Whanganui Resource Recovery Centre a winner in national awards

Published on 25 November 2014

25 November 2014

The Whanganui Resource Recovery Centre has won the Community Innovation Award at the NZI National Sustainable Business Network Awards, held at Shed 10 on Auckland’s waterfront on November 18.

The NZI National Sustainable Business Network (SBN) Awards are New Zealand’s longest-standing and pre-eminent sustainability awards. The awards are now in their 12th year and are designed to recognise businesses that are making a real difference by innovating New Zealand’s business landscape.

The judges said: “Whanganui Resource Recovery Centre has only been up and running since 2013, however there is strong analysis of, and a clear understanding of the systems and structures that are needed to build sustainability. On many levels, the Centre has a comprehensive business plan which focuses on some very impressive reuse and conversion statistics.

“The judges were impressed by the Centre’s fantastic feasibility studies to achieve financial viability around a ‘user pays’ waste management system. Judges were also impressed by the Centre’s innovation in developing stronger partnership models, and really liked the cross-market approach the Centre takes by involving corporates, public, Iwi, community and education.”

Graham Pearson from Sustainable Whanganui, which is a partner in the Centre along with the Wanganui District Council and Tupoho Whanau Trust, said he was pleased the judges acknowledged that the Centre was ‘much more than a recycling centre’ when they presented the award.

“This rang very true for me as a Sustainable Whanganui Trust member.  We are really pleased to be a partner in the Centre and to be able to provide the educational component of a ‘one-stop’ Environmental Centre.

“It is wonderful to see all the hard work of so many people recognised and rewarded.  We could not have established and run the Centre without a broad and dedicated team of staff and volunteers,” Mr Pearson said.

The full results of winners for the 2014 National Sustainable Business Network Awards can be found at: sustainableawards.org.nz.

CEO of Oxfam Rachael Le Mesurier, Sustainable Whanganui members Graham and Lyn Pearson and Whanganui Resource Recovery Centre Trustee Ramari Te Uamairangi