leadership training within cadets due to his positive attributes.
Sam West
Sam is the head boy at Western Heights High School and is an extremely active member of the community through both his sporting and voluntary contributions. He has dedicated many hours refereeing and coaching water polo. A keen sportsman Sam is also committed to succeeding in a wide variety of extra curricular activities while juggling commitments to the various committees he is also part of. He is the president of the Western Heights Interact club, a peer support leader and a member of the Students Against Drink Driving (SADD) committee.
Business Leadership
Deryck Shaw
Deryck Shaw is a director of APR Consultants Ltd which he founded 25 years ago. Deryck has played a pivotal role in the development of Rotorua and the Bay of Plenty's tourism industry, planning and policy, business development and education. His career as a researcher has been backed by resource management, science, planning, economics and natural resources as well as qualifications. He is chairman of the Lakes District Health Board, serves as a board member of New Zealand Maori Arts and Crafts Institute, is vice-president (Asia/Pacific Americas) of the IML Walking Association, and is chairman of Rotorua United AFC, St Chads Communication Centre Trust and Vision Rotorua.
Joe La Grouw
Chairman and owner of the Lockwood Group, Joinery Direct and La Grouw Corporation, Joe has a long and successful business record. He has been a director and member of many significant businesses and associations throughout New Zealand. He is currently chairman of the Geyser Community Foundation, a member of the Rotorua Business Leaders Group and of the Rotorua Economic Strategy Alignment project group. He was recognised as a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for his services to business and the community. Joe is an active supporter in the Rotorua community, sponsoring the Lockwood Aria, Lakeside concerts and many other local initiatives.
Tupara Morrison
Tupara, who is of Te Arawa descent, is a Massey University business studies graduate, Chartered Accountant, and member of the New Zealand Institute of Directors. He is past chairman of Waiariki Institute of Technology and a recent ministerial appointment to Lakes District Health Board. He is a trustee of Te Kotahitanga o Ngati Whakaue Assets Trust, the receiving entity of the CNI Collective Treaty Settlement for Ngati Whakaue, and a director of CNI Iwi Holdings Limited. He is a board member of New Zealand Disputes Resolution Services. Tupara's consultancy company provides governance and business management services to a variety of clients across New Zealand.
Community Service Leadership
Alexis LewGor
Alexis has been active in Rotorua and the Bay of Plenty community for 20 years. She established the Rotorua Pacific Island Development Charitable Trust, instigated Polyfest to empower Pacific youth to organise a Bay-wide school event, was a key organiser of GlobalFest, U&I SoccerFest and Whakanuia. Appointed president of the Rotorua Multicultural Council five years ago, she works with migrant communities helping them overcome barriers to communication and integration, and to share their cultures with the Rotorua public, as well as sets up committees to represent ethnic groups. Alexis co-chairs the Rotorua Multicultural Business Council which supports migrants in business, and is currently secretary of the Rotorua Fiji Community.
Katie Williams
For more than 10 years, Katie has been a voluntary assistant and loving carer at the hot pool exercise classes for arthritis sufferers, transporting the disabled and tirelessly organising fundraisers. She has spent more than 10 years in the Save the Children Shop, and is the convenor and co-ordinator of the U3A interest groups in photography - who make photos into cards which are given to charities as fundraisers - and the make-your-own-under-ground-furniture - the Coffin Club. She is a supporter of the aged and sufferers of dementia at Whare Aroha Home and Hospital. In the past, drawing on her professional nursing skills, helping at Rotorua Community Hospice, SPCA, Riding for the Disabled, UNICEF and Trade Aid.
Lieutenant Bridget Anderson
A New Zealand Cadet Force Officer attached to the 29th Squadron ATC for three years, Bridget was promoted to lieutenant in recognition of her leadership skills. Dedicated to the cadets, she is either with them, working on lessons, administration, or repairing uniforms, often until late at night. She is always at bus depots to welcome or farewell cadets or fellow officers. She often funds the purchase of resources from her own purse and is always at fundraisers, cadet activities, camps or on civic duty, regardless of her health or the weather. Bridget is a loyal, hardworking volunteer with a passion to ensure that cadets are duly rewarded with interesting activities, and giving them a sense of identity.
Sports Leadership
Gregg Brown
Gregg is a key driver for the Rotorua Mountain Bike Club and is pivotal to what they are achieving at the moment. Through his continual lobbying, the club was awarded the Oceania Mountainbike Championships for 2012, awarded $20,000 a year to the club for trail maintenance and received a commitment to improvements at Waipa. The club has also been allowed to create and submit a trail development plan and has trails lost to recent logging already well on the way to re-instatement. The club had its rider development programmes reinstated culminating in a large database of U17 riders, increased junior membership, a well functioning rider development programme, including race squads and coaching staff, more coaches. The club has a revamped website and a highly active Facebook page.
Wolo Elisaia
A disability is no barrier to be a leader in sport. Wolo is one of most highly regarded volunteers for Parafed Bay of Plenty and is a leader for people with disabilities in the Rotorua region. He was lead in the development of the wheelchair basketball competition in Rotorua, and transports the chairs to Tauranga on a Monday night to ensure that the league continues for players there. He was actively involved in the recent Eve Rimmer series in basketball and other sports. He frequently advises the community in regard to accessibility to sport to enable people with disability to attend sport events. Wolo provides leadership to people with disabilities and is currently working with young offenders at a new prison taking sport.
Andy Fuller
Andy has been a member of Canoe Slalom New Zealand since arriving in New Zealand 15 years ago. His hard work and dedication for the continual maintenance of the Slalom Course on the Kaituna River proves that he is a leader in his sport ensuring that the river is accessible not only for the local community but the region and national events. He is coaching the New Zealand Junior Slalom Team and heading off overseas to compete in the next few days. Andy is a great mentor who continues to race competitively and coach. He not only sets the courses for races and provides instructing on training camps, but he also finds time to time-keep, judge and offer words of wisdom to young paddlers. A true leader to the youth of the community.
Environmental Action Leadership
Brentleigh Bond
Since coming to Rotorua 13 years ago, Brentleigh has been actively involved with the Lakes Water Quality Society, Lake Rotoiti Community Association, and the Lake Rotoiti Charitable Trust, working for the improvement of our lakes and land for the benefit of our community. During 2006 and 2007, Brentleigh was involved in the establishment of the Rotorua Lakes Community Board and was elected to the board in 2007 where he has served as chairman. The last three years, has seen significant progress with improvements to lake water quality, reticulated sewerage schemes and communications with the Rotorua District Council and Bay of Plenty Regional Council. In 2011 Brentleigh successfully organised the Rotorua Lakes Symposium 2011, an event that reflected the progress that the Lakes Water Quality Society has made in not only debating the issues and showcasing the science, but also in positioning environmentally sustainable action as a platform for economic development.