2022 was the third year of the Kūmara Awards, and it was a truly special one!
Kōre te kūmara e kōrero ana mo tōna ake reka.
The kūmara does not brag about its own sweetness… but others do!
The Kūmara Awards is on a mission to celebrate fabulous placemaking happening across Aotearoa. It is a community-driven showcase of the outstanding placemaking projects. Big or small, permanent or temporary, many kinds of placemaking projects can win a Kūmara Award!
This year, the awards were hosted in
Tāmaki Makaurau - Auckland,
Te Panepane o Te Ika - Greater Wellington Region (including Wairarapa!),
a-a-and
Ōtautahi - Christchurch, Selwyn and Waimakariri!!!
Meet the winners of The Kūmara Awards 2022!
Christchurch Hip Hop Summit / YCD Youth & Cultural Development
Was honoured with the Award: Mā te haukāinga hei tūāpapa ki te ao tūroa/ It Takes a Village for their work celebrating hip hop culture with live performances, workshops, speakers, dance battles and more.
Was honoured with the Award: Ahakoa he iti, ko tōna painga ka puawaitia/ From Little Things Big Things Grow for providing opportunities for people to learn how to grow their own food.
The Commons Project / Housing First
Was honoured with the Award: Kei tua atu i te kaupapa/ Beyond the Brief for their work in bringing people together every week and create a place for those most vulnerable in the city to connect with each other and access resources.
Tiny Forest King George V Reserve / Flourish Kia Puāwai
Was honoured with the Award: Tiakina te whenua, ka manaakitia te tangata/Caring For the Land, Caring For the People for promoting and teaching regenerative practices.
Was honoured with the Award: Ngā akoranga i muri, hei tūāpapa ki ngā mahi ki mua/ Looking Back to Move Forward for promoting, designing and delivering events and programmes which strengthen the diverse cultural identities of our Pacific peoples.
Was honoured with the Award: Mā te Haukā inga hei tūāpapa ki team tūroa/ It Takes a Village for bringing joy and peace to the community by refurbishing the cold concrete of a fire site.
Block Vandal
Was honoured with the Award: Ahakoa he iti, ko tāna pianga ka puawaitia/ From little things big things grow for playfully transforming drab parts of the city with colorful and joyful art and cultural references.
Was honoured with the Award: Kei tua aut i te kaupapa/ Beyond the Brief for their community-driven initiative with a mission to encourage waste reduction and the use of the resources around us.
Te Kukuwai o Toa
Was honoured with the Award: Tiakina te whenua, ka manaakitia te tangata/ Caring for the land, caring for the people for going above and beyond address water quality and flooding issues in their local area.
Was honoured with the Award: Mā te haukāinga hei tūāpapa ki te ao tūroa/ It Takes a Village, for a youth led movement to connect people over lockdown.
Was honoured with the award Kei tua atu i te kaupapa/ Beyond the Brief, for being a public art piece that incorporated intergenerational design and collaboration.
Was honoured with the award Tiakina te whenua, kamanaakitia te tangata/ Caring For the Land, Caring For the People for helping establish food independence all over Aotearoa.
Kākano Collecting and Hugelkulture Project at Wairapa Moana
Was honoured with the award Ngā akoranga i muri, hei tūā papa ki ngā mahi ki mua/Looking back to move forward for working hard on local initiatives to nurture local moana, including planting natives on hugelkulture beds, collecting native seeds for replanting with community, and more.
Was honoured wit the award, Ahakoa he iti, ko tōna painga ka puawaitia/ From Little Things Big Things Grow, for successfully building a community-led space offering a wide range of activities and opportunities.
Puketāpapa Manu Aute Kite Day
Was honoured with the award Ngā akoranga i muri, hei tūāpapa ki ngā mahi ki mua/ Looking Back to Move Forward for bringing vibrant traditions to Tūpuna Maunga
Judges for the Kūmara Awards 2022
Kingi Gilbert:
Ngāti Whakaue, Ngāti Maniapoto, Ngāti Tama, Ngāti Rārua | Independent Designer working in Auckland and Hawaii
Terangi Parima:
Co-director of The Community Builders NZ Trust | CO Pataka Kai | The Otara Kia Village | The Otara Bike Burb | The Otara Drop-in Youth Hub |
Simon van Praag:
Director, Fresh Concept
Edward Peni:
Creative Artist,Eke Panuku Development Auckland
Lucy Tukua:
Technical Director of Regenerative Outcomes,Kaihautū Whakarito, Mott MacDonald NZ
Mei Hill:
Artist & Cultural Design Executive, Whai Rawa Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei | Established Patiki Studio in 2016,www.patikistudio.com
Toby Falconer:
Director of Play, The Open Fort
Penny Hulse:
Former Deputy Mayor, Auckland Council | Waitakere City Council, and much more!
Jill Nerheny:
Manager at Kaipatiki Community Facilities Trust
Emily Belton:
Youth Development Facilitator Community Team, Waimakariri District Council
Eileen Yee:
Advisor, Engagement & Partnerships Strategic Engagement & Partnerships | Southern and Central Team Te Tari Mātāwaka | Ministry for Ethnic Communities
David Brennan:
Ko Tāne co-director Pounamu Ngai Tahu
Michael Reynolds:
Roimata Food Commons Kūmara Award winner 2022
Nicole Weber:
Waimakariri Public Arts Trust
Joshua Ambler:
Pou Hoahoa, Māori design officer, Lower Hutt City council
Nick Kapica:
Director at Isthmus transdisciplinary studio
Jason Muir:
Director, Urban Dream Brokerage
Siv Fjaerestad:
Community Development Coordinator
Megan Williams:
Urban Strategy at Stellar Projects
What’s Next?
The Kūmara Awards are given based on what’s being talked about on the placemaking kūmara vine… So make it talk!
Share your placemaking journey with others: join the conversations, participate in the events, send us your case studies for the library, connect with other placemakers in your area and help us uplift placemaking in Aotearoa in many other ways.
The Kūmara Awards are a Placemaking Aotearoa initiative, brought to you in 2022 by a collective of organisations from around the country: Catalyse, Eke Panuku, Hutt City Council, and Gap Filler.
If you want to see the Kūmara Awards continue growing and launch it you area, let us know!