Lindsay 'Red' Smith.
LINDSAY "RED" SMITH
Local police officer Senior Constable Lindsay "Red" Smith is a hero in more ways than one, his nominator says.
Once a month Mr Smith gives up his time to take groups of older men out for a bloke's day out.
Mr Smith takes a full 10-seater bus out one or two times a month with people on a first-in first-served basis from a roster of about 22 signed up for the trips.
His idea of Trips with Red and Z was born from his passion for spending time with his father.
He would often take his dad out and they would "do blokey things" and "just spend time together".
After his father's passing, Mr Smith missed the days out.
Working as a driver for Age Concern for a time, he noticed the trips to parks and gardens were predominantly attended by women.
So he started organising his own trips, taking men to rural museums and new roading projects and "blokey places".
Since then, Z Energy has come on board as a sponsor, supplying coffee and muffins to the ''boys" before they head off on their adventures.
Mr Smith has also recently added a Ladies' Day with Red and Z to his repertoire of voluntary community involvement.
Emergency services are responding to a vehicle crash on SH29 in the lower Kaimai Range.