Billie Jordan
New Zealand Local Hero of the Year
2015
Tower
New Zealand Local Hero of the Year
Te Pou Toko o te Tau
Billie Jordan
Billie is the brains and organiser behind the dance troupe The Hip Op-eration Crew which is made up of a group of senior Waiheke Island residents with the average age of 81 (including five over 90 years of age and some with dementia, visual or hearing impairments; and others who use wheelchairs or other mobility aids). Billie taught herself how to dance through YouTube and initially established the world’s oldest flash mob in 2012 which performed in Auckland’s CBD and suburbs for a year, before evolving the group into a hip hop dance troupe in 2013 with the goal to perform at the World Hip Hop Dance Championships in Las Vegas in just eight months time. They achieved their goal and performed at the World Championships in August 2013.
2014 was a stellar year for Billie and the Hip Op-eration Crew, with their feature documentary winning awards all over the globe and the dance crew travelling to Taiwan to perform to an audience of 17,000. In 2015 Billie and her dance group made it into the Guiness Book of World Records as the oldest dance troupe on the planet. They still hold this title. A smaller group went on to perform in Japan in 2016, the same year Billie was awarded a Queen’s Honour for her charity work changing the perception of ageing.
This award acknowledges those whose actions have had a significant and lasting impact in their communities. These quiet champions don’t wait for change – they create it. With conviction, care, and follow-through, our Local Hero recipients reflect the Aotearoa we all want to live in.
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 New Zealand 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 New Zealand Local Hero Awards work?
- All Local Hero nominations are divided up into their regions across Aotearoa.
- Nominations for each region are then sent on to the panel Local Hero Judges for that area, for their consideration – who score the nominees based on the criteria above.
- The top 100 (highest scoring) Local Hero nominees across New Zealand will be honoured as the Local Hero Medallists.
- The 100 Local Hero Medallists will also go forward into the next round of Awards judging, to be considered for the national title of New Zealand Local Hero of the Year Te Pou Toko o te Tau. The 10 semi-finalists for this national title will be announced in December, the top three finalists in February, and the ultimate winner will be revealed at our Awards Gala in March.
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