Invercargill residents have another reason to be proud of the city they call home, after receiving two major honours at the national landscape awards.

Invercargill’s City Streets Upgrade project and the Sandy Point Domain Masterplan both received an Award of Excellence, at the NZ Institute of Landscape Architecture Awards at The Beehive in Wellington on Friday night.

Council Group Manager Infrastructure Erin Moogan said the awards were great recognition for the work that had gone into two major areas of the city.

“In a hotly contested category, to have received an Excellence Award for the City Streets Upgrade is testament to the work of Council, Waihōpai Rūnaka and our partners in this project. We’ve always believed that this project was more than just the beautification of the streets, it was about creating a space that would become the heart of the city and we needed to take some bold and brave steps to achieve that.

“Both Esk and Don streets have become a destination for public events. From the night food markets, to the Buskers programme and the popular Flames on Esk event, the community has really embraced the new space and are making the most of it.”

Similarly, the Sandy Point Domain Masterplan also received an Award of Excellence in the Master Planning and Urban Design Strategy category.

Parks and Recreation Manager Caroline Rain said the Sandy Point Domain Masterplan set out a roadmap for the use, development and future of the popular domain.

“Sandy Point is considered by many as home for a number of Invercargill’s sports clubs and recreation organisations, uniquely set in areas steeped in significant cultural, environmental and historic values. The masterplan sets out the long-term vision for the area. It’s great to see this hard work recognised as one of the best in New Zealand.

“The word is out about how great Invercargill is and it’s great to see this acknowledged on a national level.”