Nearly 40 years ago Iain Gulliford picked up his skipper's ticket and was able to fulfil his childhood dreams.

Last year Neil Woodhams was successful in convincing Pharmac to fund two new drugs which help slow MS's progress in 60 per cent to 70 per cent of cases.

Whanganui's Kathy Parnell did her first volunteer stint aged 8 at a St John fair.

Annika Rosandich, solo mother of two, sat down one day and created a Facebook page.

Occasionally, Jacqui Knight stands at the front of a classroom and dons a hat which appears to have three butterflies hovering above it.

Voluntary efforts can go a long way in a small community such as Central Hawke's Bay and such contributions have resulted in Charmaine McGlone's nomination for an award this year.

John Sullivan's father could no longer stand the sound of his son's poor instrument playing, John jnr was signed up for lessons and is still there, 38 years on.

One-hundred and sixty-five students; 165 nicknames - Alec Campbell, Maniototo Area School's Deputy Principal, remembers them all.

A spiritual awakening led occupational therapist Di Willis to help create an organisation to enable those living with disabilities to realise their full potential.

When Robyn Twemlow's daughter Analise was diagnosed with Tourette's syndrome at the age of 9, she was in "utter shock".

Lisa Wood has been making "angel casts" for the past four years and has created almost 400 of them for grieving families - all for free.

An 85-year-old's vision, and two decades of hard work, has seen Te Puna Quarry west of Tauranga transformed into a garden wonderland.

Lying on a hospital bed waiting to give birth, Laura Howard overheard a nurses' conversation that would move her so much, she felt she had to do something about it.

An Eketahuna man is being hailed a hero after risking his life to save an unconscious driver trapped in a crashed and blazing vehicle on Thursday.

When Wade Kelly charged into the Hawkes Bay surf to rescue four people in trouble, earning hero status was the last thing on his mind.

After hundreds of nominations and months of judging and voting, some of the country's top unsung heroes have been named winners of the inaugural Pride of New Zealand Awards.

Seven New Zealanders recognised for their extraordinary actions as winners of Pride of New Zealand Awards announced.

The possibility of the small harbour town of Akaroa losing its only ambulance service was not an option for Jan Bourke, who stepped in to take over the local St John.

If the four men who dived into a freezing Nelson creek to rescue a 2-year-old boy and his grandfather from a sinking car hadn't acted so quickly and heroically.

First aid training as a volunteer firefighter in New Zealand helped Buddy Harwood rescue five people trapped in a burning car in Canada.

Each week, Napier woman Kiri Swannell cooks a 60-litre pot of soup.

A top bloke is how Anton Randell describes the surfer who helped rescue him and three others in rough conditions at a Hawkes Bay beach.

Hare Krishna devotee Buddhi Wilcox ran a vegetarian cafe in Auckland's Queen St in the 1990s. Now he feeds 1000 kids a week.

Tony Howse spent nearly every weekend for two years building a walking track through bush in the Karangahake Gorge.

It all started in 2002 when Colin Anderson took part in a stationary cycle challenge to raise funds for a teenage girl with cancer.

It started as a "boys' weekend" in 2009, but has grown into a major fundraiser.

Ian Price was an Auckland residential property developer, until he had a complete life change in the early 2000s.

Auckland firefighter Tony Scott admits he would not know what to do with himself if he did not have a fundraising event to organise.

Greg Brownson has worked for Auckland's rescue helicopter services for 31 years, and says that one thing has revolutionised the way they operate.