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Last modified: 28 Aug 2020 11:14am

The award recipients with the awards committee

More than a hundred Selwyn community members were recognised today for their selfless acts of kindness and professionalism during the COVID-19 lockdown.

A special ceremony was held in the Selwyn District Council chambers to recognise those who received awards through the Council organised ‘Selwyn’s Covid Heroes’ campaign.

The Council teamed up with Te Taumutu rūnanga and the Selwyn Times newspaper to launch the campaign in June, inviting the public to nominate their Covid heroes’ in response to the overwhelming number of stories about individuals, companies, charities and essential service workers going the extra mile to help their local communities.

Mayor Sam Broughton says, “It was important for us to recognise the amazing work in our communities; the people of Selwyn really had each other’s back. At the same time we wanted to give people the chance to say a public thank you to the person shop, school or organisation that made a difference for them.”

Liz Brown, Te Taumutu Chairperson and Barry Clarke the Selwyn Times editor, were at the ceremony and presented certificates to five notable nominations with the Mayor. Each of the hundred nominated people and organisations will all receive an identical certificate by post.

“I wish it would have been possible to give each and every person their certificates personally,” Mayor Sam says. “The amazing people here today are receiving their certificates in person on behalf of all the others nominations”.

Rachael Inch, from the Selwyn Creative Network, who received her certificate today, was nominated for her community service. “Often when we volunteer we do it without recognition or thanks so to be recognised like this is humbling,” she says.

Manu Rangimoekau and Paul Talbot run the Suburban Eatery in Leeston and were nominated three times for reaching out into the community with acts of kindness and generosity. Manu said the nominations were ‘very humbling and so unexpected’.

The other two nominations at the ceremony were St John’s Ambulance volunteer Jane Potts, from Darfield for her selfless dedication and professionalism to the community and Penny Curran from Lincoln nominated for helping a vulnerable couple stay safe by shopping for them.

Read the full list of Selwyn’s Covid Heroes Award recipients.