30 November 2020
Australia, New Zealand and the USA have officially announced the 2020-21 Green Flag Award winners - following a challenging year for parks departments as the coronavirus pandemic saw park popularity soar worldwide.
AUSTRALIA
Australia celebrates 9 winners, all retaining the Award from last year and including long standing Centennial Parklands in Sydney, double applicants Roma Street Parkland and South Bank Parklands in Brisbane and first time winner last year Lochiel Park in the City of Campbelltown (SA) which features as the main photo at the top of this article.
Roma Street Parkland, managed by City Parkland Services - Brisbane City Council, Australia
Shaun Walsh - CEO of City Parkland Services, Brisbane said:
"The Green Flag Award supports the principle that quality parks are so much more than just a beautiful space. Receiving the Green Flag Award demonstrates that a park has met a standard that covers the full spectrum of parkland management and curation including visitor experience, horticultural and asset management practices and sustainability."
"I am extremely proud that Roma Street Parkland and South Bank Parklands has maintained this internationally recognised accreditation for a seventh consecutive year. Having a standard that we can work towards, and continually improve upon is extremely valuable to our company, the parklands and our visitors. It provides a recognised quality marque for visitors to all parks across the world and also recognises the dedication of our staff and volunteers who work tirelessly to maintain the standard."
NEW ZEALAND
New Zealand announced 24 winners including 3 Green Flag Community Award winners - specifically for those green space sites managed by volunteer or community groups. Always daring to be different, included in the country's list of winners is the soaring hillscape of Te Mata Peak Park in the Hawkes Bay region, as well as the 1,650 hectare TECT All Terrain Park - a vast multi-activity landscape with tracks for walking, mountain biking, equestrian and family focused motorcycle riding.
Special congratulations also goes out to Henley Lake in Masterton - managed by the Henley Lake Trust and Holben Reserve in Foxton Beach - managed by Horowhenua District Council. Both sites fly the Green Flag Award flag for the very first time this year despite the challenging circumstances of the pandemic.
Te Mata Park, managed by Te Mata Park Trust - Hawkes Bay, New Zealand
Bill Wheeler - Operations Manager at TECT All Terrain Park said:
“The Green Flag Award is an excellent opportunity to benchmark ourselves against the best in the world and to show that we can continue to provide a world leading facility for Western Bay residents”
TECT All Terrain Park - Western Bay of Plenty, New Zealand
USA
In the USA, the world famous San Francisco Presidio retained the Award for it's second year running. As the first park in the country to achieve the international standard, the Presidio Trust are assisting with the proposals for a wider pilot launch of the program in 2021 which aims to work with a range of parks organisations from the San Francisco Bay Area as well as the wider California State.
The San Francisco Presidio, managed by The Presidio Trust - San Francsico, USA
Michael Boland - Chief Park Officer for the Presidio Trust said:
“The unprecedented events in the world this year underscore how critical it is for cities to maintain outdoor parks. Over a decade of scientific research shows that access to nature has myriad health benefits for human beings, and the planet as well."
"The Presidio Trust is happy to encourage other parks in the U.S. to join us in adapting the principals of the Green Flag Award, which we’re pleased to fly for the 2nd year in 2021.”
To view the winners in each country visit the Green Flag Award global winners map where you can filter by country: https://www.greenflagaward.org/award-winners/
There is also a PDF list of parks on the Green Flag Award homepage for quick reference.
Carl McClean - International Development Manager for the Green Flag Award said:
“This achievement is huge recognition of the staff and volunteers, and the municipalities that support them, who have worked so hard to maintain parks a green spaces through this very difficult period for everybody.
“Parks and green spaces have been a lifeline to many people and we are delighted to be celebrating another record-breaking year for the Green Flag Award program”
The current winners figures for each country are listed below:
| No. | Country | Total |
| 1 | Australia | 9 |
| 2 | Belgium | 6 |
| 3 | Finland | 9 |
| 4 | Germany | 2 |
| 5 | Mexico | 2 |
| 6 | Netherlands | 2 |
| 7 | New Zealand | 24 |
| 8 | Portugal | 3 |
| 9 | Republic of Ireland | 84 |
| 10 | Spain | 4 |
| 11 | Sweden | 2 |
| 12 | Turkey | 1 |
| 13 | United Arab Emirates * | 13 |
| 14 | United Kingdom | 2061 |
| 15 | USA | 1 |
| TOTAL | 2223 | |
| *2019 figure - 2020 results still to be announced | ||
The Green Flag award now operates in 15 countries around the world including: Australia, Belgium, Germany, Spain, Sweden, Finland, The Netherlands, Portugal, Republic of Ireland, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, New Zealand, Mexico and the USA - celebrating over 2,000 Award winning parks and green spaces annually.
To find out more, or apply for an Award, whichever country you are based in; please feel free to explore our website and get in touch.
If you know of a park or a country not yet involved in the Green Flag Award that might be interested, please Contact Us
