Last updated:
Wednesday, 8 March 2023
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
AVIA, Ms Donna Tusiata (Tusiata)
For services to poetry and the arts
Ms Tusiata Avia is an internationally acclaimed poet, performer and children’s author known for her dynamic performance style.
Ms Avia’s poetry stage show, ‘Wild Dogs Under My Skirt’, is a deeply personal examination and celebration of what it is to be a Samoan woman, Pacific Island life and its sometimes uneasy collisions with New Zealand. Premiering at the Dunedin Fringe Festival in 2002 as a solo-show, it is now a multi-award-winning ensemble theatre production for six women, most recently garnering the 2020 Outstanding Production of the Year at the Off-Broadway theatre, Soho Playhouse, New York. She has published three collections of poetry: ‘Wild Dogs Under My Skirt’, ‘Bloodclot’, ‘Fale Aitu / Spirit House’ and three children’s books: ‘Mele and the Fofo’, ‘The Song’ and ‘The Rat and the Octopus’. Her poems have been published in more than 100 anthologies and literary journals. Beginning in 2003, she taught creative writing and performance for a range of communities, arts organisations, schools, tertiary institutions and justice facilities across the country. Ms Avia is the recipient of a number of awards including the Fulbright-Creative New Zealand Pacific Writers Residency at the University of Hawai’i, the Ursula Bethell Creative Writers Residency, and the Janet Frame Literary Trust Award.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
BADDELEY, Mr John Clinton (Clint)
For services to local government and the community
Mr Clint Baddeley has served the Waikato region in a variety of capacities over the last 50 years.
Mr Baddeley was the Convenor of the Council of Trade Unions in the Waikato region for 10 years, becoming involved with some of New Zealand’s largest manufacturing and dairy companies. He has served on a variety of boards, including the national board of Institutes of Technology and Polytechnics New Zealand from 2005 to 2008, and the board of WorldSkills New Zealand from 2015 to 2018. He chaired the Building and Assets Committee of the Waikato Institute of Technology for nine years, overseeing a $100 million campus redevelopment. He was Deputy Mayor of the Waikato District Council from 2007 to 2010 and represented Raglan on the Council from 2004 to 2017. He chaired the Council’s Strategy and Finance Committee for six years and chaired a committee formed between Hamilton City Council and Waikato District Council to oversee boundary changes. He has been Chair of the Waikato Community Trust. Mr Baddeley has been a volunteer radio broadcaster for Raglan Community Radio for more than 20 years, co-established the Raglan junior football league, and was a driver for the Raglan Ambulance for five years.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
BARTLE, Ms Carol
For services to health, particularly breastfeeding education
Ms Carol Bartle was the coordinator of the Canterbury Breastfeeding Advocacy Service and now works as a Policy Analyst for the New Zealand College of Midwives.
Ms Bartle has a background in nursing, midwifery, education, and lactation consultancy and has advocated for the protection, promotion and support of breastfeeding since the 1980s. She is an experienced educator, teaching seminars in New Zealand and overseas on all aspects of breastfeeding, social marketing, ethics, and the international code of marketing of breast-milk substitutes. She helped to establish the Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative, which has seen New Zealand’s breastfeeding rates on hospital discharge increase by 50 percent since 2000. She was a member of the New Zealand National Breastfeeding Committee and has been a member of the La Leche League’s New Zealand and International Professional Advisory Groups for many years. She has been involved with the establishment of the two donor human milk banks in New Zealand, Christchurch Women’s Hospital Neonatal Intensive Care Unit milk bank and the Rotary Community Breast Milk Bank. Ms Bartle is a Board member of West Christchurch Women's Refuge.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
BENTON, Mr David Michael
For services to addiction support and treatment
Mr David Benton has worked in the addictions field for 30 years in New Zealand and the United States.
Mr Benton was inaugural Chief Executive Officer for the Hanmer BOP Charitable Trust, otherwise known as the Hanmer Clinic Tauranga, from 1999 until 2016. In 2018 he resumed his role as CEO of the clinic, which provides abstinence-based treatment programmes for those with drug and alcohol addictions in Tauranga. The clinic is now the largest supplier of addiction support services in Tauranga, other than the District Health Board. He was an elected member of the National Committee for Addiction Treatment for 16 years. He was a member of the National Opioid Training Advisory Board for nine years and Chairman of the National Network of Opioid Treatment Providers for nine years. He has previously worked as the manager of the Lakes Methadone Service in Rotorua and was Programme Director for the Salvation Army Bridge Programme on Rotoroa Island, Auckland. He has developed extensive alcohol and drug training programmes and services throughout New Zealand. Mr Benton has recently been collaborating with Te Tuinga Whanau to create assistance services for homeless people who have drug and alcohol-related issues.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
BEYER, Ms Georgina, JP
For services to LGBTIQA+ rights
Ms Georgina Beyer is a politician and performer whose career politically and in the broader media has broken unprecedented ground for transgender people nationally and abroad.
Ms Beyer entered politics in the early 1990s and was elected to the Carterton District Council in a 1993 by-election. She was elected Mayor of the Council in 1995 and held office for five years. In the 1999 general election she was elected as Member of Parliament for Wairarapa, holding the seat for two terms, and continuing from 2005 to 2007 as a list MP. She was the first transgender mayor in world history and the world’s first transgender person to be elected to Parliamentary office. She served on several government committees, including Chairing the Social Services Select Committee, and while in office supported the Prostitution Reform Act 2003 and the Civil Union Act 2004. She has delivered presentations at several international conferences, including the First International Conference on LGBT Rights in Montreal in 2006. More recently in 2018 she presented at both Oxford and Cambridge Unions. She was a Board member of the New Zealand Aids Foundation from 1997 to 1999. Prior to her career in politics she was an openly transgender actor and performer who appeared in a range of primetime television features. Ms Beyer was the subject of the feature-length documentary ‘Georgie Girl’ (2001), which screened internationally.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
BISHOP, Mrs Marianne
For services to the union movement and the community
Mrs Marianne Bishop has been involved in New Zealand’s union movement for more than 25 years, advocating for the rights of workers, women, and children.
Mrs Bishop worked as a nurse for more than 30 years. She joined the Service and Food Workers Union (SFWU) in 1997, becoming a union delegate in 1998. In 2009, she was elected to the SFWU National Executive and was elected as the SFWU Central Region President in 2012. After SFWU’s merger to form E tū in 2015, she sat on its National Executive for three years. She has been actively involved in union campaigns, especially those that affect women and children, including Living Wage Campaign, Equal Pay Case and Equal Pay Coalition, 26 Weeks for Babies, Say NO to Violence, and the White Ribbon Campaign. She joined the Pan Pacific South East Asia Women’s Association (PPSEAWA) in 2011 and has been President of its Wellington Area Group since 2016. She has been involved in PPSEAWA projects including free swimming lessons for pre-school children from low income families and the Kaleidoscope of Kultures event for children and the elderly from different cultural backgrounds. Mrs Bishop has been appointed to the National Advisory Committee on the Employment of Women and a representative at the International Women’s Caucus.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
BROAD, Mrs Patricia Gweneith, QSM
For services to gymnastics
Mrs Patricia Broad has been involved with gymnastics for 55 years and was awarded the Queen’s Service Medal in 1991.
Mrs Broad established and has been Head Coach of St Bernadette’s Gymnastics Club since 1964, which continues to thrive, with more than 100 members and offering training five days a week. She personally continues to coach five days a week on a voluntary basis and has had oversight and input into all aspects of the club’s administration. The club hosts competitions throughout the year for other gymnasts from around the region. She has had a long standing involvement with St Bernadette’s School and continues to hold weekly lunchtime classes to help junior school pupils experience gymnastics, coached with the help of the older primary school gymnasts. She has coached a number of gymnasts who have represented Otago in the New Zealand Gymnastics Championships. She has been a judge for Gymnastics New Zealand since 1977 and attained her international judge qualification in 2006. Until recently, she regularly judged at national competitions for more than 25 years. Mrs Broad continues to judge at a number of South Island competitions each year.
HONOURS
Queen’s Service Medal for Community Services, New Year 1991
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
BUCHANAN, Mr John McGregor
For services to music
Mr John Buchanan conducted the Wanaka Singers from 1995 to 2003, leading fundraising for the acquisition of a high performance digital organ.
Mr Buchanan conducted the Central Otago Regional Orchestra from 1999 to 2008. He established the Central Otago Regional Choir in 2004 and conducted them until 2018, presenting bi-annual concerts. He has been instrumental in securing young student soloists from the University of Otago’s voice programme as soloists with the Regional Choir. He has directed shows for the Wanaka community and the Alexandra Musical Society. He was Musical Director of the Dunstanza Choir of Dunstan High School from 2006. Under his direction, the Senior Girls won the Māori Performance Award at the 2017 Big Sing Finale and a Silver Commendation at the International Music Festival in Sydney in 2018. He conducted the Roxburgh Pioneer Energy Brass Band from 2016, winning consecutive New Zealand Championship Awards in 2017 and 2018. He is Treasurer of the Otago Branch of the New Zealand Choral Federation. In 2019 Mr Buchanan spearheaded the Federation’s Cadenza initiative to widen inclusion of secondary school choirs in the Big Sing choral competition.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
BURT, Mr Russell George
For services to primary education
Mr Russell Burt is a leading teaching and learning innovator in New Zealand who has pushed for the integration of digital technology in low decile schools over a number of decades.
