Two North Otago community groups will be competing against 22 others this weekend for top honours and a healthy cheque in the national final of TrustPower's community awards.
Hampden Community Energy is representing the Waihemo area, an honour it won after being named supreme winner at the TrustPower Waihemo community awards last year.
Oamaru Steam and Rail Restoration Society is representing Oamaru after being named supreme winner at the inaugural Oamaru awards last year.
The finals are in the Palmerston North and Tararua District, the winner being announced at a dinner at Massey University on March 14.
The winner will take home $2500, a certificate and trophy, as well as a prize package valued at $1500 from Foresee Communications. The runner-up will receive $1000 and a certificate.
Hampden Community Energy and Oamaru Steam and Rail will each give an eight-minute presentation and prepare 1000-word summaries of their organisations' achievements.
TrustPower community relations representative Melanie Gray said both groups had put together fantastic presentations.
"The Waitaki community should be really proud of what they have achieved. They will both make wonderful ambassadors for their community at the national awards," she said.
Attending the national awards from Hampden Community Energy will be Dugald and Alison MacTavish. Oamaru Steam and Rail Restoration Society will be represented by Dave Clark and Harry Andrew.
Waitaki Mayor and Mayoress, Alex and Heather Familton, will represent both regions at the awards.
• The Glenorchy School Parents, Teachers and Friends Association will also be vying for the top award.
The association is representing the Queenstown Lakes region at the national awards, after being named supreme winner at the TrustPower Queenstown Lakes district community awards last year.
Ms Gray said the three mothers comprising the group were put through to the national final for their efforts in retaining the school's second teacher.
• Members of the Roxburgh Entertainment Centre Improvement Committee will represent Central Otago at the awards.
Long-time committee member Doug Dance, of Roxburgh, said it had been difficult to condense a $1.1 million, 14-year project into an eight-minute presentation, but members were confident.
Central Otago Mayor Malcolm Macpherson and his wife, Susan, will also attend the awards in support of the committee.
The Roxburgh committee was supreme winner of last year's TrustPower Central Otago district community awards.
It undertook an upgrade and redevelopment of the Roxburgh Entertainment Centre.
