Ecosanctuary educator, Baldwin St defender honoured

Orokonui Ecosanctuary educator Tahu Mackenzie and surveyor Toby Stoff, who helped regain Baldwin St’s world record status, were among the winners of new community awards in Dunedin.

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Ms Mackenzie (34), who is the Learning Experiences Outside the Classroom education officer at the ecosanctuary, was declared Educator of the Year and Otago Person of the Year at the Otago Hall of Fame inaugural awards.

"I’m very, very honoured. "It’s an absolute dream come true," she said after receiving the awards at a ceremony attended by about 100 people at the Otago Museum on Saturday.

Dunedin resident Tahu Mackenzie who won Otago Person of the Year and Educator of the Year awards at the inaugural Otago Hall of Fame awards at the weekend. PHOTOS: PETER MCINTOSH

"I’m so grateful for the opportunity to be myself, that means all of those creative opportunities because of where we are in Otepoti Dunedin," she said.

Dunedin surveyor Toby Stoff, at Baldwin St, was honoured with a Local Hero Award at the Otago Hall of Fame awards.

Ms Mackenzie, who also performs with her band, Tahu and the Takahes, was described by award organisers as "an incredible force in our community".

Mr Stoff, of Clark Fortune McDonald, was also delighted to receive his award, for his recent successful work to restore Dunedin’s reputation as the home of Baldwin St, the steepest street in the world.

"I’m just really thankful that people appreciated our efforts.

"On the whole, it was a lot of fun, it was totally unexpected," he said of the award.

Mr Stoff reflected on the hundreds of hours of volunteer effort which he had spent mounting the case for Baldwin St to be reconsidered by the Guinness World Records organisers.

"I knew 100% that what I was saying was right."

He had also been pleasantly surprised when, instead of engaging in a lengthy process to rectify the steepest street record, the record firm organisers had simply announced that a mistake had been made and Dunedin remained the winner, he said.

Animation Research Ltd managing director and Otago Hall of Fame ambassador Ian Taylor spoke at the awards event.