Mr Burt has been the principal of Pt England School, a decile one school in East Auckland, since 1993. In 2007, he co-founded the Manaiakalani Education Programme, established to accelerate academic progress and deliver digital learning outcomes in low socioeconomic communities. The programme now has an outreach programme with 91 schools across New Zealand. His work has assisted more than 20,000 primary school students, mainly Māori and Pasifika, to achieve better academic results in the Tamaki region. The award-winning programme has a national and international profile for the development of digital teaching and learning. He has been an advisor with the Manaiakalani Education Trust since 2011, set up to fund the programme. He has been an advisor to the Ministry of Education to assist with the provision of quality staff for New Zealand schools, and is a member of national taskforces and reference groups, including the national Managed Learning Environments forum, and the Minister of Education’s Broadband Reference Group. Mr Burt has been Chair of the Tamaki Community Development Trust since 1996.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
CHICK, Mrs Lois Anne
For services to education
Mrs Lois Chick is the co-founder and co-director of the New Zealand Graduate School of Education (NZGSE), one of the first private teacher training organisations in the country.
NZGSE was established in 1996, and Mrs Chick continues to co-direct the school. She helped develop a detailed system of criteria for effective practice, as well as tools designed to measure and assess teacher effectiveness. A Te Reo and Tikanga competencies course has also been introduced at NZGSE. NZGSE has trained more than 1,600 primary and secondary teachers since its inception. The training programme at NZGSE sees students spend as much as two thirds of their course teaching in a classroom, a contrast to standard teaching models where students are often sitting in lectures. NZGSE has a successful record, with more than 97 percent of students successfully gaining employment in the field following graduation. She previously taught at eight schools in New Zealand, as well as special education schools nationally and in the United Kingdom. Her expertise in special education and learning support saw her chair the Board of Trustees governing Halswell Residential School and Westbridge Resident School from 2014 to 2017. Mrs Chick routinely conducts performance appraisals for local boards of trustees in the Canterbury region.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
CRERAR, Mr David Osborne
For services to mountaineering and outdoor recreation
Mr David Crerar has contributed to outdoor recreation and mountaineering in several roles since the 1960s, including making significant contributions to mountaineering through his 37 years as a Coroner for North Canterbury and Otago-Southland.
Mr Crerar has been a member of the Canterbury Mountaineering Club since 1965, including time as Secretary and Treasurer. As Leader of Scott Base he was responsible for the safety of the New Zealand programme in Antarctica. He has applied his mountaineering experience to his work as Coroner, helping to institute significant reforms to mountaineering management and safety throughout the country such as improved signage, seasonal track closures and management of services in winter conditions. He is a past Vice Chair of the Mountain Safety Council and served on the Council's Committee, advising the Department of Conservation relating to improving safety and management of the Tongariro Crossing. He is Chair of the Otago Scout Endowment Trust, responsible for the management of the Otago Scout movement's property and forest investments. Mr Crerar remains a member of the Rangiora Tramping Club, is a past Chair of the Antarctic Heritage Trust, a past President of the Lions Club of Rangiora, and is currently the Secretary of the Lions Club of Otago Peninsula and a Trustee of the Knox Foundation.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
DAVIS, Mr Joseph John Francis (Joe)
For services to Māori and conservation
Mr Joe Davis is a member of the Hauraki Māori Trust Board for Ngāti Hei, a key treaty negotiator for Ngāti Hei and Ngāpuhi, and is the kaitiaki of Ngāti Hei’s rohe.
Mr Davis works closely with the Department of Conservation on a variety of matters and is a member of the Te Whanganui-A-Hei (Cathedral Cove) Committee and Hahei Coast Committee. He has been a member for three terms of the Waikato Regional Council’s Coromandel Catchment Committee. He was an inaugural member of the Sea Change – Tai Timu Tai Pari Stakeholder Working Group from 2013 to 2016, working collaboratively to produce the first Hauraki Gulf/Tikapa Moana Marine Spatial Plan. More recently, Mr Davis developed and organised the pōwhiri at Wharekaho for the Tuia 250 national commemoration event in 2019.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
DAWKINS, Mrs Pamela Josephine Nicol (Jo)
For services to horticulture
Mrs Jo Dawkins joined the New Zealand branch of the International Plant Propagators Society (IPPS) in 1980, working in a variety of administrative and governance roles before becoming the New Zealand IPPS President in 1992.
Mrs Dawkins became New Zealand’s International Director of IPPS and later International President of the Society in 1994. She remained involved with IPPS until 2002. She co-founded the Te Puna Quarry Park in 1995. The Park was transformed from an old quarry into a major horticulture and floriculture tourism destination in the Western Bay of Plenty, which opened to the public in 1997. She has been on the Park’s committee for the past 25 years, including as President from 2001 to 2004. Mrs Dawkins continues her hands-on involvement with the Park three days a week, contributing to weeding, planting and other general maintenance tasks.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
DAWSON, Mr Murray Ian
For services to horticulture
Mr Murray Dawson joined the Royal New Zealand Institute of Horticulture (RNZIH) in 1996 and led the redevelopment of their website, which launched in 2000 and saw him join the National Executive on which he still serves.
Mr Dawson became principal editor of the New Zealand Garden Journal in 2005. He is webmaster for the Friends of the Christchurch Botanic Gardens and the New Zealand Botanical Society. He has led several successful funding applications for RNZIH projects, including creating the Plant Collections Register in 2011 and digitising the Duncan and Davies Nursery Catalogue collection. He continues to produce the RNZIH newsletters and journals and has held voluntary administration roles since 2011. He is a botanist with Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research and has developed interactive identification applications, including one to identify weeds, which he has used since 2016 as a teaching tool in schools participating in The Great Weeds Hunt Aotearoa. He took a lead role in organising the 2003 ‘Greening the City: Bringing Biodiversity Back into the Urban Environment’ conference for Canterbury. He helped establish the New Zealand Gardens Trust in 2003. He joined iNaturalist NZ in 2012 and actively contributes to their help desk. Mr Dawson was appointed Registrar of New Zealand native genera for the International Cultivar Registration Authority in 2013.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
EDMOND, Ms Jacqueline Leigh (Jackie)
For services to sexual and reproductive health
Ms Jackie Edmond has been Chief Executive of Family Planning New Zealand since 2006.
Ms Edmond has approached her career in mental health and sexual and reproductive health with the conviction that everyone has the right to the highest standards of health care and access to the best of services. She is particularly committed to the rights of women and young people and their access to the services they need. She has tirelessly advocated for contraception and access to abortion care as essential services since 2006. She has had significant influence on funding decisions that have resulted in more contraceptive methods being available at no cost and the recent change that saw abortion services moved away from criminal code to provision within the health system. She has led the New Zealand delegation to the United Nations International Conference on Population and Development for several years. She was Chair of the Asia Pacific Alliance, a group of organisations working in sexual and reproductive health in countries across Asia and the Pacific. She was previously a Board member and Chair of the Hutt Valley Youth Health Service. She is a registered nurse with more than twenty years’ clinical experience. Ms Edmond has been a service manager at Canterbury District Health Board and in the mental health area.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
ENARI, Mr Iosefa Punefu (Sefa)
For services to Pacific dance
Mr Sefa Enari is the founder and artistic director of Pacific Dance New Zealand (PDNZ), the national organisation established in 2010 for the development of New Zealand’s Pacific dance industry.
Mr Enari was a founding member of Pacific Theatre in 1987. He trained as a professional dancer at LIMBS Dance Programme, UNITEC School of Performing Arts and holds a masters degree in Dance Studies from the University of Auckland. He is a dancer, choreographer, artistic director and educator. Through PDNZ, he has been integral in organising a number of national events including the Pacific Dance Artist in Residence, the Pacific Dance Choreographic Lab, various symposiums, educational and community programmes, and the annual Pacific Dance Festival. As a choreographer he created dance works for the World War One centenary commemoration at Auckland Museum in 2014 and the opening performance for the 2014 televised National Rugby Awards Ceremony. He has created works for art galleries, professional live theatre, television programmes and films. He has performed in the United States, Canada, Japan, Europe and throughout the Pacific. Mr Enari is former convenor of the Pacific Music and Dance programme at the University of Auckland’s Centre of Pacific Studies and was the curriculum leader for Polynesian dance studies at Te Wānanga o Aotearoa and PIPA.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
FRASER, Miss Rhonda Renyl Nga-Tiawa (Rona)
For services to women and aviation
Miss Rona Fraser has been a pioneer in the aviation sector, helping to run the New Zealand Association of Women in Aviation since its inception.
Miss Fraser helped to establish the New Zealand Association of Women in Aviation (NZAWA) in 1960 and served as its first President. NZAWA has increased the participation of women in the aviation industry over the past 60 years, through providing mentoring, information and scholarships to women and girls throughout New Zealand. The Association currently has more than 200 members. She was the Patroness of NZAWA from 1999 to 2016 and has been a member of the Ninety-Nines since 2004, an international organisation for women pilots. She was the first woman to fly solo from the Wellington Aero Club, having joined in 1952 and trained in Tiger Moths. Miss Fraser established a riding school on her property in 1974 and established the Wellington Area Competitive Trail Riding Club in 1987, which still operates to this day with around 100 members.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
GADDUM, Mrs Emily Sarah
For services to hockey
Mrs Emily Gaddum played for the New Zealand women’s hockey team from 2004 to 2016 and was New Zealand’s most capped female hockey player from 2014 to 2019.
