Every day of every year somebody somewhere performs an act of kindness, courage, leadership or devotion that deserves an accolade.
In 2010, one stood out, both in the minds of our selection panel and the feedback from hundreds of readers.
Emma Woods was walking with her two boys, Jacob, 6, and Nayan, 4, on a Friday evening in Christchurch when a teenager's car came from a side street, mounted the footpath, spun off a fence and killed Nayan.
When the 17-year-old pleaded guilty to dangerous driving charges, Mrs Woods asked the court not to send him to jail. She told him she did not want the tragedy to be the defining moment of his life.
