Maioro Barton, of Ngāti Wai and Ngāti Porou descent, has been nominated in the New Zealand Pride Awards which recognises ordinary Kiwis doing big things in their community.
He has been nominated in the community spirit category for his work, and his want to get young people with disabilities into sport.
He is 27 years old and was born with spina bifida, which means he is now in a wheelchair for his entire life.
Maioro works at Sport Waikato and is the co-ordinator for an after-school programme that helps young people with disabilities.
Through his work, he has been able to show young people that despite their disabilities, they can still partake in sports. This is the very reason he has been nominated for this prestigious award.
Wheelchair Basketball is something close to Maioro's heart. At the age of 14 he become the youngest member to be apart of the New Zealand under-20 wheelchair basketball team.
He says, "I was in the training squad for the Roller Blacks a couple of years ago but at the moment now I'm just focusing on my role within the community.
Getting young people involved with sports and also I'm in the process of starting my own corporate team building business"
Maioro is the epitome of the saying, "living your life to the fullest," and there is no doubt that he has a bright future ahead of him.