Mrs Gaddum played 274 international matches for the Black Sticks. She represented New Zealand at three Olympic Games and three Commonwealth Games, winning a silver medal at Delhi 2010 and a bronze medal at Glasgow 2014. She won a bronze medal at the 2011 Hockey Champions Trophy in Amsterdam, and the gold medal at the 2005 and 2009 Champions Challenge tournaments. She also played with the teams that competed at the 2010 and 2014 Women’s Hockey World Cups in Argentina and the Netherlands respectively. She continues to play and coach at club level in Hawke’s Bay and helped to establish a new hockey club in Havelock North in 2018. She has been a role model to female hockey players in the region and has managed a number of school holiday development programmes and youth camps for the Hawke’s Bay Hockey Association. She has coached the first XI secondary school teams for Iona College and Woodford House School. Mrs Gaddum has coached teams for Te Mata School on a voluntary basis and has run coaching for coaches sessions.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
GRAHAM, Mr William Neil (Billy)
For services to youth and the community
Mr Billy Graham founded the Naenae Youth Charitable Trust in 2006, through which he opened the Naenae Boxing Academy to provide a positive outlet and strategies for at-risk and disadvantaged young men in the community.
Mr Graham has continued to drive the development of his Boxing Academy initiative, with the establishment of the Billy Graham Youth Foundation and Boxing Academies in Cannons Creek, Mid-Canterbury, Wairarapa, Te Awamutu and West Auckland. He has trained young boxers that have come through the Naenae Academy to be leaders in two of his other academies. More recently he has focused on training young women, many from vulnerable backgrounds, having sourced female trainers and mentors to run separate classes to help develop life skills and character. Having been Patron of the New Zealand Police Recruit Wing 269 in 2011, Mr Graham has developed the relationship between his Boxing Academies and the New Zealand Police. Police College recruits train with young men and women from the Naenae and Cannons Creek Boxing Academies. In 2017 the Billy Graham Youth Foundation was the second organisation in New Zealand to be awarded the White Ribbon Business Accreditation.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
HARVEY, Mr David Victor William
For services to the New Zealand Police and the community
Mr David Harvey, formerly Detective Senior Sergeant, spent the majority of his 40-year career with the New Zealand Police leading serious crime investigations with the Criminal Investigation Branch.
Mr Harvey held leadership roles within the areas of Adult Sexual Assault, Metro Crime, Central City, Drug Squad, Fraud Squad, and Child Protection. He has successfully investigated numerous high profile and sensitive public interest cases. His investigations have included the murder of Olivia Hope and Ben Smart in 1996 and the shooting of staff at the Ashburton Work and Income office in 2014. He was the New Zealand Police Liaison Officer following the 2002 Bali bombing. He has been instrumental in victim advocacy and he has developed strong links with support agencies, such as Oranga Tamariki and the Ministry of Social Development, to enhance investigations and support the recovery of victims. He played a key role over several years in breaking down barriers and forming a constructive relationship between Police and the New Zealand Prostitutes Collective in Christchurch. The resulting strong relationship has led to increased trust in the Police and a greater information flow and Court attendance from the Collective. Mr Harvey has had a long-term commitment to developing trainee Detectives, mentoring staff through difficult investigations and personal issues over a number of years.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
HILL, Dr Jeremy Paul
For services to the dairy industry and scientific research
Dr Jeremy Hill has been the only New Zealander to hold the position of President and Chairman of the International Dairy Federation (IDF) in its 117-year history.
In this role, Dr Hill brokered the FAO/Global Dairy Industry Declaration of Rotterdam in 2016, a commitment and blueprint for sustainable environmentally aware future dairy production and nutrition. He was a founding governor for the Global Dairy Agenda for Action (GDAA) on sustainability from 2014 and chaired the GDAA Advisory Board from 2015 to 2017. He has been Fonterra Chief Science and Technology Officer since 2007 and throughout his career worked with New Zealand universities and the science and government sectors. He was a member of the Board responsible for overseeing the New Zealand Dairy Industry Postgraduate Training Programme and member of the advisory Boards for the University of Auckland Postgraduate Dairy School and Massey University School of Engineering and Advanced Technology. His studies into nutrition and the proteins in milk contributed to the formation of the currently successful A2 Milk Corporation. His research output includes more than 100 published works and he has made numerous presentations at international science conferences. Dr Hill was appointed Adjunct Professor, Sustainable Nutrition, Riddet Institute, Massey University in 2018.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
HIRD, Ms Elizabeth (Liz)
For services to health
Ms Liz Hird has been Chair of the Otaki Community Health Trust since 1995.
The Trust enabled maternity services to be provided in the community and attracted other services including counselling, parenting programmes and cervical screening. The Trust currently provides health scholarships for tertiary study. Ms Hird co-founded the Otaki Women’s Health Group in 1987, for the purpose of providing health services to women and empowering women in the Otaki community, and convened the group until 1991. She has been appointed as a District Inspector for Mental Health Services since 2002. From 1989 to 2007 she was legal advisor to Healthcare Aotearoa, an umbrella group of Primary Health Organisations in Wellington. During this time she negotiated initial capitation contracts for the delivery of primary health services in the Wellington area with the Ministry of Health. She led the establishment of the Otaki Primary Health Organisation in 2003. She was appointed as a lay member to the Medical Council of New Zealand from 2003 and 2013, including a period as Deputy Chair. Ms Hird has been the Deputy Chair of the Chiropractic Board of New Zealand since 2017.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
HUNTER, Dr Roberta Kathleen (Bobbie)
For services to mathematics education
Dr Bobbie Hunter has worked in the education sector for more than 50 years and is a leading figure in mathematics education.
Dr Hunter has been instrumental in raising mathematics achievement through the development of culturally responsive pedagogy, significantly improving outcomes for learners in schools throughout New Zealand. She founded in 2009 and has co-led the Developing Mathematical Inquiry Communities (DMIC) project, which provides development and learning for 140 schools across New Zealand, many of which have significant low socio-economic, Māori, or Pacific populations. She has also worked on extending this project into both Niue and the Cook Islands. She completed her PhD in 2007 and became a full Professor at Massey University within eight years, winning various teaching and research awards over the years. She was President of the Primary Mathematics Association in Auckland from 2001 to 2004 and Vice President of the Mathematics Education Research Group of Australasia from 2008 to 2013. Dr Hunter has led scale-up education projects, such as ‘Pasifika Success: Raising Student Achievement’ and a major project with Ngāi Tahu to improve Māori mathematic achievement at a low socio-economic school in Christchurch.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
JACKSON, Mr Graham Peter (Peter)
For services to the trades industry and business
Mr Peter Jackson is a leading business-owner, mentor and leader within the trades industry.
Mr Jackson has been a member of the New Zealand Plumbers, Gasfitters and Drainlayers Board from 1992 to 2000 and again from 2010 to 2019, serving as Deputy Chairman and Chairman. He has contributed to the transformation of this organisation, restoring industry relationships and putting in place a sound regulatory scheme for plumbers, gasfitters and drainlayers. He has been a Board member and Chair of Site Safe New Zealand since 2010. He is the current Chairman of Industry Connection for Excellence. He has been a Board member of the Apprenticeship Training Trust and the Southern Institute of Technology since 2013. He has managed his family-owned plumbing business for the past 45 years, training more than 80 apprentices in that time. He has also volunteered for the Business Mentor organisation, imparting his business and leadership knowledge to help entrepreneurs and business leaders to succeed. He is a Chartered Fellow of the New Zealand Institute of Directors and a New Zealand representative on the World Plumbing Council. Mr Jackson is a Life Member of the Southland Master Plumbers Association.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
JENKINS, Mrs Sandra
For services to education
Mrs Sandra Jenkins recently retired after more than 45 years working in New Zealand’s education sector.
Mrs Jenkins retired as the Principal of Freemans Bay Primary School in 2020 after 12 years in the role. In 2016, she led the school’s $19 million redevelopment, incorporating modern learning environments and project-based learning methods. She is a national and international leader in developing innovative learning environments. Between 2012 and 2019 she has presented at various international conferences and discussions around the world, including in Australia, China, Denmark, India and the United Kingdom. She is a Fellow of the Auckland Primary Principals Association (APPA) and was the Chairperson of the Far North Principals’ Association from 1993 to 2005. She has been a representative or an appointed member of the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI Te Riu Roa), Principal Council, Rural Teaching Principal Network, APPA ,and the Auckland City Centre Network. She was a volunteer NZEI industrial advocate for schools in the Far North from 1993 to 2005 and was made Associate of NZEI in 2005. She was a Foundation Member of the Global School Alliance from 2012 to 2020. Mrs Jenkins received the School Library Association of New Zealand’s Principal’s Award in 2019, in recognition of successfully developing a school library and promoting excellent library design to support learning.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
JOHNSTONE, Mrs Muriel Naomi TeHuikau
For services to Māori and conservation
Mrs Muriel Johnstone is an expert in Ngāi Tahu place names, Whakapapa, traditions and history.
