Nor'West News: January 28, 2021
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12 Thursday <strong>January</strong> <strong>28</strong> <strong>2021</strong><br />
Latest Canterbury news at starnews.co.nz<br />
NOR’WEST NEWS<br />
KIWIBANK LOCAL HERO AWARDS<br />
The Kiwibank Local Hero of the Year Award recognises 100 individuals across the country who strive to<br />
make their communities a better place through hard work and dedication. Included in the top 100 local<br />
hero medallists for 2020 were 12 Cantabrians. We profile those who live in Christchurch.<br />
• Abdul Aziz Wahabzadah<br />
Abdul Aziz Wahabzadah has<br />
been hailed as a hero by law<br />
enforcement, politicians and the<br />
public for his actions on March<br />
15, 2019, when he risked his<br />
life to chase down the terrorist<br />
behind the Christchurch<br />
mosque attacks. Wahabzadah<br />
was worshipping at Linwood<br />
Mosque when the killer entered<br />
the mosque and opened fire. In<br />
spite of the clear risk to his own<br />
life, he chased the offender from<br />
the room, while grabbing an<br />
Abdul Aziz Wahabzadah<br />
Eftpos machine to hurl at him.<br />
Wahabzadah’s quick thinking<br />
and bravery saved many lives<br />
and helped law enforcement to<br />
quickly identify the killer’s car<br />
and capture him.<br />
• Alice Andersen<br />
As executive director of<br />
Qtopia, Alice Andersen’s role<br />
is to celebrate, educate and<br />
advocate for New Zealand’s<br />
rainbow youth and their<br />
whānau. In the year alone she<br />
has designed, developed and<br />
Alice Andersen<br />
delivered Qtopia’s education<br />
programme to more than<br />
2000 people in Aotearoa and<br />
Australia and helped establish<br />
international best practice for<br />
how schools can support gender<br />
diverse students with her mahi<br />
alongside Christ’s College, as<br />
they supported their first out<br />
transgender student.<br />
• Erica Austin<br />
Erica Austin was nearing<br />
the end of her Masters of<br />
Architecture degree at the<br />
University of Auckland when<br />
the Christchurch earthquakes<br />
happened. She finished her<br />
degree and moved south,<br />
excited to participate in the<br />
city’s rebuild. She is interested<br />
in how cities can build ‘social<br />
architecture’ to ensure the<br />
physical environment is vibrant,<br />
inclusive, and unites and engages<br />
its inhabitants. Since arriving,<br />
Austin has thrown herself<br />
into a wide range of creative,<br />
community and entrepreneurial<br />
projects, and considers herself<br />
a “Christchurch ambassador.”<br />
She has been an invaluable<br />
member of the teams at FESTA<br />
(Festival Of Transitional<br />
Architecture), the Ministry<br />
of Awesome, Gapfiller, TEDx<br />
Christchurch, PechaKucha,<br />
the Christchurch Arts Festival,<br />
WORD Christchurch, and LINC<br />
(Leadership in Communities).<br />
• Nigel Hampton<br />
As a criminal lawyer with<br />
more than five decades of<br />
experience, Nigel Hampton has<br />
been involved with many highprofile<br />
cases, including the Pike<br />
River Royal Commission and the<br />
collapse of the CTV building.<br />
He has been chair of the New<br />
Zealand Law Practitioners<br />
Disciplinary Tribunal, was the<br />
first Disciplinary Commissioner<br />
of Counsel at the International<br />
Criminal Court at the Hague,<br />
and Chief Justice of the Kingdom<br />
of Tonga. He is a judicial officer<br />
for World Rugby and New<br />
Zealand Rugby, on the boards<br />
of charitable bodies, and is New<br />
Zealand patron of the Howard<br />
League for penal reform. He also<br />
helped establish the Criminal<br />
Cases Review Commission<br />
board, to redefine the way<br />
possible miscarriages of justice<br />
are identified.<br />
Nigel Hampton<br />
Before you<br />
paint your<br />
bargeboards<br />
call us about<br />
disconnecting<br />
the power<br />
03 363 9898 | 0800 363 9898<br />
oriongroup.co.nz<br />
Getting in there with that paintbrush around live power lines<br />
is very dangerous. Call us about disconnecting the power,<br />
it might cost a bit more, but it could well save your life.<br />
You’re our priority.<br />
Orion operates, and maintains, the electricity distribution network<br />
that provides power to central Canterbury. We are always here<br />
to help if you have any questions or concerns about the network.