Kerri and Ryan Topperwien won the people's choice award at this year's Pride of NZ awards. Photo / Greg Bowker
Losing their young son to a rare form of cancer was heartbreaking for Ryan and Keri Topperwien.
But three years on, the couple have turned their heartache into a positive force with the establishment of the Dream Chaser Foundation - a Chace Topperwien Charity - in memory of their 3-year-old son, Chace.
The couple's hard work earned them the TSB Bank People's Choice Award at this year's Pride of NZ national awards. The awards were presented tonight at the Auckland Museum.
About 17,000 votes were received for the people's choice award.
It was a special addition to the winners of award categories: Community Spirit, Emergency Services, Fundraiser of the Year, Environment, Bravery and Heroism and the Lifetime Achievement award.
Mr and Mrs Topperwien, from Whakatane, were nominated in the Fundraiser of the Year category. They were also nominated in the category in last year's first Pride of NZ Awards.
Under the Dream Chaser Foundation, the couple organise various fundraising events to help raise money for families in Ronald McDonald House, for children in hospital and for families of children coping with cancer.
Where a child has died, the charity also provides bereavement grants of up to $500 to help with costs.
In their Pride of NZ nomination video, Mr Topperwien said the pair helped families going through childhood cancer not only financially and practically, but most importantly, emotionally.
They also worked hard to bring even just a small smile to youngsters coping with cancer.
"For quite a lot of these kids who are up on [the] oncology ward, quite a lot of the time they're in isolation - which means that they're not allowed out of their room.
"We go through, we find out the ages and the genders of the people on the oncology ward and we buy presents for those people so that they can have a bit of a surprise one day. They'll wake up and there'll be a present sitting on their bed that they can unwrap and then just play with for that day," he said.
"And if it brings a smile to them for that one day then it's definitely worth it. It's worth all the hard work behind it and all the fundraising you have to do to be able to do these events and help all these kids who are all sick."
The charity is also known for its organising of music therapy courses and the popular Sunshine Week - when icecreams and popcorn machines are brought into the hospital.
Children get to munch on their snacks while watching movies on a specially made movie theatre.
As the winners of the people's choice award, the Topperwiens will receive $10,000 from the TSB Bank.
For more on the Chace Topperwien Charity, visit dreamchaser.co.nz
Shaun Rankin: Community Spirit
Shaun Rankin offers free boxing and fitness classes to children in some of Hawkes Bay's poorest areas.
Auckland-born Mr Rankin moved to the region five years ago and after finishing his sports and recreation studies at the Eastern Institute of Technology, his day job now involves training adults. But in his spare time, Mr Rankin has given free boxing classes for children in Maraenui every Monday for the past five months.
The classes are so popular he has now started a Friday session in Hastings.
"I knew they didn't have any money, so I did it for free," he said. "Growing up poor myself, I just wanted to give them something I didn't have."
The class started with five pairs of gloves, but after the community rallied around via a Facebook appeal, an extra 30 pairs have been donated. Each session sees between 10 and 40 kids, aged from 4 and 13.
Last night Mr Rankin said: "I look forward to buying some kids some gloves and some pads and carrying on what we're doing."
Allan Anderson: Environment
Allan Anderson is a true conservationist.
The Whanganui man - who turns 75 this month - has been associated with the Bushy Park sanctuary since 1962, where he started as a Forest and Bird volunteer.
He has since dedicated much of his life to the conservation cause. "Humans are the only species capable of bringing about the extinction of others," Mr Anderson said.
He has spent 12 years as executive committee chairman of the Bushy Park Trust and the 98ha conservation area - which sits 24km northwest of Whanganui on Rangitatau Rd East - continues to take up a lot of his time.
Since 1996, he is believed to have spent an average of 30 hours per week of unpaid voluntary work on the park, including building a 4.8km pest-proof fence around it.
Mr Anderson is also a member of the Whanganui District Health Board, a former district councillor and still holds duties on the Whanganui District Council.
He single-handedly raised more than $2.5 million from donors all around the world for Bushy Park.
Jim Edwards: Lifetime Achievement
Jim Edwards has dedicated his life to helping others, no matter the sacrifice.
For a decade, the 70-year-old from Hastings and his wife Marie survived on $125 a week while he volunteered his time to assist others and built a waka to be used as part of the therapy he provided. Since 1994, Mr Edwards has helped rehabilitate accident victims with the 40-seater waka. "I help find out what fits them - in their minds or bodies."
