Winning the Kiwibank New Zealand Local Hero of the Year in 2011 brought boxing coach Billy Graham to national attention.
Graham was a hometown hero in the Wellington suburb of Naenae through his boxing gym, which bans drugs, gangs, bullying and swearing, and aims to turn young boys into "champion men".
He had already improved the lives of hundreds of boys in his own community, but winning the award has given Graham the chance to see if his model could change lives throughout New Zealand.
"We were blown away by the impact of that award," says Graham. "It gave us credibility, and when you have credibility you can open doors."
Warehouse founder Sir Stephen Tindall - the Kiwibank New Zealander of the Year, 2015 - was hugely impressed by the work of Graham and his wife, Kerri, who sold their home to set up Naenae Boxing Academy in 2006.
The Tindall Foundation and Vodafone NZ Foundation have now co-funded a pilot scheme to set up a second boxing academy in the Porirua suburb of Cannons Creek.
After a specialist consultant spent time with Graham to analyse the successful Naenae model, the Cannons Creek Boxing Academy opened last year. Head coach is Latu Talu, a Graham protégé and original 2006 member of the Naenae Academy.
If successful, the model could be rolled out to needy communities around the country.
Naenae Boxing Academy trains up to 100 boys and young men aged nine to 24 at a time, and there is always a waiting list to join. Graham promotes determination, goal-setting and the values of honour, decency, loyalty and respect among the boys who come to train with him.
Police say Graham's gym has helped to cut teenage crime rates and tagging in Naenae.
The gym has produced champions - fighter Keegan O'Kane-Jones is on his way to Samoa in September to compete in the Youth Commonwealth Games - but Graham is just as proud of the fact that two of his boxers have gone on to become head boys of their schools.
"Very few of our boys get into trouble, yet most of them come from trouble," he says.
Another big change for Graham since he won the New Zealand Local Hero of the year is being made patron of a wing of recruits at the Royal New Zealand Police Training College. He describes it as a complete turnaround from the relationship he had with the police as a boy.
The recruits visit the Naenae academy at least twice a year to train and spar with Billy's boys. The police college sergeants staff the BBQs and cook a delicious meal for everyone.
Many of the boys have no father figure in their lives, says Graham, which has made their bond with the recruits particularly valuable. "They used to run from the police when they saw them, but now they wave."
At 67, Graham has no intention of slowing down. His immediate goal is to see another gym based on the Naenae model open within the next three years.
He's also keen to encourage more people to nominate others for the Kiwibank New Zealand Local Hero of the Year, which has made such a difference to his work over the past four years.
"Everyone needs encouragement - we wouldn't have succeeded without encouragement," says Graham.
"That's why it's important for people to think about nominating someone they know who is doing something extra-special in their community. A pat on the back goes a long way."
• The New Zealander of the Year Awards give people the chance to nominate an individual or community organisation that makes them proud to be a Kiwi.
To nominate someone you know for the Kiwibank New Zealand Local Hero Award or any of the other award categories, visit http://nzawards.org.nz/nominate/