Over the next ten days - 3news.co.nz will publish its top ten New Zealanders of the year. They are in no particular order and we have tried to select people from varying backgrounds - the common theme is that they have, in one way or another, gone above and beyond the call of duty.
Opinion by Jerram Watts
It was a dark day for the New Zealand army when Flight Sergeant Andrew Forster was killed on the Waiouru army firing range.
The 27-year serviceman was killed instantly when an old half-buried and rusty artillery shell, from a 105mm howitzer, exploded.
The 46-year-old had just returned from Afghanistan, and was a well respected and valued member of the service.
The shell had been fired on the army’s range but had not detonated, and it exploded as the non-commissioned officer was hammering in a wooden stake to mark its position.
He is survived by a wife and three children.