The public are invited to vote for their favourite from this year’s group of Western Bay Community Awards finalists, with the People’s Choice Award officially open.
The additional award will be presented at the awards evening in March alongside the seven nominated categories, where any one of 33 finalists will be crowned the winner by being voted in by their community.
This award gives the community a chance to vote for their favourite finalist, or the finalist they see as having made a real difference in Tauranga and Western Bay, said TECT community impact manager Paula Hudson.
Finalists include individuals, groups, organisations, events and initiatives working across a range of causes.
In 2025, the People’s Choice Award was won by Laurie Sanders, a volunteer at Waipuna Hospice, who writes biographies for hospice patients.
Sanders devotes countless hours to crafting meaningful biographies that honour the lives of patients facing terminal illness, preserving their stories and providing comfort to families. Each biography captured not just the facts of a person’s life, but the essence of who they were – their passions, values and cherished memories.
Hudson said the People’s Choice Award is a chance for the wider community to get involved in the awards.
“The People’s Choice Award allows the public to support a finalist whose work has had an impact on them personally or in their community. Every finalist has already made a meaningful contribution, and voting for People’s Choice is simply a way to say thank you and to keep up the great work.”
The awards are delivered annually in partnership by TECT, Acorn Foundation, BayTrust, Tauranga City Council, and Western Bay of Plenty District Council to celebrate those who help make the region a great place to live.
Voting is open for a limited time and can be completed at: tect.org.nz/community-awards-2026 and each finalist has a video available online to showcase the great work they do for the community.
The People’s Choice Award winner will be announced at the Western Bay Community Awards evening ceremony on March 19 at Holy Trinity Tauranga. To view the finalist videos and cast a vote, visit: www.tect.org.nz