TREC members win Community Spirit Awards

TREC founding member Nina Payne won the Cultural category, while TREC member and Project Green coordinator Zahirul Alam was named the Supreme Winner, at the awards which were presented on Monday, November 17.  A Justice of the Peace, Nina is also involved in supporting Waipuna Hospice, Tauranga Women’s refuge, Ethnic Women Support Group and Tauranga  District Federation of Women’s Institutes.  Members of the TREC committee, including 2008 - 2009 Executive Committee President Ewa Fenn, were on hand to lend their support to the award winners.

Although he was unable to be present at the presentation ceremony because he is currently in his homeland of Bangladesh, Zahirul said in an e-mail that he wanted to say a special thanks to the Tauranga City Council, Tauranga Regional Ethnic Council, the Bangladeshi and the wider communities, and all schools and early childhood centres who have taken part in the project.  "One more thanks goes out to Sun Media for all the newspaper support they have given us. This spirit award is hopefully going to bring the whole community together and I am happy to work with project Green for the Bay of Plenty and Tauranga to teach the local school children to eat green, grow green and live green."