The historic gold rush town has been named the country’s most beautiful small town in the Keep New Zealand Beautiful Awards 2023, announced at Parliament House last night.
The Beautiful Awards are News Zealand’s longest standing environmental awards, recognising people and places who have been digging in to keep New Zealand beautiful for more than five decades.
The towns and cities awards category has New Zealanders celebrate their own town or city, and acknowledge the positive actions councils and community have taken to protect and enhance the local environment.
Arrowtown claimed the title of most beautiful small town - defined as a small urban area with 1000 to 9999 residents - beating out North Island town Tūrangi.
It is not the first time Arrowtown has been recognised at the awards, winning the same category in 2020.
Keep New Zealand Beautiful chief executive and awards judge Heather Saunderson visited each of the town and city finalists to witness first hand the environmental and sustainability efforts.
She said Arrowtown boasted an "unwavering vibrancy of community that leans beautifully into its heritage".
"The whole community got behind the town’s submission for most beautiful small town, with a huge number of nominations received from local residents," Ms Saunderson said.
"It was admirable how the town is re-establishing self-sufficiency by growing and living off their own produce and focusing on sustainability through initiatives such as their Single Use Cup Free Arrowtown."
In keeping with recognising the small town’s beauty, Buckingham St in Arrowtown received the best street award.
Other awards were: most beautiful tiny town (urban area 999 residents or less), Awanui; most beautiful large town (medium urban area 10,000-29,999 residents), Whakatāne; most beautiful small city (30,000-99,999 residents), New Plymouth; most beautiful large city (100,000 or more residents), Tauranga; and the supreme award, Taupo.
