To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
ALPASS, Professor Fiona Margaret
For services to health psychology and seniors
Professor Fiona Alpass has been co-lead with Professor Christine Stephens of the Health and Ageing Research Team (HART) at Massey University since 2006, an interdisciplinary group of researchers running the New Zealand Health, Work and Retirement Study.
The study has followed more than 1,000 New Zealanders aged 55 and over for 18 years, focusing on health, work, and retirement, and is recognised internationally as an important source of information on the experiences of ageing. Professor Alpass’ work has enhanced New Zealand’s capacity in the field of ageing through her mentoring, support and supervision of early and mid-career researchers. Her research on organisational psychology, particularly workforce ageing, has provided insight into the changing patterns of how older people engage with paid employment. She initiated the research for the ‘Senior Entrepreneurship in Aotearoa New Zealand – An Unrealised Opportunity Research Report’. She has been a Member of the Global Issues on Ageing Council under the framework of the International Association of Gerontology and Geriatrics and an international partner on research programmes funded by the United Kingdom Economic and Social Research Council since 2017. Professor Alpass has contributed expertise to national advisory groups for the Ministry of Social Development, ACC, and the New Zealand Institute for Research on Ageing.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
AMERATUNGA, Associate Professor Rohan Valentine
For services to immunology
Associate Professor Rohan Ameratunga has played a pivotal role in developing clinical services for patients with Primary Immunodeficiency Disorders (PIDs) in New Zealand.
Associate Professor Ameratunga formally established the Starship Hospital immunology service for children in 1991, which now receives funding to provide comprehensive services for children with immunological and allergic disorders. Realising older PIDs patients needed care from specialist adult immunologists, he lobbied for funding for the Auckland Hospital and a specialised service was created in 1995 with two fulltime specialists. He has been a qualified specialist immunopathologist and the clinical lead of the diagnostic immunology laboratory at Auckland Hospital for 30 years. Upon discovering gene tests were sent to overseas laboratories for testing which took several months, he established a PID diagnostic genetic service in LabPlus, Auckland Hospital in 2004. Under his leadership, the team have adopted new technologies including Next Generation Sequencing and advanced flow cytometry tests which are not available elsewhere in Australasia. With his team, he has discovered two new gene mutations causing CVID-like disorders. He has been a Medical Panel member of Allergy New Zealand since 2000. Associate Professor Ameratunga was Vice Chair of the Immune Deficiency Foundation of New Zealand from 2002 to 2010.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
BARNES, Mr Andrew Howard
For services to business and philanthropy
Mr Andrew Barnes has held governance roles in the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand and as a philanthropist has contributed to a range of causes and initiatives personally or through his company Perpetual Guardian.
Mr Barnes is the founder and architect of 4 Day Week Global, a not-for-profit community providing a platform to support the idea of a reduced-hour work philosophy. He trialled the 4 Day Week with Perpetual Guardian in 2018, receiving international attention, and 4 Day Week Global has since been named in the 2023 TIME100 Most Influential Companies. He his 2020 book ‘The 4 Day Week’ has been translated into several languages and widely distributed. He has led a successful programme of innovation and digitisation, re-shaping the trustee sector in New Zealand and consolidating Perpetual Guardian as the largest trustee company and the largest non-government philanthropy entity in New Zealand. He led the acquisition of crowdfunding platform Givealittle, was a driving force behind establishing the Hi-Tech Foundation, and has led and advocated for responsible lending practices in banking and credit services. Mr Barnes’ broad philanthropic support has extended to New Zealand Liberation Museum Te Arawhata in Le Quesnoy, France, the Auckland Primary Schools Music Festival, Otago Museum’s Perpetual Guardian Planetarium, the RSA, heritage restorations, and educational scholarships.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
BISSETT, Professor Ian Peter
For services to colorectal surgery and education
Professor Ian Bissett is a leading surgeon, educator and academic in the field of colorectal surgery.
