New Plymouth the place to live, awards find

New Plymouth is one of the best places in the world to live, according to judges in a United Nations-endorsed awards.

The Taranaki city has been awarded first place and a gold award for cities of population up to 75,000 in the International Awards for Liveable Communities (LivCom), held at the weekend in Dongguan, China.

The results were released today.

The awards looked at communities around the world doing the most to address issues ranging from pollution and conservation to poor housing.

There were 50 finalists from five continents judged on enhancing the landscape, heritage management, environmental sensitivity, community sustainability, healthy lifestyles and future planning.

New Plymouth mayor Peter Tennent, who was in China for the awards, said he was thrilled to accept the honour on behalf of the city.

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