Being able to korero in English and te reo and the variety of everyday skills associated with the waka - maintenance, paddling, steering, haka, chants, greeting strangers, photography - all help with Mr Edwards' rehabilitation process.
"No matter how incapacitated you think you are, there's always a way around. There's no such thing as can't."
He started the cause when two local freezing works closed and he helped the unemployed staff to find work as carvers and weavers.
Mr Edwards now runs the Nga Tukemata O Kahungunu Vocational Charitable Trust, a service that teaches disabled adults to use their hands, as well as their minds, on land and water.
Robbie Ritchie: Fundraiser of the Year
After his own life-saving surgery, Patumahoe's Robbie Ritchie owes his life to the kindness of strangers. Now he is giving back, one dollar at a time.
Suffering up to 90 grand mal seizures each year, with an artery in his brain "like a balloon about to pop", Mr Ritchie was told he wouldn't live past 40.
His one chance to do so would involve travelling to Germany to the only surgeons who could save him. Within six weeks Mr Ritchie's colleagues and local community helped raise the $200,000 necessary for the trip and operation.
It was during his recovery that he came up with the idea of One Dollar Warriors - a charity that asks for $1 donations towards life-saving operations.
"If you need $100,000, you just ask 100,000 people for a dollar each," he says.
One year on it has more than 7000 members raising $260,000 towards operations for 11 people.
The 35-year-old hopes his recognition at the Pride of New Zealand Awards this year helps raise the profile of One Dollar Warriors.
Maggie Houston: Emergency Services
Maggie Houston attended a first aid course with St John Ambulance after her daughter died at the age of 5.
It was not long before she signed up as a volunteer and now, 40 years later, she is the manager of the St John station in Hari Hari on the West Coast. She is a Commander of the Order of St John and is well known for her "Maggie hugs" and forging lifelong bonds with those around her.
Four years after a 2-year-old girl suffered a disabling head injury in a car accident which Ms Houston attended, she became the girl's teacher aide assistant. They are still in daily contact.
After a bereaved mother of a separate accident victim contacted Ms Houston to thank her, they became friends and stayed in contact for 14 years until the woman died.
Ms Houston also gets involved in the local community, as well as her church and South Westland Area School, and is even a school bus driver - and has been for 35 years.
Last night she said her community "supported me so much and kept saying 'Go Maggie'...they're going to be absolutely chuffed"
Dudley Andrews: Bravery and Heroism
Dudley Andrews saved two young boys from drowning on 90 Mile Beach this year.
He was collecting pipi at Waipapakauri Ramp north of Kaitaia, when he saw a small boy caught in a rip. The former surf lifesaver and infantry soldier grabbed his body board and headed out into the waves.
He was on his way back with the first boy when he saw people pointing at a second boy struggling in the surf. So he went out again, as his family watched in horror from the car.
"That time I was thinking: 'Were they watching the last act their father ever did?'"
The 37-year-old, a teacher at Kaitaia College, has since got to know the boys he saved - Rex Haora Pairama, 5, and his cousin Wiremu Bennett-Hati, 6.
He has not yet been back to the beach since the rescue in March.
"I would do it all again without a doubt, but I just need to take a breath."
Talking about his win last night, Mr Andrews said: "I think the only way I can explain it is I feel mana - I feel pride. Trying to hold back the tears to be honest."
The Pride of New Zealand Awards - sponsored by the Herald, The Hits radio station and TSB Bank - are now in their second year and pay tribute to ordinary Kiwis who have contributed in various ways to their communities.
Thousands of nominations from all around the country were received over the past few months and regional winners for each of the six award categories were announced last month in Auckland, Tauranga, Hastings and Christchurch. A number of celebrity judges were again involved in choosing the winners.
This year's national awards judging panel were: Sir Peter Leitch aka "The Mad Butcher", former Silver Fern captain Bernice Mene, former Tall Black and Breakers player Dillon Boucher, TSB Bank head Kevin Murphy and NZME chief executive Jane Hastings.
The winners for the Pride of NZ Awards were announced at a glitzy ceremony at the Auckland Museum tonight. There were six category award winners: Community Spirit, Bravery - Heroism, Emergency Services, Fundraiser of the Year, Environment and Lifetime Achievement, and as well as a People's Choice award.
They allege the Crown ignored Treaty obligations by not engaging with them.