A couple of Otago born-and-raised New Zealanders have been voted among the most trusted people in the country.
All Blacks captain Richie McCaw, who was born in Oamaru and educated at Otago Boys' High School in Dunedin, topped the annual list of New Zealand's most trusted people for 2012.
McCaw, now based in Christchurch, lived in the Hakataramea Valley and was schooled in Kurow before moving to Dunedin in 1994 to board at Otago Boys', where he studied until 1999.
New Zealand's second-most-trusted person, Alison Holst, was born and raised in Dunedin, where she went to school and graduated from the University of Otago.
The television chef, who has had about 90 cookbooks published, was made a Dame Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2010.
Reader's Digest commissioned the eighth annual Most Trusted People Survey, undertaken by independent research firm Catalyst Consultancy and Research.
It was conducted in two rounds, to determine who caught the public's imagination in the past year, and to calculate rankings.
A representative cross-section of more than 600 people rated how much they trusted a list of 100 well-known New Zealanders on a scale of one to 10.
Results also showed those who were least trusted.
Rounding out the top five most trusted were "Mad Butcher" Sir Peter Leitch (3), former All Black Sir John Kirwan (4) and New Zealand Defence Force soldier Willie Apiata VC (5).
Others with strong ties to Otago included Mosgiel-born All Black Brad Thorn (23), former Dunedin resident and psychologist Nigel Latta (equal 28), and actor Sam Neill (equal 28) - a Lakes district resident and Central Otago vineyard owner.
Cookbook author and television chef Annabel Langbein, of Wanaka, was ranked 31 equal.
Radio personality Jim Mora, who attended Otago Boys' and Otago University and began his broadcasting career in Dunedin, was ranked 36.
The 59th-most-trusted New Zealander was jeweller and businessman Sir Michael Hill, an Arrowtown resident who developed The Hills golf course.
As in previous years, politicians made up the bulk of those least trusted.
Ministers and MPs in the bottom 10 included Pita Sharples (91), Gerry Brownlee (93), Tariana Turia (94), Winston Peters (96) and Hone Harawira (99).
Internet entrepreneur Kim Dotcom was ranked 98, ahead of last-placed Brian Tamaki, a church leader.
Of 40 listed professions, firefighters, paramedics, rescue volunteers, nurses, pilots and doctors were most trusted, while journalists, real estate agents, insurance, car and door-to-door salesmen, sex workers and telemarketers were least trusted.
Top 10
Most trusted New Zealanders in 2012
1. Richie McCaw, All Blacks captain.
2. Alison Holst, food writer.
3. Peter Leitch, businessman.
4. John Kirwan, former All Black.
5. Willie Apiata VC, soldier.
6. Peter Snell, former athlete.
7. Kevin Milne, former TV host.
8. Sarah Ulmer, cyclist.
9. Jim Hickey, TV presenter.
10. Judy Bailey, former TV presenter.
