Eleven people will be presented with Waitaki Citizens' Awards this year under a programme run by the Waitaki District Council since 1996.
The annual awards are presented to Waitaki citizens who have given long and unselfish service to many areas of the community, yet were often unknown outside the areas to which they have given such unstinting service.
The awards will be presented at a special ceremony in the Opera House on Tuesday.
Award recipients this year are.-
Marion Baird moved to Duntroon from Dunedin and became a founding member of the Duntroon and District Development Association.
She has given her time and energy to the Duntroon community for many years without expecting any reward.
Her contribution has included being a firefighter for the Duntroon brigade, driving school buses and serving on numerous committees.
She has been involved in or instigated many projects in the area.
Dick Behrent, of Oamaru, has given service to innumerable organisations over the past 50 years.
His service ranges from giving vegetables from his extensive garden, to helping transporting people to hospital appointments in Christchurch, Timaru and Dunedin over the past 20 years, voluntary work for the North Otago Golf Club, delivering phone books to raise funds for the Air Training Corps, being a member of the Road Safety committee and doing volunteer work for Columba Church.
He has delivered the church newsletter for more than 50 years and helped maintain church grounds for almost as long.
Maurice Cowie has lived at Omarama for 39 years, joining the Omarama Fire Brigade in 1971 and receiving a long service medal, a gold star for 25 years and in 2001 a medal for Year of the Volunteer.
He has also been an active member in search and rescue for several years.
Rob Douglas has been a member of the North Otago Tree Planting Association since 1974, its president for four years and is now secretary.
Founding secretary-treasurer of the North Otago Memorial Oaks Committee, he has researched and published a book on the growing memorials to North Otago soldiers who served in World War 1.
He was instrumental in replacing crosses under the trees.
He is also chairman of the Oamaru Beautifying Society and has served on the Forrester Gallery, St Lukes Church, Waiareka Valley Lions, Waitaki Lakes Committee and Waianakarua Memorial Hall Committee.
Olwyn Gibb is well known throughout North Otago as the "bird lady" because of her association with a number of bird groups.
For the past 20 years she has fed and maintained the birds in the Oamaru Gardens aviary, re-establishing it with her own birds.
Another passion is athletics, helping young people train and taking boys brigade members for athletics and some for Duke of Edinburgh awards.
She competes herself at Masters Games, winning 60 medals.
Ray Gibb has also been involved as chairman of various poultry, bird and pigeon societies for many years, including appointment as the South Island delegate to federation meetings.
Travelling the country to assist and pass on to others his experience in that area, Mr Gibb has specialised in lizard canaries and has chaired the New Zealand society for four years.
After World War 2, there were only 20 pairs of the birds left in the world and Mr Gibb imported some to New Zealand, successfully breeding them.
Leititia (Teesh) Lester, of Palmerston, was originally a Plunket nurse, adding to that a skill of budgeting advice.
More recently, she has been a member of the Palmerston Primary School committee and has worked with Guides and Rangers.
She delivers meals on wheels, takes library books to elderly people at the Kimberley rest-home, organises transport for them and attends fortnightly Senior Citizens meetings.
She makes Christmas cakes for elderly friends, and for many years made wreaths for Anzac Day.
Bill Owen has been involved with the Waitaki Wood Turners' Guild and North Otago Harrier and Amateur Athletic Club for decades.
He joined the woodturners' club in 1996, been a committee member since then, treasurer since 2004 and in 2005 was appointed a tutor at Aoraki Polytechnic.
He joined the athletics club in 1956 and since then had taken an active part as a committee member and club captain.
He also served on the North Otago Sports Bodies Association.
Lex Perriam has been search and rescue co-ordinator and police adviser for 32 years.
The Omarama man has also been a rural fire officer for 24 years.
He was part of the Omarama team which went to the world championships in Paris and finished 10th.
He was presented with the Police community service medal in 2001, the Year of the Volunteer, has a commendation search and rescue service medal, a gold star for services to rural fire and the Queen's medal for service with the New Zealand Fire Service.
Linda Read is passionate about Otematata and its development.
She has been the Otematata fire station officer and secretary and treasurer for 12 years, instigating medical training for co-responders and fundraising for equipment for the unit which began in 2006.
She was on the inaugural committee of the Otematata Sports Club, participating in the organisation of rugby, netball and basketball.
She has been the Otematata Residents' Association secretary, on the Wayforward Group and started the project which established a roped off area and raft at Loch Laird for swimmers.
Margaret Vickers is well known around Palmerston as "a doer" - if something needs to be done, she is there.
She has been a Good Samaritan for 15 years, Radio Puketapu chairwoman for three years, the dog trial archivist and on the Palmerston Museum committee.
At present she is working as an archivist involved in compiling and collating data on the history of dog trialling through New Zealand and in charge of the North Otago dog trialling archives.
A keen amateur genealogist, she is also a trustee and treasurer on the new Palmerston Museum committee.