Professor Bissett began his career as a doctor in 1979, where he worked at Taranaki Base Hospital. He trained further in surgery in Wellington, before locating to Pokhara, Nepal in 1987 to serve as the Consultant General Surgeon for a government-run regional hospital in a voluntary capacity. In 1998, he returned to New Zealand, where he became a Senior Lecturer in Surgery at the University of Auckland. Since 2002, he has worked as both a Lecturer and Colorectal Surgeon at the University of Auckland and Auckland Hospital. He became Head of the Department of Surgery in 2011 and a full professor in 2016. He has pioneered new surgical methods that have led to reduced cancer recurrence rates and hundreds of life-changing surgeries. He pioneered the first colorectal clinic assessing pelvic floor disorders in 2002 and initiated a National Pelvic Floor Workshop in 2004. In 2009 he introduced a service called sacral neuromodulation for the treatment of end-stage faecal incontinence. Professor Bissett was the President of the Colorectal Surgical Society of Australia and New Zealand from 2012 to 2014 and the Chair of the National Bowel Cancer Working Group from 2014 to 2022.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
BLAIR, Ms Andrea Jane
For services to the geothermal industry and women
Ms Andrea Blair co-founded Upflow in 2017, a geothermal consultancy, research and innovation company which provides expert knowledge and solutions to the global industry.
Ms Blair is current Director of Business and Innovation at Upflow, leading the uptake and smart utilisation of all aspects of geothermal energy. She was a Director from 2016 and President from 2020 to 2023 of the International Geothermal Association (Netherlands), which advocates and promotes sustainable utilisation and development of geothermal resources worldwide. She represented the organisation globally, including at COP26, the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference. She became the Geothermal Business Development Lead for New Zealand from 2017 to 2020, working to develop large projects with positive impacts on local economies, communities and the environment. She served on the Board of Enterprise Great Lake Taupō from 2011 to 2019. In 2013 she co-founded and was Global Chair until 2020 of Women in Geothermal (WING), an international movement to empower women in the geothermal industry. She oversaw the organisation’s growth from 83 members to more than 3,400 worldwide, making it the single largest geothermal association in the world, and remains a Global Board member. Ms Blair was one of five global recipients in 2023 of the WE Empower United Nations Sustainable Development Goals Award.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
BRADBURY, Dr Patricia Elizabeth Florence (Trish)
For services to sport and education
Dr Trish Bradbury has made extensive professional and voluntary contributions to sport in New Zealand and internationally for more than 30 years.
Dr Bradbury has been a senior lecturer and programme leader for Massey University’s sport management programme since its inception in 1993. She has been dedicated to bridging the gap between academic study and practical application, supporting students to gain real-world work experience. Many of her students have gone on to prominent sport management roles throughout the world. She contributed widely to the university including as University Proctor, Graduation Marshal and Graduation Committee member, Young Women in Leadership Workshop Facilitator, and as MC at university events such as the Sporting Blues Awards and Jazz Festival events. She is on the Board of the World Association of Sport Management, served with the Sport Management Association of Australia and New Zealand, and held senior voluntary roles with Paralympics New Zealand, University and Tertiary Sport New Zealand, and Volleyball New Zealand. She has contributed extensively to her local sport community in coaching and advisory roles. In 2018 Dr Bradbury was awarded the Massey Business School Richard Buchanan Teaching Excellence Award and in 2024 was awarded the title “Distinguished Friend of Massey”.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
COON, Mr Richard Adrian
For services to business and philanthropy
Mr Richard Coon helped found the successful financial services companies Sovereign Assurance, Seniors Money and Partners Life and has served New Zealand’s business community since 1993.
Mr Coon was a business mentor from 1998 to 2020. He helped pioneer home equity release finance in New Zealand, allowing retirees to turn a portion of the value of their home into cash. He implemented an industry code of conduct to ensure customers were protected from downsides to these products. He founded and has chaired Angel Investors Marlborough (AIM) to help aspiring business owners since 2017. AIM has grown into one of the most active regional Angel groups, investing $26 million into 67 companies to date. AIM has sponsored the Young Enterprise Scheme at Marlborough Boys College and the Marlborough Techstars Start-Up Weekend. At the national level, he has helped Angel Association New Zealand to develop advice and resources and was instrumental in establishing the AIM Founders Network. Mr Coon established the Laurie Coon Foundation, named after his father, which is a charitable trust that helps young New Zealanders achieve their aspirations with scholarships typically of $2,000 to $5,000. Since 2008, the trust has provided more than $400,000 for several organisations supporting, amongst others, young actors and innovators, funding places on the Spirit of Adventure and mental health support.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
COX, Mr Stephen Clifford
For services to cycling
Mr Stephen Cox has contributed to cycling since 1968.
