A local barber who made the papers earlier this year for cutting the hair of the homeless in Hastings was named a finalist for Hawke's Bay Today's Person of the Year award.
Half a year on and Peleti Oli is still cutting hair on the streets and wants to encourage others to use their talents to give back to the community.
"I don't do it to promote myself. I just do it to help others. I just hope it brings some light to others who want to do good things for the community," he said.
While using his "gift of barbering" on the streets Mr Oli said he's been able to "tear away the layers" of homeless people in order to better understand their circumstances.
"A lot of people judge homeless people and say they're lazy or they're drug addicts and label them. But if you spend enough time and get to know them you learn differently," he said.