Mrs Johnstone has voluntarily dedicated for more than 40 years for her Iwi, Rūnanga and community. She is knowledgeable in Iwi histories, shares Whakapapa advice, and is a passionate environmental advocate. She has been acknowledged as one of the key southern informants on Māori place names throughout Murihiku and Fiordland for the Ngāi Tahu cultural mapping project Ka Huru Manu. She has represented Ōraka-Aparima Rūnanga and Ngāi Tahu on numerous governance boards. She is Chair of the Taramea Management Committee having been a member for 20 years, a Ministry of Primary Industries appointed Tangata Tiaki Kaitiaki for the rohe Moana of Ōraka-Aparima, and Ministry for the Environment accredited RMA Hearings Commissioner. She served on the Guardians of Lakes Manapouri, Monowai and Te Anau for nine years, the Southland Conservation Board from 2005 to 2009, has been a member of the Department of Conservation’s Kaitiaki Roopu o Murihiku for almost 20 years, and is a member of the Milford Opportunities Governance Group. A respected Kaumātua and Kai-Rongoā, Mrs Johnstone is a Te Waipounamu Trustee on the National Te Kāhui Rongoā Trust.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
KEARNEY, Ms Sharon Anne
For services to physiotherapy and netball
Ms Sharon Kearney has been heavily involved in injury prevention for Netball New Zealand and High Performance Sport New Zealand for more than a decade and is one of the country's top experts in the field.
Ms Kearney worked as a physiotherapist for the national youth netball teams and the Silver Ferns in the 1990s, before being appointed as the Medical Co-Ordinator and touring physiotherapist for the Silver Ferns from 2002 to 2016. She has attended five World Championships, two Commonwealth Games and three World Youth Cups with New Zealand Netball teams. She is currently the Injury Prevention Manager for Netball New Zealand, developing injury prevention, physiotherapy and management programmes to help prevent sports injuries. She was a Specialist Advisor in physiotherapy for the New Zealand Academy of Sport from 2005 to 2006 and was Lead Physiotherapist for High Performance Sport New Zealand from 2001 to 2015. Alongside her national sports teams and organisations, Ms Kearney has been a tutor and clinical educator for the University of Otago’s Physiotherapy Clinic.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
KEELING, Dr Alison Margaret (Sally)
For services to gerontology
Dr Sally Keeling has been researching the social context of ageing, ageing and health, and age-friendly environments for the past 30 years.
Dr Keeling was a Senior Lecturer at the University of Otago’s Christchurch Campus, where she taught and researched in the field of gerontology. She was the President of the New Zealand Association of Gerontology from 2002 to 2005, President of the Association’s Canterbury Branch from 2002 to 2012, and was made a Life Member in 2019. She was the Associate Editor of Cambridge University Press’ Ageing and Society journal for eight years and the Director of the New Zealand Institute for Research on Ageing for three years. Dr Keeling helped lead the Ministry of Health’s adoption of the Evidence-Based Guideline for Assessment Processes for Older People in 2003 and had a leading role in the Ageing Well National Science Challenge from 2013 to 2018.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
KNIGHT, Dr Kevin Bartley, JP
For services to education
Dr Kevin Knight is the co-founder and co-director of the New Zealand Graduate School of Education (NZGSE), one of the first private teacher training organisations in the country.
NZGSE was established in 1996, and Dr Knight continues to co-direct the school. He helped develop a detailed system of criteria for effective practice, as well as tools designed to measure and assess teacher effectiveness. A Te Reo and Tikanga competencies course has also been introduced at NZGSE. NZGSE has trained more than 1,600 primary and secondary teachers since its inception. The training programme at NZGSE sees students spend as much as two thirds of their course teaching in a classroom, a contrast to standard teaching models where students are often sitting in lectures. NZGSE has a successful record, with more than 97 percent of students successfully gaining employment in the field following graduation. He runs the School Improvement Services arm of NZGSE, providing support to school managers and teachers through a variety of courses, schemes and reviews. He has designed a system of professional development for experienced teachers called ‘8People’, which is used by a number of schools in New Zealand and Australia. Dr Knight was appointed to the New Zealand Teachers Council from 2009 to 2012.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
LANDER, Dr Maureen Robin
For services to Māori art
Dr Maureen Lander is a leading exponent of raranga (weaving) and installation art.
Dr Lander began learning whatu kākahu (cloak-making) skills from Diggeress Te Kanawa in 1984 and started exhibiting her work in 1986. Her works have been shown in key exhibitions in New Zealand and overseas including ‘Pu Manawa’ at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa in 1993 and ‘Pasifika Styles’ in 2006 at the University of Cambridge’s Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology. Her exhibition ‘Flat-Pack Whakapapa’, organised by the Dowse Art Museum in 2017, is currently touring nationally. She was Senior Lecturer in Māori Material Culture at the University of Auckland’s Māori Studies Department and has continued to mentor aspiring Māori artists and kairaranga (weavers) after retiring from university lecturing in 2007. In 2002 Dr Lander gained a doctorate in Fine Arts from Auckland University, the first person of Māori descent to gain a doctorate in Fine Arts from a New Zealand university.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
LEBERMAN, Dr Sarah Isabella
For services to women, sport and tertiary education
Dr Sarah Leberman is a Professor of Leadership at Massey University, with a particular focus on women in sport and in academia.
Dr Leberman started work at Massey University as a recreation officer in 1991 and helped establish the academic sport management programme in 1992. Since then she has had various roles including Head of School of Management, Deputy Pro Vice-Chancellor for the Massey Business School, and Dean Academic for Massey University. She co-developed the University sector-wide New Zealand Women in Leadership programme in 2006, was Chair of the Steering Group Chair, and is now an Advisor. She has designed and implemented leadership programmes for girls and women at national and university levels. She is the co-founder and co-chair of Women in Sport Aotearoa, an organisation that advocates for women and girls to gain equity of opportunity to participate, compete, and build careers in sport and active recreation. She was involved in developing the $10 million government strategy to increase leadership, participation, value and visibility of women and girls in sport. She has managed the Junior Black Sticks Women and was the stand-in manager for the Black Sticks Women. She has also served on the boards of Volleyball New Zealand, Western Netball, and Hockey Manawatu. Dr Leberman coaches at her club, Taekwondo Manawatu.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
LONG, Mr Donald Stuart (Don)
For services to literature and education, particularly Pacific language education
Mr Don Long has worked and volunteered for more than 30 years as an educational resource publisher, with a specific focus on keeping Pacific languages alive, both in New Zealand and Pacific nations.
Mr Long has published many hundreds of books and poems in Pacific languages, including Cook Islands Māori, Fijian, Niuean, Samoan, Tokelauan, Tongan, and Tuvaluan. His continued commitment to publishing Pacific language educational resources has been vital in ensuring that Pacific students can relate to educational texts, and that Pacific languages have a voice in the New Zealand education system. He has completed projects for the UNESCO Office for the Pacific States, the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. He is currently working on publishing more than 100 titles for the Tokelau Department of Education. He has been a consultant to the Ministry for Cultural Development in the Cook Islands and the Asia-Pacific Centre of Education for International Understanding. He has served as a national executive committee member and as the Wellington Chairperson of the New Zealand Society of Authors. Mr Long is also an award-winning author of fiction, non-fiction and poetry for children and adults.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
MACKEY, Mr Takapuna Eruete Whaipooti (Taka)
For services to martial arts and Māori
Mr Taka Mackey founded and has led a Māori-focused martial arts centre in Gisborne for more than 40 years.
Mr Mackey is a former New Zealand representative martial arts athlete who founded the Rangataua o Aotearoa Māori Martial and Cultural Arts (ROA) club in Gisborne in 1977. The Gisborne club is the largest of the five ROA clubs in Australasia. ROA was formed as an avenue for young Māori to be included in community events, where fees are kept very low and classes are primarily taught in te Reo Māori. He has led the club for the past 43 years and has coached a number of students to international martial arts success. He has used martial arts to redirect aggression in a positive way and has taught life skills to youth. He is the current Vice President of the New Zealand Muay Thai Federation, a significant position with Muay Thai gaining provisional recognition as an Olympic sport, and has been on the committee since 2015. He oversees the security team for the annual Rhythm and Vines music festival in Gisborne, with proceeds used to support his students to attend international martial arts tournaments. Mr Mackey also played representative rugby for Poverty Bay and Horouta and was coach of the Horouta premier team.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
MACLEAN, Mr Donald John
For services to education
Mr Donald MacLean was Principal from 1997 until 2018 of Dilworth School in Auckland, a boarding school that provides fully funded education to boys from families experiencing personal or financial hardship.
