Posted: 19 June 2006
Awards for top weedbusters
The region’s top weed warriors have been recognised in the inaugural Northland Weedbusters Awards.
The awards, which are organised by the Northland Regional Council and Department of Conservation aim to recognise the efforts of dedicated volunteers in the community.
While some may receive financial support for weed management initiatives across all land types – private, public, rural, urban and coastal – the awards recognise the many hours which are unpaid.
Winner of the overall excellence award was Peter Harding, who has spent thousands of hours on weed control in the Whangarei Heads area. He received a $500 voucher for goods to help in his weedbusting efforts.
Paparoa Lions was judged the winner on private land for the group’s efforts to maintain two blocks of bush and a pa site near the Paparoa township.
The Russell Landcare Group was the winner on public land, for the group’s work with weed control and native tree planting in many places around the Russell area.
Runner-up awards went to George Wilson of Whangarei Heads, and Rod Brown of Kerikeri. Highly commended were the Bream Bay Drive Reserve Care Group, Kerikeri Basin Weedbusters, and Vaughn Dyer of Kerikeri.
NRC chairman Mark Farnsworth said weeds are a big problem in Northland, and the award recipients are setting an example for others in the community to follow.
Award ceremonies were held in Whangarei and Kerikeri last week.