Recreation Aotearoa honours open space management and provision at 2025 Parks Awards

Recreation Aotearoa has advised that a record crowd has gathered in Auckland for its annual Parks Awards, a celebration of the people, places, and spaces shaping New Zealand’s recreation sector.

This year’s event also welcomed the New Zealand Cemeteries and Crematoria Collective (NZCCC) Ngā Rau Hotu, who joined the celebrations to honour leaders in the cemeteries and crematoria sector with the biennial Cemeteries Awards.

The awards were presented as follows:

Active Park/Sportsground of the Year
Winner: Convic’s Motutawa Skatepark in Lower Hutt
Merit Award: Te Wāhi Tākaro o Motupōhue Adventure Park, Invercargill City Council
Finalist: McLean Park Skatepark, Kāpiti Coast District Council

Healthy Park of the Year
Winner: Kaipātiki Reserve, Resilio Studio and Auckland Council
Merit Award: Tauranga City Council for Kōpūrererua Valley.
Finalist: Te Awahou Riverside, Horowhenua District Council

Playspace of the Year
Winner: Tauranga City Council - Te Papa Tākaro o Matua Iwi (project up to $500,000)
Winner: Tauranga City Council - Waterfront Playground (project over $500,000)
Merit Award: Kaipātiki Reserve Wāhi Tākaro, delivered by Te Poari o Kaipātiki ki Kaipara, Resilio Studio and Auckland Council (project up to $500,000)
Merit Award: Tauranga City Council’s Waitaha Reserve (project over $500,000)
Finalists:
Rānui Domain Playground, Auckland Council
Raumanga Scenic Reserve Playground, Whangārei District Council
Papatakohe Park, Waipā District Council

Parks Person of the Year
Honouring individuals who show outstanding leadership, innovation, and commitment to public parks, this year, the accolade was shared by two recipients: 
Simon Alefosio-Tuck, Recreation Partnerships Advisor, Rotorua Lakes Council
Howell Davies, Principal Advisor Urban Forest, Auckland Council

Kieran Smith, Parks, Play and Open Spaces Programme Manager at Recreation Aotearoa, said the awards reflect the growing importance of open spaces in supporting thriving communities, commenting “across Aotearoa, parks are more than playgrounds and sports fields - they’re places for communities to gather, connect, and recharge.

“This year’s finalists and winners set a powerful example of how these spaces can enhance wellbeing, sustainability, and community pride.”

Images: Recreation Aotearoa's Parks Person(s) of the Year Simon Alefosio-Tuck and Howell Davies and Convic’s Motutawa Skatepark in Lower Hutt, named Active Park/Sportsground of the Year (below).