As Principal Mr MacLean has led the development of a strong, supportive culture at the school and strengthened the wraparound care and pastoral support provided to students, and their whanau, to assist them with reaching their potential. In 2009, he opened the Isabella Dilworth Lodge that provides short-term care for students needing extra support. Under his leadership, the school had outstanding academic performance above the national average with 99 percent of all students, and 100 percent of Māori and Pacific students, gaining NCEA Level 3 in 2017. He played an instrumental role in establishing the School’s Rural Campus, Te Haerenga, in Managatawhiri in 2012. He has built the cultural and sporting opportunities offered by the School, now recognised internationally for music. He is involved with the Dilworth Family Connect association and has been Vice Patron of the Dilworth Old Boy’s Association. He has supported many other schools with providing education opportunities to other students from disadvantaged backgrounds. Mr MacLean was a Trustee of Motutapu Outdoor Education Trust for 20 years and the Anglicans Schools Board for New Zealand Aotearoa and Polynesia for 15 years.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
MCCLEARY, Ms Maureen Naomi (Naomi)
For services to the arts
Ms Naomi McCleary was the Manager of Arts for the Waitakere City Council from 1993 to 2010.
During this time, Ms McCleary developed a practice of putting artists on all professional design teams for public infrastructure projects, which has been adopted by other councils nationwide. In 1995, she established the Going West Festival, an event for authors and literature, which continues to this day. She has chaired the Going West Trust since 2016. In 1998 she led the Sites Pacific Symposium in which a number of multi-disciplinary design teams developed innovative projects on various sites as part of a creative urban development challenge. In 1998, she founded the McCahon House Trust, which runs New Zealand’s foremost artist-in-residence programmes in Titirangi, and was Chair until recently. She established the Trash to Fashion wearable art show in the mid-1990s, which preceded the World of Wearable Arts. She was instrumental in the establishment of Pacific HeARTbeat, the first Pacific arts education programme for Auckland school students, which has grown to include 12,000 annual participants. She has been a board member of the Waitakere Arts and Cultural Development Trust since 2010. As a Trustee Ms McCleary initiated a collaborative project known as TEMP in 2017 with artists and scientists co-creating artworks addressing an aspect of climate change impact.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
MCKAY, Mr Donald Ellis (Don)
For services to seniors and the community
Mr Don McKay was Chairman of Maungaturoto Community Charitable Trust Inc. (MCCT) for 30 years, which has focused on providing aged care support, and remains a Board member after stepping down as Chairman.
Under Mr McKay’s leadership, the MCCT has established a 14-bed rest home, 14 low-priced rental units, 14 further discounted housing units, and numerous rooms for doctors and other health professionals at low-cost. More recently he has been a key driver of the establishment of a 14-bed dementia facility, construction of which is well underway. The MCCT previously ran a community-led money exchange when both of the community’s local trading banks closed. He has served as a member of a Northland Beef Advisory Group and was Chairman of the New Zealand Beef Council for a short period. He has been a keen supporter of a local recreation farm, which provides a small golf course, a rugby field and a rehearsal studio for theatrical productions, as well as other facilities. Mr McKay has also volunteered for his local Lions club in Northland, where he has organised numerous working bees and community events and fundraisers.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
MCQUEEN, Dr Priscilla Muriel (Cilla)
For services as a poet
Dr Cilla McQueen has been one of New Zealand’s most distinguished poets since the early 1980s.
Dr McQueen has written 15 volumes of poetry, won the New Zealand Book Award for poetry three times, and was the New Zealand Poet Laureate between 2009 and 2011. She primarily writes about the Otago and Southland regions, with a particular focus on landscapes, people and history. She frequently volunteers to give readings of her poetry at schools and community centres around New Zealand. She has been the Burns Fellow at the University of Otago and was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University in 2008. In 2010, Dr McQueen received the Prime Minister’s Award for Literary Achievement.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
MILNE, Dr Beverley Ann (Ann)
For services to education
Dr Ann Milne has championed innovative approaches to education for the past 45 years.
Dr Milne is a leader in educational innovation for Māori and Pasifika students and is the founder of Ann Milne Education. Her pedagogical method highlights the need to develop a critical, culturally sustaining learning approach centred on students’ identities. She was the Principal of Kia Aroha College in South Auckland for 22 years, after 20 years as a teacher. At Kia Aroha she implemented a bilingual learning model based on a secure cultural identity and stable positive relationships. This involved the concept of ‘warrior scholars’, young people who are strong future leaders with high achievement, academic and cultural knowledge, and a secure cultural identity. She was a member of the judging panel for the Prime Minister’s Education Excellence Awards in 2019 and has presented widely on her research and methods, to national and international audiences including to the Ministry of Education as part of the Te Arawhiti guest speaker series. In 2015 Dr Milne was recognised with the New Zealand Principals’ Federation Service with Distinction award for her contributions to education in New Zealand.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
MINEHAN, Mr Desmond Gerard (Des)
For services to Fire and Emergency New Zealand
Mr Des Minehan has made significant contributions to the improvement of fire and emergency management and governance in the Southland region.
Mr Minehan was instrumental in leading discussions and driving initiatives in Southland in 1996 to amalgamate the rural fire responsibilities of the major forestry companies to form the Southern Plantations Rural Fire Authority (SPRFA). He was the Chairperson of the SPRFA Board from 2000 to 2003. In 2003, he led discussions to convince the Department of Conservation and local government to combine with SPRFA across Southland and parts of Otago, ultimately forming the Southern Rural Fire Authority (SRFA). He was the Chairperson of the SRFA Board from 2009 to 2016, leading up to the formation of Fire and Emergency New Zealand. He has chaired the Enlarged Rural Fire Authorities Chairpersons Forum since 2006. His leadership of rural fire management and governance has significantly contributed to building community resilience across the Southland region. Within the wider community, Mr Minehan is a past Chairperson of the Cromwell Golf Club, a Life Member of the Mataura Rugby Club, past President of Otago/Southland Axeman’s Association, and was a Board member of Rugby Southland for two years.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
NARESH, Dr Arish Chakarvarthi, JP
For services to the community and dentistry
Dr Arish Naresh has contributed to dentistry and his local community in the past 13 years since moving to New Zealand.
Dr Naresh is the Manager of Dental Services for the Tairawhiti District Health Board and the former Chief Allied Health Officer for the Capital and Coast District Health Board. He initiated the first publically funded maternal oral health service Hapu Mama Oranga Niho and launched the Te Herenga Ora: He Mahi Kokiri strategy at CCDHB. He is Chairperson of the New Zealand Dental and Oral Health Therapists’ Association. He is a founding member and President of the International Oral Health Association, an international body representing approximately 100,000 mid-level oral health practitioners globally. He has founded, helped establish or supported the Tairawhiti Multicultural Council, Gisborne Colour Run for Diversity, Whanganui Festival of Cultures, Gizzy School Lunches, and a free lunch scheme for homeless and underprivileged Gisborne residents. Dr Naresh has been a board member of UNICEF New Zealand, Co-chairperson of Ship for World Youth New Zealand, National Vice President of Multicultural New Zealand, and is a National Ambassador for White Ribbon New Zealand.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
NATHAN, Mrs Kiri Marie
For services to Māori and the fashion industry
Mrs Kiri Nathan founded the Kiri Nathan clothing label in 2010 and has developed an internationally-acclaimed high-end fashion brand with a distinctly Māori essence and aesthetic.
Mrs Nathan’s label has contributed to upholding the values of Māoridom through her designs, including handwoven accessories, custom dresses, contemporary iterations of traditional korowai and kākahu, artwork, and pounamu jewellery. Her work has been exhibited around the world, including in fashion shows, Hollywood red-carpet events, and the Walt Disney Museum. The Kiri Nathan label is a member of the Wahine Toa Initiative, identifying and mentoring leadership in young Māori women. She established the Kāhui Collective, a group that fosters collaboration and knowledge-sharing to create a uniquely Māori fashion industry. She has led several hīkoi to China from 2017 to 2019 to support 15 Māori fashion designers into global growth. She was a founding Board member of the I Have a Dream Foundation to help disadvantaged children achieve academic success, and is a member of the SUPERdiverse WOMEN advisory board. Mrs Nathan was the Māori Business Collaboration Award and Supreme Award winner at the 2019 Māori Women’s Development Inc. Business Awards, and received a BLAKE Leader award in 2019.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
PEREIRA, Tofilau Bernadette Barbara
For services to the Pacific community and women
Tofilau Bernadette Pereira is the National President of P.A.C.I.F.I.C.A, Inc., New Zealand’s fourth largest non-governmental organisation, and has worked widely in the public sector and the community.
Tofilau Bernadette has been a Community Development Practitioner for more than 30 years, working with and for communities to strengthen their capacity for community engagement. She was the inaugural President of the P.A.C.F.I.C.A Manukau Branch from 2013 to 2016 and the National Council of Women Manukau Branch from 2001 to 2005. She was the Pacific region’s youth representative on the governing body of the Commonwealth Youth Programme for three years. She represented the Pacific countries and territories for four years at the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women and led the largest delegation of Pacific women to the UN Fourth World Global Conference in 1995. She currently volunteers for the Cultural Advisory Committee of the Pacific Medical Association and the Korean Positive Ageing Charitable Trust. She is a member of the Consumer Network of the Health Quality and Safety Commission. Tofilau Bernadette has volunteered for JOY International Folk Dancing and Social Services, the Auckland Catholic Diocese (Youth), and for the families and children of prisoners.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
PETERSON, Dr Vincent James (Vince)
For services to the veterinary profession
Dr Vince Peterson has contributed to the veterinary profession for more than 50 years.
