The Gala Awards Dinner was the culmination of the NZPI's national conference and recognised winners from Auckland, Wellington, Kapiti and Canterbury.

NZPI CEO Susan Houston says the awards celebrate the important role of the planning profession in the community and highlight the best of the best from around the country.

"Planners are grappling with some of the most complex issues facing our communities today and the winners have all triumphed in their areas of expertise and made a positive impact on New Zealand communities," Ms Houston says.

Auckland's Campbell Brown Planning Ltd won both the Nancy Northcroft Supreme Best Practice Award and the Best Practice Award for Excellence in Integrated Planning for its work on the Sunderland Hobsonville Point Development Plan. Judges described the project as demonstrating outstanding creativity and innovation in an example of best practice planning for a high quality urban environment.

Winning projects from Canterbury included the Christchurch Southern Motorway Stage 2, Environment Canterbury's Land and Water Regional Plan and Selwyn District Council's Rolleston Town Centre and Foster Recreation Park Masterplans.

Wellington Zoo's Carbon Neutral Project, a world first for a zoo, and the Kapiti Water Supply project were also winners on the night.

The complete list of NZPI Awards winners is as follows:

Reginald Hammond Scholarship

Sebastian Clark (Auckland) for his mentoring role for Maori and Pacific Island planning students and his role as an international buddy for planning students through the Centre of Creative Arts.

Rodney Davis Project Award

Kapiti Coast District Council, Te Ati Awa ki Whakarongotai Water Working Group and CH2M Beca Ltd for the Kapiti Water Supply Project.

Lance Leikis Graduate Award

Claire Lindsay (Christchurch) for significant contribution to the profession of planning, including her dedication to forging relationships with other professional organisations and assisting students of planning at Lincoln University.

Alfred O. Glasse Award

Sue Wells (Christchurch) for outstanding services to planning by a non-planner, in recognition of her 15 years as a Christchurch City Councillor working in planning related roles.

Wallace Ross Graduate Research Award

Dr Lee Beattie (Auckland) for his PhD thesis which addresses the fundamental and critical question of whether or not district plans are actually delivering their intended planning outcomes.

Best Practice Award for Excellence in Consultation and Participation Processes

GHD, Beca and the New Zealand Transport Agency for the Christchurch Southern Motorway Stage 2 project.

Best Practice Award for Excellence in Integrated Planning

Campbell Brown Planning Ltd for its work on the Sunderland Hobsonville Point Development Plan.

Best Practice Award for Excellence in Strategic Planning and Guidance

Selwyn District Council for the Rolleston Town Centre and Foster Recreation Park Masterplans.

Best Practice Award for Excellence in Non Statutory Planning

James Luty of Beca, supported by the Wellington Zoo Trust and EnviroMark Solutions, for the Wellington Zoo Carbon Neutral project.

Best Practice Award for Excellence in District and Regional Planning

Environment Canterbury for the Land and Water Regional Plan.

Nancy Northcroft Supreme Best Practice Award

Campbell Brown Planning Ltd for its work on the Sunderland Hobsonville Point Development Plan.

ENDS