Kawerau District Council's ‘Seamless Boundaries' initiative has won a Local Government New Zealand excellence award.

The project was named a winner in the MartinJenkins Excellence award for best practice contribution to local economic development category at the LGNZ Conference held Monday night.

Matamata-Piako District Council Mayor Jan Barnes and Kawerau District Council Mayor Malcolm Campbell. Photo: YouTube

Seamless Boundaries is a collaborative project between Kawerau and Matamata-Piako district councils and the Mayors' Taskforce for Jobs that connects local people struggling to find work with jobs at Silver Fern Farms.

A very delighted Mayor Malcolm Campbell says everyone involved in the initiative has worked really hard to make it a success.

'It's made a big difference to a lot of Kawerau families and we're proud to have the project recognised on a national stage. Thanks to all involved for the sterling efforts,” he says.

Malcolm and Matamata-Piako mayor Jan Barnes attended the dinner, along with Kawerau district councillor Faylene Tunui, who has been one of the key drivers of the initiative.

The LGNZ awards showcase council projects, programmes and people who have made an impact in local communities.

It is the second year running Kawerau District Council has been nominated for an award, and in 2015 it was named runner-up in the community impact category for its Neighbourhoods of Healthy Homes project.

Matamata-Piako District Council Mayor Jan Barnes and Kawerau District Council Mayor Malcolm Campbell explaining the Seamless Boundaries initiative.