Three lifetime contribution awards were made at last Saturday’s Spirit of the Wakatipu Gala & Awards evening, organised by the Wakatipu
Community Foundation.
The recipients, recognised for their ‘‘extraordinary and enduring philanthropic contribution to the Whakatipu’’, were the late David Crow, Jillian and Dick Jardine and Darren Rewi.
A one-time meteorologist, David Crow, who died last year, aged 88, kept daily weather recordings, almost without fail, for 59 years, and was a jazz aficianado.
The Jardines this year formally gifted 900 hectares of their Remarkables Station to the QEII National Trust to ensure its landscape’s protected in perpetuity.
They earlier gifted their original homestead to the University of Otago for use as an academic retreat.
A respected kaumatua, Rewi was rewarded for leading the Māori community through the pandemic and his contributions to youth, culture, employment, community and the environment through initiatives like founding the Mana Tahuna charitable trust.
Mayor Jim Boult gave a special mayoral award to all the local organisations and volunteers who helped the community through Covid.
Other award recipients were the Bruce Grant Youth Trust (youth impact), Queenstown Lakes Baby Box Charitable Trust (health and wellbeing), The Rees Hotel (corporate citizenship), Lake Hayes Restoration Project (environment and sustainability), Wakatipu Search & Rescue (resilience), Age Concern (senior support), Amy Wilson-White (sport and recreation), Three Lakes Cultural Trust (arts and culture), Paul Winders (education), Hannah Battrick (rising star) and Debbi and Paul Brainerd (social impact innovators).
The spirit of the community award was shared by Jillian and Dick Jardine and the Rotary Club of Queenstown.
Held at the Events Centre, the biennial awards, postponed a year due to Covid, were attended by 420 people.
