Pride of NZ honours for community's helpers

Julie King. Photo / Christine Cornege

Two central North Island Pride of New Zealand award winners have taken home top honours in the national awards.

In August six heroes from the mid North Island took out regional Pride of New Zealand awards.

Buddy Harwood, of Athenree, Peter Blackwell, of Tauranga, Tony Howse, of Whangamata, Julie King, of Tokoroa, Maera Maki-Anderson, of Murupara, and Jenny Edwards, of Whitianga, were winners in their individual categories.

The awards ceremony was held at the Bay of Plenty Times to celebrate the finalists representing Taranaki, Waikato, Bay of Plenty and Gisborne.

Regional winners were at a ceremony in Auckland last night to crown the national winners.

Tokoroa's Julie King was presented with the Community Spirit award and Murupara's Maera Maki-Anderson took out the Emergency Services award.

Ms King set up a soup kitchen in her South Waikato town and in May this year she also ran "Blankets Galore", a donation drive for warm blankets, hats, scarves and gloves - which were collected in Rotorua and redistributed to people in need, just in time for winter.

Meanwhile, when the Kaingaroa Forest Volunteer Fire Brigade membership dwindled to just four, the station was faced with closure.

So Maera Maki-Anderson, station officer and long-serving member at neighbouring Murupara Volunteer Fire Brigade, decided to act. She approached every resident of the small Bay of Plenty town in an effort to save the brigade.

"We rallied people around and door knocked the whole Kaingaroa village.

"We went there in the morning and those that weren't home, we went back in the afternoon," she told the Bay of Plenty Times at Pride of NZ awards cerermony for regional winners last month.

Her recruitment drive paid off with 15 new members signing up, ensuring the station's future.

The national winners were recognised at a ceremony at Auckland Museum last night.

National winners

Bravery and Heroism: Wade Kelly

Community Spirit: Julie King

Emergency Services: Maera Maki-Anderson

Environment: Kathleen Mato

Fundraiser of the year: Tony Scott

Lifetime Achievement: Tihi Puanaki

TSB Bank People's Choice: Greg Brownson.