Zeal has been announced as a finalist for Community of the Year in the New Zealander of the Awards.
Zeal staff are stoked and humbled. We’re busy phone calling all our grandparents and uncles and aunties all with the news!
As a finalist, we are one of ten awesome community organisations. Here’s the list of our fellow Mitre 10 New Zealand Community of the Year finalists:
Bellyful
A practical help organisation providing simple meals to stressed families with new babies (Pukekohe)
Big Brothers Big Sisters NZ
Volunteer based mentoring programme (Wellington)
Community Fruit Harvest
Harvesting and distributing unwanted fruit to those in need (Auckland)
Creating temporary parks, gardens and art on sites of demolished buildings (Christchurch)
Collecting and redistributing surplus food to those in need (Palmerston North)
Support group for parents dealing with the death of a child (Nelson)
Volunteer community group (Invercargill)
Providing life skills and mentoring to children living with poverty or hardship (National)
Creating work and life skills (Pokeno)
National innovative youth charity (Auckland)
But that’s not all we’re excited about with these awards. Our own Scottie Reeve is also a finalist in the Young New Zealander of the Year category. In 2015 he set up two cafes, Stories and Georgia, which offer first time employment to young people. He also sold a lot of doughnuts.
Scottie, you are awesome!
A special thanks goes out to those who nominated Zeal and Scottie.
The New Zealander of the Year Awards will be in Auckland on 17 February, 2016. Find out more.