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This year was not one of kindness in many ways and the death of some of the world's most recognisable celebrities will not have helped people deal with 2016.
A lot of attention was focused overseas with the deaths of much-admired writers and singers like David Bowie, Leonard Cohen, Prince, Glenn Frey, Leon Russell, Merle Haggard and George Michael, the latter on Christmas Day. Sir George Martin, the producer of The Beatles' albums, also left a huge legacy, along with Harper Lee, who won the Pulitzer Prize for her novel To Kill a Mockingbird.
Former world heavyweight boxing champion, and some say the greatest boxer ever, Muhammad Ali, died after a long battle with illness.
A name forever synonymous with Cuba, Fidel Castro, died aged 90, just as relations between Cuba and the United States were warming.
Recently, Hungarian actress and socialite Zsa Zsa Gabor - the woman who made being famous famous - died. Astronaut and former US senator John Glenn was remembered for his war heroics and former first lady Nancy Reagan was remember for her fortitude as the wife of former president Ronald Reagan and for the style she introduced to the White House.
And while much of the attention was overseas, New Zealand lost its own range of true heroes, people who had brought joy, achievement, entertainment and determination to this country.
Too often, as a small country, we focus on the larger-than-life achievements of people on the global stage without truly appreciating what we have right in front of us.
Photographer Marti Friedlander, Jean Wishart, the longest-serving editor of the New Zealand Woman's Weekly, broadcaster Frank Torley and author James McNeish introduced us to sides of New Zealand many would not otherwise have seen.
Sports stars such as cricketer Martin Crowe, jockeys Bob and Bill Skelton and former All Blacks like Wally Argus - who first pulled on the black jersey in Dunedin 70 years ago - provided the country with a way to channel its collective pride. And where would sports fans have been without Dunedin broadcaster Peter Sellers and Auckland sports writer D. J. Cameron to explain what fans had heard or witnessed?
Sir Ron Scott is credited with the success of the 1974 Commonwealth Games in Christchurch where the 1500m race between Sir John Walker and Filbert Bayi was nail-biting and Dick Taylor became a New Zealand legend with his gold medal win in the 10,000m.
Bunny Walters, Tony Williams and Ray Columbus kept us entertained in so many ways.
North Otago irrigation pioneer Sid Hurst and pharmaceutical pioneer Graeme Douglas changed the way farming and drug manufacturing was carried out.
Maoridom lost some of its great leaders such as kapa haka giant Ngapo Wehi, health, education and development leader Rob Cooper, writer Rowley Habib and Sir Graham Latimer, who not only worked tirelessly on Treaty of Waitangi settlements but also stopped the public sale of human remains. Ranganui Walker was universally admired for his unwavering support of Maori rights.
Shakespeare expert Ida Gaskin, the first woman to win Mastermind New Zealand, and Dame Grace Hollander, the former national president of the National Council of Women and Council of Jewish Women, provided women of all ages with inspiration to reach higher for goals. Poet Ruth Gilbert was continuously in print for 50 years and trade unionist Helen Kelly will be long remembered for her work with the families of workplace deaths and injuries and her battle to legalise medicinal cannabis.
Let us not forget two war heroes, Keith Thiel and Keith Lawrence.
What all of this proves is although global superstars make the everyday headlines well after they are dead, New Zealand has an incredible heritage of its own heroes to remember. It is important this nation builds on the work of those who left us this year, otherwise the good work they did will be forgotten too soon.
As the new year starts, there will be people who die too soon. The next generation has an obligation to step up, using the legacy of those people to expand further the knowledge and experience for those yet to come.