AUCKLAND, Saturday: Waipā District Council was named Supreme Winner for their entry What’s next Waipā? at the 2022 annual PRINZ Awards gala dinner held last night.
The What’s next Waipā? campaign flipped a routine legislative consultative process on its head and embarked on 17 months of targeted, innovative community relations work.
The campaign also won Gold in the Community Relations & Engagement category.
PRINZ Awards Chief Judges Denise Mackay and Andrew Pirie said this was a creative two-way communication programme that resulted in record engagement for Waipā.
“When tasked with managing public consultation on a council’s long-term plan, many communications practitioners would be tempted to just go through the motions with a conventional approach.
“The judges were impressed at the innovative yet highly disciplined way the Waipā District Council team sought to address a well-known national issue – getting the community engaged in local government planning.
“Supported by a strategy that put listening ahead of speaking and implemented through a range of inventive communications and engagement techniques implemented in a Covid-19 environment, the team delivered results not only for the council, but importantly, for the Waipā community.
“The Public Relations Institute thanked sponsors BusinessDesk, Communicators, Isentia and Robert Walters.”
“The judges were impressed by the depth of planning involved to reach hard-to-engage community segments, as well as the detailed focus on results – even down to measuring the numbers of ice creams and sausages the community consumed as indicators of engagement!
“The project easily exceeded the council’s expectations on engagement and participation. Perhaps the most significant outcome is how this work has become an exemplar for other councils across the motu to consider when it comes to enhancing community buy-in.”
Winners of the PR Consultancy of the Year categories and the new PR In-house team of the Year categories were also announced. Wanaka based agency Scope Media won PR Consultancy of the Year in the small to medium category. Senate SHJ Auckland and Wellington was named PR Consultancy of the Year in the medium to large category.
Fire and Emergency NZ was awarded Communicators PR In-house Team of the Year.
The Public Relations Institute thanked sponsors BusinessDesk, Communicators, Isentia and Robert Walters.
The PRINZ Awards recognize excellence in the New Zealand’s public relations and communications industry, promoting continuous improvement, and celebrating best practice.
This year’s awards attracted 86 entries. Entries were assessed in a rigorous three-stage judging model involving more than eighty Life Members, Fellows and senior practitioners of the Institute with the assistance of international colleagues.
SUPREME AWARD
Winner: Waipā District Council What’s next Waipā?
CORPORATE AND BUSINESS PUBLIC RELATIONS
Silver: Acumen NZ and Mitre 10 – Mitre 10 Pot Recycle
CONSUMER OR CUSTOMER RELATIONS
Silver: Acumen NZ and Mitre 10 –Pot Recycle
Silver: Priority Communications – In Timaru, we recycle topless
Bronze: Palmerston North City Council – How Palmy turned off the tap on water restrictions
COMMUNITY RELATIONS AND ENGAGEMENT
Gold: Waipā District Council – What’s next Waipā?
Silver: Palmerston North City Council – When Nature Calls
FINANCIAL COMMUNICATIONS AND INVESTOR RELATIONS
Silver: Financial Markets Authority Te Mana Tātai Hokohoko – The FMA and online investing – Live and Let DIY
GOVERNMENT RELATIONS AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS
Gold: Convergence Communications – An Unsafe Proposal – making the case to retain regional air traffic services
Silver: Palmerston North City Council – Nature calls, and so did a pandemic
Bronze: Ministry for the Environment – Emissions Reduction Plan Public Consultation
INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONS
Silver: SkyCity Entertainment Group – Collective immunity protects the community
Bronze: Priority Communications – Building Stronger Futures
ISSUES, CRISIS OR REPUTATION MANAGEMENT
Silver: EMA – Helping Business Get Through
Silver: Fire and Emergency NZ – Waiharara fire – keeping a community safe and engaged over a long-duration emergency
ROBERT WALTERS MARKETING COMMUNICATION
Gold: Harvey Cameron – 90% for Canterbury – a campaign to vaccinate a region
Silver: Acumen NZ – How Stake took RKLB to the moon!
Silver: Great Scott – Seeing ourselves – a very Pacific Covid response
Bronze: Darkhorse – La Dolce Vita with Malfy Gin
Bronze: Mango and McDonald’s NZ – Ordered From Here
EXPERIENTIAL AND ACTIVATION
Silver: Mango McDonald’s – Ordered From Here
BEST USE OF MEDIA RELATIONS
Gold: Development West Coast – Okārito GorseBusters
Silver: Fire and Emergency NZ – Fire gets real, fast! Seven Sharp Live House Fire Burn
ISENTIA BEST USE OF DIGITAL AND SOCIAL MEDIA
Silver: Ministry for the Environment – Emissions Reduction Plan Public Consultation
Silver: Acumen – A true digital celebration of the best in New Zealand’s technology sector – Microsoft Partner Awards 2021
Bronze: New Plymouth District Council – Hello NP
MOST INNOVATIVE CAMPAIGN
Silver: Acumen – How Stake took RKLB to the moon!
ISENTIA AND PRINZ PRIZE FOR EXCELLENCE IN RESEARCH, MEASUREMENT AND EVALUATION
Winner: Fire gets real, fast! Seven Sharp Live House Fire Burn – Fire and Emergency NZ
SALLY LOGAN-MILNE YOUNG PRACTITIONER OF THE YEAR
Winner: Emma Ward
Special Mention: Annabelle Wrigley
Special Mention: Brooke Hurndell
COMMUNICATORS PR IN-HOUSE TEAM OF THE YEAR
Winner: Fire and Emergency NZ
Special Mention: Development West Coast
BUSINESSDESK PR CONSULTANCY OF THE YEAR
Winner – Small to Medium: Scope Media
Winner – Medium to Large: Senate SHJ
About the PRINZ Awards
The annual PRINZ Awards recognise excellence, promote continuous improvement, and showcase the outstanding work achieved by public relations and communications management professionals in New Zealand. The PRINZ Awards are judged by industry professionals selected from international and regionally diverse backgrounds, as well as inhouse, agency, and government backgrounds, to ensure a representative sample from the communications industry. The PRINZ Awards celebrate 48 years in 2022.
About the Public Relations Institute of NZ
The Public Relations Institute of New Zealand Te Pūtahi Whakakakau Tūmatanui o Aotearoa is the industry body for public relations and communication management professionals in Aotearoa. Established in 1954, the Institute today has a community of more than 1000 members who are committed to professional standards and bound by a Code of Ethics. Its purpose is to enhance the capability and professionalism of public relations practitioners through professional development opportunities and promote public understanding of public relations through advocacy.
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