Good Onya, Hauraki: Recipients honoured

Young sportspeople, a graffiti remover, and a gift box operator were among the 13 recipients of Hauraki District Council’s Onya Awards, presented last week.
Previously named the Citizen and Young Achiever Awards, the Onya’s are the district council’s annual evening in which members of the community are acknowledged and celebrated for their achievements, as well as the positive difference they have made within their communities.
Mayor Toby Adams told the crowd inside the Paeroa War Memorial Hall that the awards were one of the highlights of his year.
“Look at all these amazing people we’ve got out there in the district… absolutely outstanding,” he said. “Some of us in our communities would walk through that everyday and not realise all the good stuff that’s happening from people behind the scenes.”
There are five categories of the Onya Awards: an individual and a group award for service to the community; an award for service or achievement in sport or recreation, as well as an award for service or achievement in arts or culture; and finally, the tu meke award – “for going above and beyond”.
The 13 recipients from across the district were, for sport: Te Au Pounamu Warren; Ania Ballantine; Abigail Cox; and Josey Hansen; for community: Raymond Jenkinson; Jared Sewell; Divyash Swamy; Tina Wright; Janice Purdie; Peter Young; Hamish Buchanan; and the tu meke award recipients were Krishna Buckman and Gill Leonard.