Selwyn Cook
New Zealand Local Hero of the Year
2016
Kiwibank
New Zealand Local Hero of the Year
Te Pou Toko o te Tau
Selwyn Cook
Selwyn also supports, both financially and practically, over 100 charities. He is indeed making a difference to the lives of many.
Selwyn continues to report how his win as the 2016 Local Hero of the Year changed the direction of his life. At that time he was the owner of a service station business operating multiple sites across the Waikato and having a focus on employing disabled people.
His New Zealander of the Year win had him frequently invited to share his story and he used this opportunity to encourage other employers to consider disabled people as a talent pool. This led Selwyn to move out of his service station business then taking up a contracting role as the Employer Ambassador for Workbridge New Zealand. Selwyn now works as an independent Disability Employment Facilitator in the Waikato supporting both disabled job-seekers and employers to build sustainable and productive employment relationships.
These people who have made a positive difference in their corner of Aotearoa. They demonstrate selflessness and determination in their efforts to make a difference to their community – be it their local (geographical) community, or community of specific interest.
Whether their impact is in a particular field, or courageously overcoming personal adversity, their contributions are truly inspiring to inspire every New Zealander.
Nominees of this Award must:
- Be an individual who has made (or is making) a significant contribution to their region, town, suburb, community (be it geographical community, or community of specific interest), iwi, or local group.
- Have had significant impact over the last 12 months.
- Be a role model for New Zealanders and highlight selflessness for their community.
- Meet Awards Conditions of Entry.
Judges will review each nominee using the following criteria:
- 10 points: OVERALL INSPIRATION:
Describe the person you are nominating and what they’ve done to inspire you over the past year to nominate them as 2025 Kiwibank Local Hero of the Year Te Pou Toko o te Tau. - 10 points: PURPOSE:
Who benefits from the work, contribution, or influence of this person – and how? - 10 points: LEADERSHIP:
How does this person set a positive example for other members of their local community? - 10 points: COMMITMENT:
Describe the commitment of time, risks, and challenges overcome to create an impact to this point (this may still be ongoing). What have they done that has gone above and beyond to show leadership, create change, and give back? - 10 points: PROVEN IMPACT:
How has this person clearly demonstrated a positive impact in their local community? (be it geographical community, or community of specific interest).
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How do the Kiwibank Local Hero Awards work?
- All Local Hero nominations are divided up into regions across Aotearoa
- Nominations for each region are then sent on to the three Local Hero Judges for that region, for their consideration.
- Nominations are scored by regional Local Hero Judges based on the criteria above
- The top 100 (highest scoring) Local Hero nominees across New Zealand will be honoured in December. While we won’t be having official medal ceremonies this year, we’re making sure we recognise these inspiring New Zealanders by sending each of them their medals — and even hand-delivering a few throughout Aotearoa
- The 100 Local Hero Medallists go forward to Category Judging Day in November for the 2025 Kiwibank New Zealand Local Hero of the Year Te Pou Toko o te Tau national award and 10 semi-finalists will be announced in mid-January
- The 10 semi-finalists will be considered at the Executive Judging Day in late January. Three will be announced as the finalists in the New Zealand Local Hero award in February, and of those three, one will be awarded the 2025 Kiwibank New Zealand Local Hero of the Year Te Pou Toko o te Tau title at the Gala event in March 2025 in Auckland
2025
Finalists