Dr Peterson worked as a veterinarian for almost 40 years, in both Hokitika and Geraldine, and at times was the only veterinarian on the West Coast. In 1994 he became a Board Member for the Veterinary Professional Insurance Society (VPIS) and served as Chairman from 1998 to 2016. VPIS is a not-for-profit incorporated society functioning as an indemnity insurer run by veterinarians for veterinarians. Around 80 percent of veterinarians in New Zealand are insured with VPIS. As Chairman he oversaw VPIS’s transition to meet the regulatory obligations of the Insurance (Prudential Supervision) Act 2010, helping VPIS move from a novice insurance position to offering one of the leading indemnity policies for the veterinary profession. He was also a Board Member for the New Zealand Veterinary Association for four years. He has assisted other veterinarians over the years, including educating and advocating for them in times of need. Dr Peterson has directly contributed to positive changes to the Veterinary Council’s complaints system.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
PRESTON, Mr Graham Carrick
For services to education
Mr Graham Preston was the key driver of the establishment of the Bethlehem Educational Campus in Tauranga.
The Christian Education Trust was formed in 1986 to acquire a suitable site for Mr Preston’s vision of an independent school founded on Christian principles. Campus development began in 1988 and today the campus includes Bethlehem Tertiary Institute, an onsite early childhood learning centre, and four other centres. He was Principal of Bethlehem College from 1988 until 2006. In 1999 Bethlehem College became a state integrated school and now has a roll of more than 1,700 with 60 international students. From 2009 to 2016 he helped establish Chapman College in Rotorua. He established a network of smaller Christian schools across Gisborne, Taupo, Rotorua, Matamata, Paeroa, Whakatane, Hamilton and Te Awamutu for sporting and cultural event exchanges. He has been Chairman of the New Zealand Association of Christian Schools and the Association of Integrated Schools. He helped establish the New Zealand Christian Proprietors Trust for the extension and support of non-denominational Christian education. He has undertaken reviews of special character schools in New Zealand and Australia. He initiated professional development opportunities for educators in Christian Education through the Koinonia Institute. Mr Preston was involved with the establishment of the Amped for Life Drug Education Trust.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
RAMSDEN, Mr Peter Te Rangi Hiroa
For services to conservation
Mr Peter Ramsden is the kaumātua and Deputy Chair of Te Runanga o Koukourārata and has led the development of conservation projects in the Canterbury region.
Mr Ramsden has led numerous conservation initiatives with a variety of organisations, including the Department of Conservation, Environment Canterbury, Christchurch City Council, Banks Peninsula Conservation Trust, Lyttelton Port Company, as well as with various schools, tertiary institutions, farmers and businesses. He is a former Canterbury Aoraki Conservation Board appointee and the current Environment Canterbury Water Zone Committee lead for Ngāi Tahu. He has been a member of the Okains Bay Māori and Colonial Museum Board and the Okains Bay Reserve Management Board since 2000. He played an instrumental role in the establishment of the Banks Peninsula Conservation Trust Kakanui Covenant located in Koukourārata. This covenant provides legal protection for both conservation and cultural values found at this significant site and he continues to ensure the site’s ongoing management for conservation purposes. Mr Ramsden is also an active supporter of the Pest Free Banks Peninsula Project.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
REDICAN, Mrs Aseta
For services to health and Pacific peoples
Mrs Aseta Redican’s career and community service has focused on improving health and wellbeing outcomes for Pacific communities.
Mrs Redican is a founding member of PACIFICA and the National Council of Samoan Women in New Zealand. She established the Pacific Island Church Groups’ Information Project, an innovative initiative fostering stronger connections between Pacific communities and the health sector. Her extensive experience includes being the first General Manager of Pacific Health for the Auckland District Health Board (ADHB) from 2001 until her retirement in 2009. In this role she established a Pacific Health Advisory Committee to the ADHB, two Pacific-led Primary Health Organisations, the Parish Nursing Pilot, and the Healthy Village Action Zones Pacific Community Development Initiative that still operates today. She was the first Pacific person to become a New Zealand-qualified physiotherapist. In 1991, she led the establishment of the new Pacific Island Heartbeat programme, under the National Heart Foundation. In this role, she worked within Pacific communities to encourage and support healthy lifestyles. Following her retirement, Mrs Redican spent years as a Board member of the Fred Hollows Foundation, Spectrum Care Trust and a Director of the National Heart Foundation.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
RICKERBY, Mr William John (Will)
For services to conservation
Mr Will Rickerby has been actively involved in efforts to improve New Zealand’s biodiversity and to eradicate pests from the natural environment.
Within the Tasman District, Mr Rickerby has worked for many years in the Richmond Hills, particularly Wills Gully, Dellside Reserve to build and maintain tracks, plant native trees, and to eradicate weeds and pests. He has provided his expertise in construction to redesign the Department of Conservation’s predator tunnels, ensuring that the tunnels meet industry standards. His efforts have produced many hundreds of trapping tunnels for various projects. He established and assisted with trapping lines at various locations in the Tasman District, such as Rabbit Island and Nelson Airport. He has worked on numerous projects that have seen the successful return of natural bio-diversity in areas such as the Waimea Estuary, the Aniseed Valley and the Richmond Hills. He has served on several committees to promote environmental and conservation education with local schools and Scouting groups. Mr Rickerby established the Conservation Volunteers Newsletter as a resource for a variety of groups involved in the restoration of native bush and wildlife.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
RUDD, Mr Richard Steward (Rick)
For services to ceramic art
Mr Rick Rudd has been creating ceramic artwork in New Zealand for 45 years and has exhibited widely throughout the country and internationally.
Mr Rudd has served as the President of the New Zealand Society of Potters from 1988 to 1991. He established the Rick Rudd Foundation in 2013 to provide a public amenity in the ownership, curation and exhibition of the Rick Rudd Collection, and the education of studio potters. This led to him personally funding the establishment of Quartz Museum of Studio Ceramics in Whanganui in 2015, New Zealand’s only museum dedicated to studio ceramics, which now receives more than 3,000 visitors annually. He runs the free museum with little assistance and outside funding. He donated his approximately 700-piece collection of ceramics and the building that houses them, including his New Zealand History Collection of more than 120 works illustrating the development of New Zealand studio ceramics from the early 20th century to the present. He was President of the Auckland Studio Potters Society from 1978 to 1980. He was a member of the Sarjeant Gallery Te Whare o Rehua Trust Board from 1991 to 1997. Mr Rudd funded the $10,000 Emerging Practitioner in Clay Award in 2018.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
SHEAT, Mr Noel John Henry
For services to ploughing and the community
Mr Noel Sheat has been involved with the New Zealand Ploughing Association for more than 50 years.
Mr Sheat was initially involved as a competitor and has since held a range of executive positions with the New Zealand Ploughing Association, including four years as Secretary. He has represented his region as an elected executive member of the New Zealand Ploughing Association for more than 25 years and was made a Patron of the Association in 2019. He has competed at 19 New Zealand Ploughing Championships and four World Ploughing Championships. He has organised four New Zealand Ploughing Championships and was the Organising Chairperson of the 2010 World Ploughing Championships held in Methven. He has been a member of the Palmerston Masonic Lodge for 38 years, a member of the Palmerston Lions Club for 40 years, and Treasurer of the East Otago Vintage Machinery Museum in Palmerston for the past 25 years. Mr Sheat helped establish the Goodwood Water Scheme project in 1960.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
SHERRARD, Ms Susan Mary
For services to people with disabilities
Ms Susan Sherrard worked for CCS Disability Action for 14 years and was their Auckland Local Advisory Committee Chair from 1999 to 2007.
Ms Sherrard volunteered for CCS Disability Action’s Disability Leadership Committee, where she was instrumental in the creation of the Disability Leadership Framework, supporting the organisation in connecting authentically with people with disabilities and building trusting relationships that nurtures leaders nationally. The National Disability Leadership Strategy that she helped to develop and implement has led to 25 percent of CCS Disability Action’s staff being people with disabilities. She founded the Disabled Women’s Forum in 2009 and was a key member of the Domestic Violence and Disability Group, and the Northern B Health and Disability Ethics Committee. Ms Sherrard has been a member of the Auckland Disability Law Steering Committee, the Waitemata DHB Disability Support Advisory Committee, and the Auckland Council’s Disability Advisory Panel.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
SMALE, Mr Peter Edward
For services to seniors, the community and horticulture
Mr Peter Smale has worked in the horticultural research sector and contributed to the Motueka community for more than 40 years.
Mr Smale has been a Director and Chairperson of Abbeyfield New Zealand, an affiliate of the United Kingdom-based Abbeyfield Society, a housing charity that provides sheltered housing for the elderly and was a UK trustee for three years. He was involved in the establishment of 10 of the 14 New Zealand homes and played a key role in restructuring the management of two houses, enabling them to remain viable. In 2018 he received the Royal Patron’s Award for his services to Abbeyfield and is a New Zealand Life Member. He served three terms as a Trustee on the Motueka High School Board. He was a driving force behind the opening of a short-term accommodation house in Motueka and has been volunteer Secretary of the Trust involved. He is involved with St Andrews Uniting Church and an Official of Nelson Marlborough Swimming. He is a current member of Motueka Rotary Club and a past Rotary District Governor. During his career he made significant developments to new crop introductions as a horticultural researcher and advisor for several Government organisations and State Owned Enterprises. Mr Smale is a past member of the Royal New Zealand Institute of Horticulture.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
SMEEHUYZEN, Miss Dianne Judith, JP
For services to brass bands
Miss Dianne Smeehuyzen has been involved with six different brass bands as a player or administrator for more than 50 years.