Mr Cox competed for New Zealand between 1976 and 1988 in numerous international events, including the 1984 Olympic Games and three Commonwealth Games. He won almost every major road event in New Zealand, won 32 New Zealand Championship medals, and competed in 49 major tours finishing in the top three on 27 occasions. He was National Women’s Road Cycling Coach in 1990/1991 and was Cycling New Zealand Team Manager to Japan in 1994 and the Commonwealth Games in 1998. He has organised more than 220 major cycling events at regional, national and international levels since 1986. He was instrumental in bringing a round of the Women’s UCI World Cup road races to Hamilton in 1999, 2001 and 2002. Between 1990 and 2009 he organised events and was race director on top of full-time employment. Through his cycling events company Dynamo Cycling Club, he has organised multi-day tours and race series, the Elite Road Championships from 2020 to 2023 and Age Group National Championships for Cycling New Zealand from 2014 to 2017. Over many of the events he has organised, more than $500,000 has been raised for New Zealand charities. Mr Cox has held several club and committee roles in the Waikato, including as Waikato Centre President in 2014/2015.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
DAVIES, Mr Noel Llewellyn
For services to engineering, business and the community
Mr Noel Davies joined the New Zealand Heavy Engineering Research Association (HERA) Executive Board in 1992, becoming the first non-engineer Chair of the organisation in 2003, stepping down in 2023.
Mr Davies was appointed as a voluntary Board member of the New Zealand Engineering Federation in 1986, where his work elevated the profile of New Zealand manufacturing companies, providing a voice with industry and stakeholders including government. Through HERA, he led cross-sector industry initiatives and was instrumental in HERA developing a research and development-related industry advocacy role. From 2006 he was a Trustee and Chair of the HERA Foundation, providing industry scholarships and establishing an industry member recognition awards programme. He was a category winner of the Ernst Young Entrepreneur of the Year and has chaired a significant number of different enterprises. He was a Trustee for 15 years of the Auckland Medical Research Foundation and chaired the Development and Communications Committee. He is a Life Member and past Chair of Baseball New Zealand and has chaired Tuatara Baseball and Tuatara Basketball. He held offices with The Navy Club Association and HMNZS Otago Association. Mr Davies has mentored younger business leaders and entrepreneurs through the Young Presidents and Entrepreneurs Organisations.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
DRAWBRIDGE, Mrs Tanya Handley (Ms Tanya Ashken)
For services to sculpture, silversmithing and jewellery
Ms Tanya Ashken is a modernist artist whose work is represented in collections and public spaces around New Zealand.
Ms Ashken emigrated to New Zealand from the United Kingdom in 1963, having studied silversmithing in London. Born deaf, she was the youngest person to acquire a silversmithing hallmark at age 13 in the early 1950s. She came to the fore in New Zealand as a jeweller and sculptor in the 1960s, making notable contributions to both disciplines and becoming a strong advocate for the arts. In 1967, she was the second to be awarded the Frances Hodgkins Fellowship at the University of Otago. The New Zealand Arts Council commissioned her to produce a silver and amethyst pendant for HRH Princess Anne on her 1970 tour of New Zealand. Her work is represented in public galleries around the country, as well as universities, court houses, civic buildings, churches and parks, in addition to several works on display in Australia and China. One of her most famous works ‘Albatross’ was unveiled by Whairepo Lagoon on the Wellington waterfront in 1986. The abstract sculpture helped to revitalise Wellington’s public space and led to the creation of the Wellington Sculpture Trust, of which Ms Ashken was made a Life Member in 2023.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
DUNN, Mr Andrew Scott
For services to people with Parkinson's disease
Mr Andrew Dunn co-founded Parkinson’s New Zealand in 1983 and has volunteered with the organisation for the past 40 years.
