The historical river port town of Awanui, just north of Kaitāia, was recently recognised as the nation’s Most Beautiful Tiny Town at the annual Keep New Zealand Beautiful Awards.
The village at the intersection of State Highway 1 and State Highway 10 received a major community-led facelift after years of planning and development by residents, iwi and local businesses.
The core funding for the revamp came from central government’s Covid-19 Response and Recovery Fund.
Far North District Council representatives, Councillor Felicity Foy, along with community board chair Adele Gardner and members of the Awanui redevelopment team attended the awards ceremony and accepted the award on behalf of all of the stakeholders and supporters of the Te Hiku Revitalisation Project, which led the award-winning design and redevelopment of Awanui’s public spaces and facilities.
The award recognises Awanui’s transformation into an attractive destination for people to stop in and enjoy rather than pass through on the way to other destinations.