Miss Smeehuyzen served as the first female President of the Brass Band Association of New Zealand from 2006 to 2012, having initially been elected to the National Executive in 2001 and then as Vice President. She has been Treasurer of Canterbury Provincial Brass Bands and Vice President and President of Otago and Southland Brass Band Associations. In these roles she organised and supervised numerous national and provincial contests, youth camps and meetings. She has frequently organised and undertaken the catering of youth brass band camps, including when she was President of the National Executive. She has been the project coordinator of the Brass Bands Association oral history project and remains on the team. She has held administrative roles in several local bands dating back to 1986, as well as playing for these bands since 1966. She was appointed a Life member of the Brass Band Association of New Zealand in 2014. During her involvement with brass bands, Miss Smeehuyzen was also active in netball as a player and umpire, also holding positions as administrator and coach at local and provincial levels.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
STEWART, Ms Ramari Evelyn Sidonie Oliphant
For services to Māori culture, wildlife conservation and research
Ms Ramari Oliphant Stewart is a whale expert, with extensive expertise in the traditional knowledge systems of mātauranga Māori.
Ms Stewart has led the recovery of whale bone and other important resources for both scientific study and Māori customary use purposes, as well as training other workers in safe and effective tikanga-based methods of whale recovery. She has been involved in the recovery and management of beach-cast marine mammals on the West Coast for more than 35 years, as well as elsewhere in New Zealand including the recovery of sperm whale jawbones on the Kapiti Coast in 1996 and the skeletal recovery of a rare mass stranding of orca in Southland in 2014. She undertook the first long term study of common dolphins at Whakatane from 1979 to 1982 and researched the New Zealand southern right whales’ wintering in the sub-Antarctic at Campbell Island in 1995 and 1997. She contributed to the Te Papa Tongarewa ‘Whales Tohorā’ Exhibition in 2007, which is touring internationally. In 2018 she led the response to protect and study 25 Hector’s dolphins that ventured into the Okarito Lagoon for three weeks. Ms Stewart continues to teach traditional Māori recovery methods to local iwi, ensuring that her knowledge is retained for future generations.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
TE AIKA, Ms Lynette Harata (Lynne)
For services to Māori language education
Ms Lynne Harata Te Aika is a tribal advocate, teacher, and researcher for Māori learner success who has been driving the strengthening of te reo and Ngāi Tahu tikanga throughout the South Island.
Ms Te Aika was instrumental in 2000 in developing Ngāi Tahu’s Māori language strategy Kotahi Mano Kāika, Kotahi Mano Wawata, which aims to have 1,000 households speaking te reo Māori by 2025. She developed Hōaka Pounamu for Christchurch Teachers College in 2001, a post-graduate course for teachers using te reo Māori in mainstream, bilingual, and immersion learning at all schooling levels. She has been Chairperson of the Ngāi Tūāhuriri Rūnanga Education Committee since 2001 and developed workshops for teachers in 2014, which have since been completed by more than 4,000 teachers. She developed Kā Poupou Reo o Tahu in 2018, an intensive te reo Māori course for qualified teachers. She was a member of the Christchurch Polytechnic Institute of Technology Council from 2011 to 2017 and a Ngāi Tahu Fund Board member from 2012 to 2016. She is a Trustee of Matapopore Charitable Trust involved in Cultural Design and Advice for Greater Christchurch Anchor projects. Ms Te Aika is a Board member and former Chair of Mātauraka Mahaanui, responsible for Māori earthquake recovery for schools and Early Childhood Centres in Greater Christchurch.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
TE'O, Mr Christopher
For services to health, cycling and the Pacific community
Mr Christopher Te’o founded USO Bike Ride in 2011, a cycling collective that aims to improve the health and wellbeing of communities, particularly Pacific peoples, through cycling.
Mr Te’o’s efforts alongside others have seen USO Bike Ride become an affiliated club to Cycling New Zealand, with more than 300 members nationally and overseas in Samoa, Australia, Germany and the United States. In 2018, he supported the establishment of three NZTA Bikes in Schools programmes in Porirua schools. He has raised more than $140,000 to build cycle paths and buy new bicycles and helmets for these programmes. He is an NZTA Pedal Ready Cycle Skills Instructor. USO Bike Ride won the Supreme Award at the Wellington Airport Regional Community Awards in 2018 and the Outstanding Contribution to Community Award at the Trustpower National Community Awards in 2019. In 2016 he was part of the leadership team that led the USO Bike Ride Bluff 2 Cape New Zealand Cycle Ride in partnership with the Cancer Society of New Zealand, with whom they work jointly to promote health and wellbeing within Pacific communities. Mr Te’o is a founding Trustee for Pacific Men’s Health Aotearoa, a collective of Pasifika groups in New Zealand promoting better health and wellbeing outcomes for Pacific men and their families.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
THOMPSON, Mrs Mary Helen
For services to netball administration
Mrs Mary Thompson has been a leader in netball administration in the Bay of Plenty region for more than 40 years.
Mrs Thompson has been Secretary of Netball Rotorua for more than 30 years, having served on its executive for more than 40 years. She has been the Convenor of the Kurangaituku Tournament, one of the largest recreational netball tournaments in New Zealand. She was Chairperson of the Bay of Plenty Netball Board for two years. She oversaw the transition of netball in Rotorua from Kuirau Park to the Westbrook complex. She has worked closely with the District Council and Sport Bay of Plenty on projects such as court upgrades. She was previously Manager of the Waikato-Bay of Plenty Magic netball team and has been Event Coordinator for the Magic’s home netball games for the past 20 years. She has been the events manager for a variety of national netball tournaments held in Rotorua in the past decade. She was the key driver in the establishment of Saturday netball games in Rotorua in 1980. Mrs Thompson is a Life Member of Netball Rotorua and Netball Bay of Plenty and has received a number of awards recognising her contribution to netball in the region.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
TIMUTIMU, Mrs Ngareta
For services to Māori and education
Mrs Ngareta Timutimu has participated in all education sectors from early years to tertiary, in governance and management, and in Māori and English mediums over more than 30 years.
Mrs Timutimu was a foundation member in establishing Te Kohanga Reo o Matapihi, Te Wharekura o Mauao and was on the Council in the early years of Te Whare Wananga o Awanuiarangi. She has made Māori language a critical part of any project she is involved in, which has been reflected in her past work as a secondary teacher up to Principal level, and as a tertiary lecturer in education. Her commitment in supporting Māori learners to achieve success whilst also understanding who they are informs her current work as Ngai Te Rangi Iwi Education Manager, engaging with more than 40 schools and ECE centres in Tauranga. She is a member of the University of Waikato Council and Chairperson of Te Ropu Manukura, having gained past governance experience as Chair of Kaunihera Māori at the Bay of Plenty Polytechnic. Within the community she currently supports whānau with ‘Reo I te Kainga’ and strengthening reo for her contemporary generation. Mrs Timutimu is a past member of the Ngai Te Rangi Iwi Settlement Trust and the Te Runanga o Ngai Te Rangi Iwi Trust.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
TURNBULL, Dr Janet Catherine
For services to health
Dr Janet Turnbull is a Geriatrician and Palliative Care Physician, who was made a Fellow of the Australasian College of Physicians in 1991.
Dr Turnbull was the Clinical leader of the ORA (Older Adult, Rehabilitation and Allied Health) service at Capital and Coast District Health Board (CCDHB) from 2011 to 2019. She has worked with CCDHB since 1992 and Mary Potter Hospice since 1997. She has worked within the DHB to remodel the Geriatric Service in the areas of Community and Acute Geriatrics (the CAREFUL service), Geriatric Inpatient Care at Kenepuru Community Hospital, and has created specialist services in Movement Disorders. She has worked to help develop the Community Multi-disciplinary Motor Neurone Disease service for the Wellington, Porirua and Kapiti areas. She is a past member of the College Adult Education Committee, and has been an examiner for the college. Dr Turnbull has provided specialist education in palliative care in neurodegenerative disease, and provides support to the Mary Potter Hospice Community Service in this area.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
WEBB, Mr Robert Lindsay, QSM
For services to wildlife conservation
Mr Robert Webb was awarded the Queen’s Service Medal for his services to conservation in 1999, having established the Whangarei Native Bird Recovery Centre in 1992.
The Recovery Centre now rehabilitates approximately 1,300 birds annually with a strong success rate of 75 to 80 percent. Mr Webb and his wife continue to run the centre on a voluntary basis, receiving no income for their work. He has been a key incubator and hatcher for Operation Nest Egg, contributing to kiwi recovery in Northland. He has undertaken advocacy work with Sparky the one-legged kiwi, travelling New Zealand to visit schools and to promote wildlife care. Over the past 25 years he has educated thousands of Northland children, including at some of the region’s more remote schools, and around 6,000 school children visit the Centre each year. Mr Webb has provided valued advice to the Department of Conservation and the public on how to care for injured wildlife before they arrive at the Centre.
