[caption id="attachment_11821" align="alignright" width="353"] William Vaea.[/caption]

FIREFIGHTER turned real estate agent William Vaea is New Zealand's 2016 Changed Agents Award winner.

Mr Vaea, of Ray White Manukau City, beat out entries from across the nation to take the prestigious title at the annual real estate Blue­Print conference held in Queenstown on Wednesday, September 14.

His journey from saving houses to selling houses has seen him increase his gross fees commission by 115% to $559,784.94 in the last financial year and with a new level of confidence he has set a target of $800,000 for next year.

Mr Vaea's family and staff were in attendance to see him win the award voted by more than 90 of his industry peers at the two­day conference.

"I'm pretty stoked. I was just happy to be there and to win is amazing," an elated Mr Vaea said.

"It's great exposure and the messages of support from everyone in the room telling me that they voted for me was flattering.

"I've even had a phone call from the CEO of Ray White New Zealand to congratulate me."

Mr Vaea's career as an agent started after nine years in the fire service, where he says he first found an enthusiasm for connecting with members of the public.

As an agent, Mr Vaea has said he has used his passion for people in being able to provide a personal service, guiding people through the buying and selling process.

He believes keeping it real is the key to his success.

“You have to have that connection and be able to relate to people and just be genuine. People can see through those who fake it. If you genuinely care about people you’ve got a chance of making it," he said.

The Changed Agents Awards win caps off a successful year for Mr Vaea who has won several internal accolades at Ray White including the company's Executive Award, National Premier Member Award and National Elite Member Award.

First launched in 2013, the Changed Agents Awards is the brainchild of real estate speaker, trainer and coach Josh Phegan and recognises agents who have gone from “zero to hero” in less than a year.

Mr Phegan said four Changed Agents Award finalists had 15 minutes to present their success stories before their peers judged the eventual winner.

He said the quality of entrants was a testament to the strength of the industry in New Zealand.

As the award winner, Mr Vaea received $5000 cash, a one­on­one full day consulting session with Mr Phegan and $5000 in advertising from Property Press.