About the Awards
The name Halamoana (“the movement of the traffic towards their destination and similar to the wave in the ocean”) is derived from an iconic sculpture by local artist Sopoemalama Filipe Tohi. It has been selected because of the synergy between its denotation; our culture, the Taranaki coast and the importance of acknowledging individual local hospitality excellence in pursuit of their destination.
As New Zealand’s single largest employer the pursuit of excellence has helped shape our industry with our aim to encourage and profile outstanding achievement to create longevity and sustainability within our region. With the Lewisham Awards in Auckland, the long standing Felix Awards in Wellington and the CHAD’s in Christchurch we are proud to be host to the first of such an event to be held in regional New Zealand.
The key goal behind the Halamoana Hospitality Awards is to allow peer recognition of excellence within the Taranaki hospitality industry. In 2006 and 2007 the event achieved this goal by not only recognising excellence in our 16 category winners but by also lifting the profile of Taranaki hospitality on a local and national level.
This year we have added a further two categories to the event to ensure these awards continue to grow and allow recognition across the spectrum of hospitality providers and staff.