Kiwi heroes
New Zealand has many national heroes but here's 10 Kiwi heroes who have all made a contribution to making the world a better place:
Sir Ed Hillary
The greatest of all Kiwi heroes in the minds of many. Chosen by Time magazine as one of its 20 Heroes of the 20th Century, Sir Ed earned his place in world history on May 29, 1953, when he and Tenzing Norgay of Nepal became the first climbers to conquer Mt Everest's 29,028-ft summit and stand on the highest place on earth. Born in 1920, Sir Ed led the life of an adventurer with expeditions to places like the Antarctic and the Ganges but his greatest passion was his humanitarian work with the Sherpa people of the Himalayas. When he died in 2008, Ed Hillary became the first private citizen to be given a State funeral and will be remembered as one of the most famous Kiwi heroes of all time.
Nancy Wake
One of the most famous wartime Kiwi heroes. Wellington-born Nancy Wake was the most decorated servicewoman of World War 2 after leading 7,000 members of the French resistance in the battle to overcome the Nazi occupiers. She was married to a wealthy French businessman who was executed by the Gestapo after he refused to reveal her whereabouts. The Gestapo code-named her the 'White Mouse' and offered a five-million franc bounty for her capture when she headed their most-wanted list. She retired to the UK to live her old age in relative anonymity.
William Pickering
Born in Havelock, Marlborough, Dr Pickering left New Zealand as a young scientist and became a central figure in the 'space race'. In 1958, as director of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, he led the project to launch the first United States satellite, Explorer 1, into Earth's orbit. He was awarded NASA's Distinguished Service Medal, the US National Medal of Science and was given an honorary knighthood in 1976. Amazingly, he went to the same primary school as atomic physicist Ernest Rutherford.
Ernest Rutherford
Widely acclaimed as the father of modern atomic physics, Rutherford was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1908 and became a baron in 1931. He is widely credited with being the first scientist to split the atom. In 1899, he coined the terms alpha and beta as scientific terms to differentiate between two types of radioactivity. He died in Britain in 1937, aged 66, and in the world of science will remain one of the most well-known and respected Kiwi heroes of all time.
Kate Sheppard
Kiwi hero Kate Sheppard is widely regarded as the leader of the suffrage movement in New Zealand, the first country in the world to give women the vote. Born in 1847, she grew up in Liverpool, England, but emigrated to New Zealand at 22. She led the Women's Christian Temperance Union and became the first woman to enter Parliament. She died in 1930.
Charles Upham
This Canterbury farmer joined the New Zealand troops shipped to Egypt in December 1939 and became the only soldier ever to be nominated for three Victoria Crosses. His bravery in various World War 2 battles led to him being awarded two VCs, the only front-line soldier to receive such an honour, and one of only three men to get the award twice (the others were medics).
Alan McDiarmid
One of three New Zealanders to win a Nobel Prize, McDiarmid was the co-inventor of a range of polymers which have changed the future of electronics. His 2000 Nobel Prize was for the discovery of metallic-like electrical conduction in polymeric materials more usually associated with highly insulating plastics. Born in Masterton, McDiarmid died in Philadelphia aged 79.
Sir Brian Barratt-Boyes
Born in 1924, Sir Brian became one of the world's most eminent heart surgeons, famous for his development of techniques to replace defective heart valves and for finding new ways to treat babies born with heart defects. In the 1950s, he pioneered the development of cardiopulmonary bypass in New Zealand. Despite many opportunities to move overseas, Sir Brian remained with his team at Auckland's Greenlane Hospital. He died in 2006.
Sir Keith Park
Sir Keith was the commander of the RAF during the Battle of Britain in World War 2, about whom Lord Tedder (chief of the RAF) said in 1947: "If any one man won the Battle of Britain, he did." Born in Thames, and educated in Dunedin, Keith Park served with the Royal Artillery in France during World War 1 before a wound led to his transfer to the air corps. He became a decorated fighter pilot and went on to lead the RAF.
Maurice Wilkins
Born in Pongaroa, north Wairarapa, in 1916, Wilkins was a physicist whose meticulous research is credited with the discovery of DNA molecule structure, a discovery regarded as one of the greatest scientific breakthroughs of all time.His work earned him a Nobel Prize for Physics. He died in 2004, aged 87.