Can Kaitāia keep title of Most Beautiful Small town in NZ?

One of the stunning community art projects that saw Kaitāia named the Most Beautiful Small Town in the country in Keep New Zealand Beautiful's annual awards in 2021. The awards return this year after a Covid-enforced absence.

Two years ago, Kaitāia was named the Most Beautiful Small Town in the country in the Keep New Zealand Beautiful Awards.

But with the awards not held last year due to Covid-19 restrictions, the town, and others in the Far North, can now be entered in the 2023 edition.

Kaitāia was named the nation’s most beautiful small town in the 2021 Keep New Zealand Beautiful Awards (which were awarded in February 2022) in recognition of the work done so far to improve the town centre.

It was a big win for the small town, which was up against Foxton as the other finalist in the category.

Kaitāia was shortlisted for the award because of the public artworks and placemaking projects the community has delivered under the Te Hiku Open Places Revitalisation Project.

Keep New Zealand Beautiful has announced the return of the country’s longest-running sustainability awards this year.

The Beautiful Awards have been run annually by the not-for-profit organisation for over five decades, providing a benchmark in environmental excellence for individuals, schools, communities, towns and cities. Aside from the event being postponed in 2022 due to the restrictions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, the awards have run continuously since 1972.

The Beautiful Awards have 12 different awards across four categories: Individuals, Community, Places and Towns and Cities. They celebrate individuals such as the Young Legends and Tidy Kiwis of New Zealand, as well as the champions of community environmental initiatives, the Most Beautiful Small Town, Large Town and City, the Most Sustainable School, Best Street and even the Best Loo in New Zealand! Thanks to Resene, there will also be a Supreme Award available in the Towns and Cities category, with the winning town or city taking home a mural painting valued up to $10,000.

“We’re grateful to be able to offer the Beautiful Awards again this year after a year off. The awards provide an opportunity to celebrate the many environmental heroes we have across the country and to showcase the environmental and sustainability initiatives taking place in schools, communities and in our towns and cities,” Keep New Zealand Beautiful CEO Heather Saunderson said.

Far North folk are invited to nominate the people, projects and places that they believe illustrate the height of environmental excellence.

”This year, we’ve made making a nomination to our Towns and Cities awards easier. We want Kiwis throughout the country to tell us what their town or city is doing to strive for excellence in sustainability. By simplifying the entry and nomination process, we hope to give communities an opportunity to rally together and shine a light on the amazing climate, conservation or environmental education projects that have taken place across Aotearoa over the last year,” Saunderson said.

Nominations for the Beautiful Awards are open until August 21, and the winners will be announced at Parliament House on November 9.

For more information and how to enter, please visit knzb.org.nz.