Mr Dunn has held a range of roles with the organisation, including President, National Councillor, Board Chairperson, and National Co-ordinator. He established Parkinson’s New Zealand’s Field Officer service, where professionals visit people living with Parkinson’s disease in their homes. The organisation now has 17 volunteer support groups around the country and the support groups have expanded to include exercise, physiotherapy, tai chi, swimming and more. He has been involved with the Wellington, Hawke’s Bay, Canterbury and Otago divisions over the years and has represented the organisation at a number of international conferences. He has been an active member of the organisation’s national board since 1983, serving as the Chair for several terms. During his term as President from 1998 to 2000, he encouraged the UPBEAT special interest group for people with young onset Parkinson’s. In 2011 Mr Dunn was recognised with the Orangi Kaupapa Trust Award for developing a sustainable community service and was named a Kiwibank New Zealand Local Hero of the Year for 2021.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
FEGAN, Mr Peter Ralph (Ralph), JP
For services to Fire and Emergency New Zealand and the community
Mr Ralph Fegan has volunteered in the Wanaka and West Coast communities since 1973 in a range of capacities.
Mr Fegan volunteered with Franz Josef Volunteer Fire Brigade for 22 years before joining the Wanaka Brigade, where he has served 17 years. He was Chief Fire Officer in Franz Josef from 1977 to 1996, initiating the formation of a Rural Fire Party, and has been Secretary since 2013 at the Wanaka Brigade. He has been involved with the United Fire Brigade Association as President of the Central Otago Fire Brigades Sub-Association from 2021 to 2023 and became Senior Vice President of the Otago/Southland Gold Star Association in 2023. He contributed to the tourism industry from the 1970s and was Chairman of Lake Wanaka Tourism for two years, Westland Promotion Board for three years, and four years each with West Coast Tourism Development and West Coast Tourism Council. He was Director of the South Island Promotion Association from 1987 to 1994. He has volunteered with a range of other organisations including the New Zealand Fighter Pilots’ Foundation Trust, Wanaka Airport, Upper Clutha RSA, Wanaka A&P Show and Food for Love. Mr Fegan was previously a Westland District Councillor from 1989 to 1995 and a civil defence controller for Franz Josef from 1979 to 1995.
HONOURS
New Zealand 1990 Commemoration Medal
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
FERGUSON, Ms Allison Elizabeth
For services to netball
Ms Allison Ferguson is a commercial litigation lawyer who has volunteered with netball in national and regional roles.
Ms Ferguson was a director of the Netball New Zealand Board from 2014 to 2018 and then Chair from 2018 until 2023. She oversaw investment in player pathways to ensure continuity of netball’s high-performance programmes, while introducing greater player numbers at the elite level. She was Board Chair of Auckland Netball Centre from 2000 to 2009, where she was the driving force behind the establishment of a new 56 court venue at Stonefields. She applied her legal expertise on a pro bono basis for the establishment of Auckland Netball at Stonefields, part of a wider sports hub near central Auckland. She joined the Diamonds Netball franchise Board in 2006 and was appointed to the New Zealand working committee for development of a new Trans-Tasman netball competition, which became known as the ANZ Championship. She secured a sizeable donation for netball, which was applied to enable the construction of the first indoor venue for netball in Canterbury, the new home of the Christchurch Netball Centre. She received an Auckland Netball Service Award in 2007 and was made a Life Member in 2020. Ms Ferguson received a Netball New Zealand Service Award in 2017.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
GIBSON, Ms Meri
For services to dragon boating and breast cancer awareness
Ms Meri Gibson is a leading figure in the sport of dragon boating as a participant, coach, and administrator in New Zealand and internationally, with a particular focus on participation of breast cancer survivors.
