Kathlene Cook, Trustpower community relations representative, said she believed the Friends of the Opera House were more than ready to stake their claim at a national level.
"On top of the huge amount of work undertaken by the Friends to keep the Royal Opera House open, you have the incredible fact that they have been operating for 28 years. Some of the volunteers have been on board the entire time," Miss Cook said.
"These volunteers have built strong relationships based on the love of the Opera House, a desire to keep such an iconic asset for the city and, of course, hundreds of hours of hard graft. I think those factors will count for a lot on Saturday," she said.
Joining the Whanganui contingent are a host of similarly dedicated volunteers representing districts from the Far North down to Stewart Island.
Ms Johnson and Mr Holmes will give an eight-minute presentation on what the group has achieved and try to convince a panel of independent judges they deserve the title as supreme winner. Each of the finalists will be judged on their presentations, along with a 1000 word summary of the organisation.
Presentations will take place over most of Saturday at Otago Boys' High School, with an awards dinner to announce award recipients that evening at the Dunedin Town Hall.
"Whether or not the Friends win or not, they have already won. The weekend is about so much more than placing in anything. This is an opportunity for these volunteers to feel appreciated and cared for, on behalf of the communities they're in," Miss Cook said. The Trustpower supreme winner will take home a custom-made trophy, $4000 in prize money, a certificate and a $1000 Exult volunteer sector consultancy voucher. The runner-up will receive $2500 in prize money along with a $500 Exult voucher and a certificate.
