We were blown away by the responses that came flooding in! After reading through the many hundreds of nominations, we invited some of these Awesome Aucklanders and their nominees in for a chat to find out more about what they’d been up to, and we’re sharing their stories in the pages that follow.

We talked to both our Awesome Aucklanders and the people who nominated them (who all turned out to be pretty awesome themselves) – we wanted to hear about what they were doing that made others notice and nominate them, but also why they were doing it and how it made them feel. And, we’ll tell you a secret – our Awesome Aucklanders were so touched to be nominated – to have someone notice the efforts they were making. So, if someone in your life is making a difference – to you, your whānau, your community – don't keep it quiet. Let them know! You’ll make their day.

We hope these heartwarming stories provide comfort and hope that Tāmaki Makaurau is full of aroha, a city of people who go the extra mile to look after each other, giving their time, their energy and their presence to make a difference. We hope reading these stories is a reminder that we are strongest together and we will get through the challenging times ahead by caring for each other.

These Awesome Aucklanders have given their time again to tell us their stories, and we are so grateful to them.