RRR - Rescue, Revive, Rehome has been announced as the winner in the Rising Star category of the TECT Community Awards.
The charity, founded by Rowan Elliott and Siobhan Mikaere, has been finding loving homes for animals through rescue, foster care, veterinary services, adoption, and education since 2019, and has helped over 1800 animals since then.
From kittens and horses, to turtles and sheep, no animal is turned away.
“These animals don’t have a voice, so we are that voice for them. We are so appreciative of the TECT Community Awards shining a light on what we are all about, and we are thrilled to win the Rising Star Award. It’s an amazing recognition of how far we have come in such a short amount of time,” says Rowan.
“We work with really large quantities of animals. We have rehomed 100 kid goats, and well over 900 cats and kittens have come through our doors since we started. These guys are de-sexed, vaccinated, chipped, and we make sure to find the right homes for them, so they have the best chance at being safe, happy and healthy.
“Currently, we run out of our homes and foster homes all over the Bay of Plenty. Our goal for the future is to get a site, to centralise where people can help and volunteer. We rely on the public and their support to continue what we do – we also work and have families, alongside running the rescue. If we run out of money, we pay the vet bills off our own backs. But we do our absolute best with the resources that we have, which is extremely limited.”
TECT Community Awards Judge Allison Stewart says learning about some of the grassroots groups in our region has been a privilege.
“We have some incredible rising stars in our region – those emerging grassroots groups making real change. It has been a privilege to learn more about their work through the judging process, and I would like to commend our finalists for all they do, ensuring our community is the best place it can be.
“Seeing how Triple R has grown in the past year, the number of animals they have helped, and the touching stories of animals on the brink of death whose lives have been turned around thanks to Triple R’s unwavering care, it is truly inspiring.
“We’re so glad their work could be recognised along with the other finalists through the awards; they truly deserve that spotlight, and we hope people have enjoyed joining us in that celebration.”
The other finalists recognised in the Rising Star category included Bay Originals, Gender Dynamix, and TCSC Creative Group.
The TECT Community Awards are being hosted online, with a finalist video released every weekday on the TECT Facebook and website until Monday 3 August.
There are seven award categories: Event Excellence, Sustainable Future, Diversity and Inclusion, Rising Star, Youth Spirit, Volunteer of the Year, and Lifetime Service. STEMFest won the Event Excellence Award, Good Neighbour won the Sustainable Future Award, and The Search Party Charitable Trust won the Diversity and Inclusion Award.
Next week’s award category is the Youth Spirit Award. Finalists are Brylee Comer, Irene Vakasiuola, Jack Miller, James Power, and Louis Donovan.