Ms Gibson joined the Abreast of Life (ABOL) dragon boat team in 2006, a team made up of breast cancer survivors. She has held numerous roles within the club including President. In 2007 she was instrumental in establishing the Aoraki Dragon Boat Association, the sport’s governing body for the South Island. She was President from inception until 2017 and was appointed its first Life Member in 2018. In 2008 she became a Board member of the New Zealand Dragon Boat Association and was Chairperson until 2018. In 2009 she was a founding member of the Oceania Dragon Boat Federation. She was appointed in 2014 as a member of the International Breast Cancer Paddlers Commission, and subsequently as Global President in 2018. During her leadership of the Commission membership has grown 50 percent to approximately 15,000 paddlers across 39 countries. Ms Gibson was Captain of the New Zealand Black Dragons Senior B Women’s team at the Dragon Boat World Championships in 2019, and was the Chef de Mission for the New Zealand Black Dragons campaign at the Dragon Boat World Championships in 2023.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
GILBERT, Mrs Tere Ngawai
For services to early childhood and Māori language education
Mrs Tere Gilbert (Te Āti Awa, Ngāti Hauiti, Ngāti Kahungunu) has helped drive the normalisation of te reo Māori across the early learning sector, having been involved with the Kōhanga Reo Movement for more than 30 years.
Mrs Gilbert was a kaiako and subsequently Tumuaki/Manager of Te Kōhanga Reo o Ngā Kuaka at the University of Waikato from 1994 to 2015. Puna Reo are Māori immersion early learning centres established for tamariki and their whānau to support retention and enhancement of te reo Māori and provide a kaupapa Māori immersion learning experience for tamariki up to age six. Since establishment in 2015, she has lead Te Kōhao Health’s first puna reo, Te Kōhao Kōhungahunga, in Enderley, Hamilton. The popularity of Te Kōhao Kōhungahunga led to a second puna reo, Te Puna Reo o Te Kōhao, being established in 2017. She was responsible in 2021 for bringing together many puna reo in New Zealand culminating in the establishment of the collective group, Ngā Puna Reo o Aotearoa, which she has chaired since inception. She represents the organisation on the Minister of Education’s Early Childhood Advisory Committee. Ms Gilbert has contributed to publications, alongside indigenous Australian and First Nations American and Canadian voices, on the value of indigenous language revitalisation for children in their first years of learning.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
GLENTWORTH, Mr Gordon John
For services to the livestock and dairy industries
Mr Gordon Glentworth has been involved with artificial breeding and genetics with the Livestock Improvement Association (LIA) and Livestock Improvement Corporation (LIC) for more than 35 years.
Mr Glentworth has helped shape different breeding agreements, particularly for the Ayrshire breed to ensure this relatively minor breed within the New Zealand dairy cow population has survived and prospered. He has been a member of the New Zealand Ayshire Association Board since 1989 and served two terms as President. He has been on the Ayrshire Artificial Breeding Committee since 1991 and is currently Chair. He was elected to the World Ayrshire Federation from 2000 to 2020, serving four years as Chair. Since the early 1990s he has been involved with contract mating inspections, certifying numerous bulls and completing contract bull buying for LIA and LIC. He has visited Europe more than 20 times to examine genetics of “red” breeds, particularly around the United Kingdom, Denmark, the Netherlands and Scandinavia. He has been a driving force for the supply of elite Scandanavian Ayrshire genetics into the New Zealand herd. His Sanrosa Ayrshire herd has received the Mayfield Trophy for the top producing Ayrshire herd in New Zealand 24 times since 1987. Mr Glentworth is National Chair of the New Zealand Vet Club Association.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
GRANT, Mr Ian Fraser
For services to literature and historical preservation
Mr Ian Grant is a historian, writer, editor and publisher of numerous books, who in 1984 co-established the small independent book publisher Fraser Books with his wife.
Since 1970 Mr Grant has written 18 books, including 'The Unauthorized Version: A Cartoon History of New Zealand', a pioneering 1980 study, and, more recently, the two-volume history of New Zealand newspapers from 1840 to 2000. He founded the New Zealand Cartoon Archive at the National Library in 1992 and chaired the archive’s governing bodies until 2019. The Cartoon Archive, its 60,000 plus cartoons reflecting New Zealand society and politics, is an invaluable resource for writers and researchers. He was a founding editorial and marketing director of National Business Review from 1970. The Alexander Turnbull Library’s inaugural Adjunct Scholar in 2014, he has also held residencies at the Stout Centre for New Zealand Studies. He has held a range of positions in Wairarapa organisations including the Wairarapa Archive, the Wairarapa Yarns in Barns writers/readers festival, the Wairarapa Cultural Trust, and the Wairarapa branch of the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. Mr Grant was awarded the Outstanding Achievement Award at the 2012 Media Awards, is a Life Member of the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs and received a Masterton Civic Award in 2020.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
HAYDON, Mrs Sarah Elizabeth Flora
For services to people with disabilities
Mrs Sarah Haydon has contributed to the leadership and ongoing modernisation of New Zealand Riding for the Disabled (NZRDA) for 30 years.
