People power has propelled Waipā District Council to national recognition, with Ahu Ake – Waipā Community Spatial Plan winning the SuperEngaged - Tū Hononga Award at the Local Government New Zealand SuperLocal Awards last night.
The award celebrates councils who find creative, meaningful ways to connect with their communities and in Waipā, the community didn’t just participate, they helped lead the way.
From the start, Ahu Ake was built on local voices. From tamariki to kaumātua, from farmers to first-time voters, through kōrero at marae, local halls, libraries and online, the community helped shape a shared vision for Waipā’s next 30 years.
Group Manager Strategy, Kirsty Downey, said the win belongs to the people. “This award reflects what can happen when councils step back a little, and communities step forward.Our role was to make space – and Waipā filled it with energy, heart and vision,” she said.
That space included engagement on marae, which the chair of Ngā Iwi Tōpū O Waipā, Gaylene Roberts, described as a transformative shift.
“It acknowledged iwi not just as stakeholders, but as partners and visionaries,” Roberts said.
The engagement process used a range of innovative tools, including interactive StoryMaps, a district-wide roadshow, and a World Café co-designed with the University of Waikato. The World Café approach brings together a group of people to share knowledge, discuss topics and generate ideas in a series of workshops.
It was the intent to listen and learn — especially from mana whenua and iwi, rangatahi and rural communities — that really set Ahu Ake apart.
“By engaging directly with marae, the Council validated the role of iwi as future-focused leaders,” Roberts said. “It affirms that planning isn’t just about infrastructure – it’s about people, whakapapa and whenua.
“It shows that when engagement is done with respect and cultural understanding, it can uplift communities rather than marginalise them.”
Judges praised the strategy as “deeply thoughtful, inclusive and future-focused,” noting how it broke away from traditional consultation models to build genuine community ownership.
This isn’t the first time Ahu Ake has been recognised. In 2022, the project won the Community Impact Award at the national leg of the Asia Pacific Spatial Excellence Awards, for its innovative geospatial work, and a year later it won the same award against Australasian competitors.
In 2024, it won an award for the best practice in the use of digital tools from the New Zealand Planning Institute, and the PRINZ silver award for Community Relations and Engagement.
