With thousands of Good Sorts entries every year, the toughest part of host Hadyn Jones’ job is deciding which community-friendly Kiwi qualifies for the exclusive list.
The light-hearted weekly One News segment, which looks at everyday New Zealanders helping others and the community, has being going since 2007 and with only 48 Good Sorts pieces done each year, Jones admits it is tough deciding who makes the cut.
“I’m sitting on about 2000 at the moment. They trickle in at all hours of the week. It’s always good fun to look at them.
“You get applications from a seven year old that says, ‘You should choose my mum because she’s awesome,’ and that’s all,” chuckles Jones.
Hadyn pinched the idea while spending time at American news network CNN where there was a similar piece called Heroes, which he describes as “overblown and American”.
After tweaking the concept in a bid to make it more “Kiwi and user-friendly”, Jones pitched the idea to his boss – who was instantly hooked – and from there the segment has blossomed.
He says it is not difficult to qualify as a good sort. You just need to help out in the community.
“A good sort is someone who gives more to the community than they do to themselves. They think of others more than themselves.
“It doesn’t need to be anything big. It just needs to be something that helps the community
Sorts have had some sort of trauma or tragedy in their lives, so the good that they do actually helps them as well.