HONOURS
Queen’s Service Medal for Public Services, Queen’s Birthday 1999
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
WHITELOCK, Mrs Kayla Marie
For services to hockey
Mrs Kayla Whitelock played for the Black Sticks women’s hockey team from 2003 to 2016, amassing 255 caps for New Zealand, making her the second highest capped Black Stick at the time of her retirement from playing.
Mrs Whitelock was named New Zealand women’s hockey player of the year in 2011, 2012, 2014 and 2016. She represented New Zealand at four Olympic Games and three Commonwealth Games, winning two Commonwealth Games medals, one silver in 2010 and one bronze in 2014. She competed at the 2010 Women’s Hockey World Cup and was captain for the 2014 Women’s Hockey World Cup. She also captained the Black Sticks at the 2012 and 2016 Olympic Games. She won two Champions Challenge gold medals, at Virginia Beach in 2005 and Cape Town in 2009. She played for Central in the Ford National Hockey League. Since her retirement as a player, Mrs Whitelock has continued to dedicate significant voluntary time to serving the hockey community, especially young female hockey players.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
WHITTAKER, Mrs Joan Glanville
For services to heritage preservation and music education
Mrs Joan Whittaker and her husband Lloyd Whittaker founded the Whittakers Musical Museum, a world-class collection of working instruments.
Mr and Mrs Whittaker began collecting antique musical instruments in Taranaki, bringing their collection to Waiheke Island in 1996, where they founded the Whittakers Musical Museum. For the past 24 years, they have dedicated their lives to the Museum, where they maintain and restore instruments, give performances, and host national and international musicians. The museum is run through a charitable trust, seeking no further income other than what is necessary for its maintenance to ensure the collection and performances are widely accessible to visitors. They have sourced and restored instruments of historical and cultural significance to New Zealand, including the Bechstein concert grand piano that Ignacy Paderewski brought to Australia and New Zealand on his 1904 tour. The Museum is not only a collection of instruments and a performance venue, it is also well-regarded training institution, where Mr and Mrs Whittaker teach at every level from young children to music students from the University of Auckland.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
WHITTAKER, Mr Lloyd Murray
For services to heritage preservation and music education
Mr Lloyd Whittaker and his wife Joan Whittaker founded the Whittakers Musical Museum, a world-class collection of working instruments.
Mr and Mrs Whittaker began collecting antique musical instruments in Taranaki, bringing their collection to Waiheke Island in 1996, where they founded the Whittakers Musical Museum. For the past 24 years, they have dedicated their lives to the Museum, where they maintain and restore instruments, give performances, and host national and international musicians. The museum is run through a charitable trust, seeking no further income other than what is necessary for its maintenance to ensure the collection and performances are widely accessible to visitors. They have sourced and restored instruments of historical and cultural significance to New Zealand, including the Bechstein concert grand piano that Ignacy Paderewski brought to Australia and New Zealand on his 1904 tour. The Museum is not only a collection of instruments and a performance venue, it is also well-regarded training institution, where Mr and Mrs Whittaker teach at every level from young children to music students from the University of Auckland.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
WINDER, Mrs Maria Ruth McGredy
For services to music education
Mrs Maria Winder was a founding Trustee in 2008 and is current Chair of the New Zealand Ukulele Trust and has led the development of a variety of music education resources and activities throughout the country.
Mrs Winder develops the Kiwilele Songbook each year, including a collection of Māori and Pasifika songs that she arranges, records, produces, and then distributes to more than 170 primary schools on a voluntary basis. She also organises free ukulele workshops around the country for teachers and students, culminating in annual ukulele festivals that involve thousands of primary school children. She has led fundraising to provide class sets of ukuleles for numerous schools over the past decade. She has been the conductor of the Auckland Primary Principals’ Association’s music festivals since 2004, working with massed choirs of more than 500 children. She was Secretary of Music Education New Zealand Aotearoa for four years. She is a member of the University of Auckland Chamber Choir and was a chorister with Voices NZ from 2001 to 2006. Mrs Winder co-authored ‘Hear Our Voices’, published by the New Zealand Choral Federation for leaders of children’s choirs.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
WOOD, Mrs Maureen Dawn
For services to people with disabilities
Mrs Maureen Wood has assisted IHC in West Auckland since 1961, having joined following the birth of her daughter, who has Down syndrome and autism.
Mrs Wood was Branch President of the West Auckland IHC for 23 years and has been their Association Chair since 2016. She was a member of the IHC New Zealand Council from 1985 to 2008 and played a central role in the national development of the family-led Key Points monitoring system. She was Chair of the Waitakere Health Link from 2000 to 2019 and campaigned for improvements to Waitakere Hospital, notably including a free ambulance service in 2001 and establishing a full 24-hour emergency service in 2011. She was a community representative for the Health West Primary Health Organisation for eight years. As a long-time advocate for people with disabilities, her primary aim has been ensuring the community has a voice in the development of local health services. She lobbied for psychiatric and psychopaedic institutions to be closed in the 1980s and 1990s, including Carrington Hospital where many people with intellectual disabilities had been placed away from their families. Mrs Wood has been instrumental in the establishment of several services for people with disabilities in West Auckland, including the Lincoln Park Workshop and the McHardy Hostel.
To be an Honorary Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
EDGLEY, Ms Angelica Johanna Maria
For services to forensic science
Ms Angelica Edgley worked as a forensic scientist for the Institute of Environmental Science and Research Ltd (formerly part of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research) for approximately 33 years until her recent retirement.
Ms Edgley is one of New Zealand’s most experienced and trusted forensic scientists, having contributed her expertise to assist in more than 1,100 criminal cases between 2001 and 2019. She exhibited strong professionalism and diligence in ensuring that her work was up to the standard required for potential court cases, as well as in reviewing the work of other scientists. She participated in the training of detectives and other crime scene officers at the Royal New Zealand Police College. Ms Edgley’s contribution to forensic science in the resolution of criminal investigations has been acknowledged by the Commissioner of Police.
To be an Honorary Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
FOLIAKI, Ms Lita
For services to the Pacific community
Ms Lita Foliaki has made a major contribution to the development and empowerment of Pacific communities both regionally and nationally.
Ms Foliaki has been Pacific Planning and Funding Manager at the Waitemata District Health Board since 2004. She developed the Enua Ola Programme, a healthy diet and activity initiative promoted through Pacific Churches and community groups and has also contributed to the areas of diabetes, cancer, mental health, immunisation, disabilities and bowel screening. She has contributed to strategies for Pacific Families with the Ministry of Social Development including cultural competency, family violence, social work practices and child safety. She was National Funding Manager for Pacific Health under the Health Funding Agency from 1997 to 2001. She was Chair of the Expert Panel which developed the Pacific Health Research Guidelines for the Health Research Council from 2001 to 2004. She has been an adviser for the Ministry of Health Pacific Provider Development Scheme, which funds initiatives to grow the Pacific health workforce. She helped establish Vaka Tautua, the first accredited Pacific Disability Provider in 2000. Ms Foliaki founded Heilala in 1989, a Tongan women’s group in Auckland, focusing on grassroots education and welfare programmes, and has been Secretary of Pacifica Women's national group.
To be an Honorary Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
HELLEMANS, Dr Johan (John)
For services to triathlon
Dr John Hellemans has contributed to the sport of triathlon in New Zealand as a competitive triathlete, coach, and sports medicine practitioner.
Dr Hellemans was a competitive triathlete from the 1980s until 2018. He was the World Masters Triathlon Champion eight times between 1994 and 2012, an elite triathlon representative for New Zealand at the Commonwealth Games in 1990, and represented New Zealand at a number of World Championships. He has coached a large number of internationally successful triathletes and fostered New Zealand’s global reputation in the sport. He has contributed to the wider sports community as a medical director for Triathlon New Zealand, Athletics New Zealand, and as a medical officer for a number of sports academies, training centres, and New Zealand triathlon teams competing at international events. He is a widely published author on sports medicine, altitude training and triathlons. He has received a number of awards including Otago Coach of the Year in 2006, 2007 and 2008, and the Prime Minister Coach Scholarship Award in 2005. Dr Hellemans is a Life Member of Triathlon New Zealand and established New Zealand’s first Triathlon Academy prior to the introduction of triathlon as a sport at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games.
To be an Honorary Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
HERRMANN, Mrs Elizabeth (Liz)
For services to the hospitality industry and philanthropy
Mrs Liz Hermann has been an owner of Jet Park Hotels for the past 22 years, which she established with her partner in 1998 with the Jet Park Auckland Hotel, and has philanthropically supported several charitable organisations.
Jet Park Auckland Hotel was the supreme winner of the 2017 South Auckland Westpac Business Awards, the supreme winner of the 2014 Hospitality Award, the 2013 Environmental Initiative Award winner, and the 2011 New Zealand Culinary Restaurant of the Year. The Hotel was awarded a ‘four star plus’ Qualmark Enviro rating in 2019, reflecting its environmental sustainability. Mrs Hermann has been involved with the Auckland SPCA for more than 21 years. She has supported the John Walker Field of Dreams Foundation, Make a Wish New Zealand and Women’s Refuge through donations of goods and services. She has been a Trustee of the Pukeko Trust since 2008. Mrs Hermann and the Pukeko Trust have been principal sponsors of the Bob Kerridge Animal Welfare Trust since 2017, which provides annual grants to individual projects seeking changes to benefit animals, people and the environment.
