With nominations now open for the 2026 Kiwibank New Zealander of the Year Awards Ngā Tohu Pou Kōhure o Aotearoa, it’s time to celebrate the people in our communities who are making a difference for the better.
Ryman Healthcare is proud to support the Senior New Zealander of the Year category of the Awards which recognises those aged 60-plus who continue to create positive impact, lead and inspire others.
You may not need to look very far as many of these incredible individuals who put their time and energy into helping their communities actually live in our villages all around New Zealand!
Over half a century of giving back
The memory of nine members of her immediate family lost to cancer keeps Edmund Hillary Village resident Joan Swift, pictured above, determinedly on track to continue volunteering for the Cancer Society. One of the nine was her eldest son Keith, and last year she lost a cousin too.
It’s now 53 years since she began supporting the organisation, with her efforts including driving patients to their appointments, organising rosters of drivers to do the same, and fundraising for the annual Daffodil Day initiative since it began in 1990, earning herself the affectionate nickname the ‘Daffodil Day Queen’.
The idea to help began after her dad became ill with the disease.
“My dad lived in Frankton and local ladies drove him to his appointments because I lived too far away to help him. Because of that help he got, I thought I could do that for someone else.”
A powerful moment occurred when she began driving a man whose three daughters all lived out of the Auckland area.
“That was the day I felt I had paid back for Dad. That man was very special to me,” she says.
Joan is also proud of her long association with Rotary, supporting them with fundraising and community projects, and its sister organisation Inner Wheel.
Some of her initiatives with them include leading a small team who make toiletry packs for victims of rape and domestic violence plus supporting women’s refuge, local food banks and people in the community needing help.
She has also led a group of fellow residents to help young learners with reading at a local school for the past nine years, and has supplied its Year 4 students with dictionaries funded by Rotary for nine years too.
She even helps out within the village to bring people together. Twice a year she organises a dinner for all the residents in her apartment building.
It’s no surprise that Joan’s efforts have been recognised – in 2005 she was awarded a QSM for her voluntary work, and in 2015 she was recognised at the Pride of NZ awards in the lifetime achievement category.
“I was incredibly honoured, but I don’t do what I do for reward or recognition.”
Now 93, Joan’s showing no signs of slowing down either!
“A friend said to me ‘Joan, you’re doing too much’, but I want to keep on doing it, because what else would I do?”
Then there's Anne McCracken from Rowena Jackson Village in Invercargill.
In June, Anne received a King’s Service Medal (KSM) for services to the community after decades of volunteering to help community organisations, outdoor recreation and local government.
Her contributions span tourism development, rural health advocacy, education, conservation, and the arts, with her 12 years of leadership in the Waiau Health Trust and 20-plus year involvement with the Southland Medical Foundation being particular standouts.
Her public service includes elected roles on the Tuatapere Community Board and Southland District Council; she has volunteered for the Citizens’ Advice Bureau both locally and nationally; and more recently she has coordinated literacy projects via the Invercargill North Rotary Club.
Through much of this work, Anne, a serving JP, has been a strong advocate for women to have a just and equal status in all levels and areas of society, particularly through her membership and presidency of the Southland Women’s Club, where she chaired the policy and planning committee.
While overwhelmed to be recognised in such a way, Anne says her motives were always clear: “If I could help people, I did it – it’s as simple as that.
“And obviously, I got a lot of reward out of doing this work. Absolutely.”
The boys are doing their bit too!
It’s not just the ladies working tirelessly to help others. At Ryman’s villages in Whanganui, Palmerston North and New Plymouth, there are amazing men sharing their time, skills and energy for good causes.
Jane Winstone Village’s Murray Whitlock is a Whanganui icon, often seen riding around on his trusty bicycle.
From 1969 to 7986 Murray was Company Secretary and Business Manager of the famous Whitlock sauce and pickle business. He then started and ran a road freighting operation with the help of his wife Jenny. After selling this to an employee, he worked as a real estate agent for 11 years until retiring in 2002.
Since then, he has volunteered at Whanganui East Primary School for four days a week for 17 years.
He ran the City Mission’s Gardens for 19 years, producing tons of vegetables for those in need.
He also acted as a volunteer guide for Whanganui Walking Tours for nine years.
And for the past 20 years he has been reading stories to pre-schoolers at the Whanganui East Playcentre, with his efforts earning him a local volunteer award.
He says reading to the children is a job which gives him a big kick.
“I think I enjoy it more than the children do sometimes!” he says.
Ken Donald, from Jean Sandel Village in New Plymouth, has been a keen fisherman since he was a young lad, and it is that passion that gave him unparalleled knowledge of the rocky Taranaki coastline and its strong currents.
With the growing number of personal fishing boats and potential for more things to go wrong, Ken’s role as the marine search advisor for the Cape Egmont Boat Club from 1968-1994 made him the ideal person to assist the police during search and rescue operations, thanks to his invaluable knowledge.
“In my lifetime, seven boats have come ashore here, all of them in the dark. They all have their own story and I’ve helped with four of them,” says Ken, now 94.
In more recent years, he played a huge role in the establishment of the Cape Egmont Sea Rescue Trust – this works independently from any other marine rescue services but has its own boat, with Ken involved throughout.
Other marine safety initiatives he has contributed to include the installation of a navigation light at Warea to improve naval navigation, reviving Taranaki Air Patrol to enable searching for vessels in distress and introducing annual boat safety checks on all boats using the Cape Egmont Boat Club’s facilities.
In 2018, Ken was awarded a QSM for services to marine search and rescue and the community. He has been a member of the Okato Lions Club since 1977, he volunteered for Taranaki Hospice until very recently, and is still patron of the Cape Egmont Boat Club.
There is a veritable production line operating at Julia Wallace Village in Palmerston North, with resident Allan Pretious leading the charge.
The 87-year-old retired builder coordinates a team of six who build wooden boxes for a range of different causes, with Ryman supplying the materials.
So far, their repertoire includes over 1000 predator traps made for an environmental initiative in the nearby Ruahine Ranges, 2000 boxes to hold cremation ashes, 30 tiny caskets for premature and stillborn babies, plus a number of frames for the village’s artists and boxes for the local bowling club to store their bowls in.
As well as being incredibly productive, the team enjoys the firm friendships and camaraderie that comes with it.
“We are from all different walks of life, but we come together to do this charity work, just for the pleasure of doing it, and the camaraderie within the group.
“Everyone who works in the shed has suffered a loss of some kind, so it is very therapeutic for us all.”
The idea to support DOC and Environment Networks Manawatu with the conservation work came from the village’s sales advisor Chrissy Thompson with Allan taking up the challenge - and then some!
“We said we’d only be too pleased to make traps for a wonderful project like that.
“We are making traps to protect our native Kiwi for our grandchildren and their children.”