Mrs Haydon developed, implemented and trained a comprehensive Health and Safety Management System for NZRDA, and developed the Annual Operational Certificate and independent review process to demonstrate ongoing compliance, critical for the safety of riders, staff and volunteers for groups who deliver programmes to more than 3,500 riders. She began as a side walker and horse leader with Riding for Disabled (RDA) Auckland Central and served on the committee for 22 years as a treasurer and secretary. She has been a member of the National NZRDA Standards, Certification and Learning team for more than 15 years. She created overarching frameworks supported by policies, substantial training material and guidance, also supporting many RDA Groups with governance and strategic planning advice. This work helped RDA remain an internationally recognised therapeutic horse-riding programme. She served as a Board member and Chair of NZRDA from 2011 to 2020, during which she transformed the not-for-profit organisation to more effectively support the 49 groups nationwide, and more than 3,000 volunteers and staff. Mrs Haydon was made a Life Member of NZRDA in 2020 and of Auckland Central RDA in 2006.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
JANSEN, Mr William Paul (Scratch)
For services to wildlife conservation
Mr Scratch Jansen has contributed to conservation through New Zealand Wildlife Service and Department of Conservation (DOC) roles since 1979, most recently in senior advisory roles including advising on the Predator Free 2050 national vision.
To protect declining kōkako populations in Rotorua, Mr Jansen initiated research in the 1980s to protect forest blocks from logging. His early use of motion sensor cameras identified possums preying on kōkako nests, leading to a major reassessment of the possum threat. He developed techniques to capture and relocate kōkako to predator-free islands, with the kōkako population climbing from 200 pairs in 1999 to 2,000 in 2020. He was involved with pest removal from Mokoia Island on Lake Rotorua, working with local schools and iwi, and later translocating North Island robins, saddlebacks and brown kiwi. He assisted with pest removal from Moutohora Island and reintroduction of threatened species. He was Kākāpō Recovery Group Leader for DOC from 1995 to 2006, overseeing growth in numbers from 50 towards the present population of 250. He provided innovative leadership involving intensive ‘hands-on’ manipulation of eggs, chicks, diet and disease. He became Kiwi Recovery Group Leader in 2000, heavily involved with North Island brown kiwi being reintroduced into Wellington and the Capital Kiwi Project. Mr Jansen helped design and implement the predator-proof fence for the Cape Kidnappers Sanctuary.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
JURY, Mr Robert David (Rob)
For services to structural engineering and design
Mr Rob Jury is a world-leading earthquake engineer with more than 45 years of experience in the assessment and design of buildings and infrastructure projects nationally and internationally.
Mr Jury is currently Chief Structural Engineer at Beca. He has worked for more than 30 years on the development of seismic design codes for buildings in New Zealand and overseas, with much of this work on New Zealand’s Building Code prior to the 2010/2011 Christchurch earthquakes done on a pro bono basis. He has been involved with the New Zealand Loadings Standard committees since the 1990s, leading development of seismic performance standards used nationally and overseas. He was a key technical advisor for investigations into collapsed buildings conducted by the Canterbury Earthquakes Royal Commission and New Zealand Police. Since the Christchurch earthquakes, he has undertaken several challenging commissions in seismic retrofits. This included base isolation of the lift shafts for Victoria University of Wellington’s Rankine Brown building, which was recognised at the London-based Institution of Structural Engineers 2022 Structural Awards. Other seismic upgrade projects have also earned him recognition from major international bodies. Mr Jury has been responsible for some of the most ambitious designs in New Zealand, including the curved Hapuawhenua Viaduct in 1987 and Auckland’s Sky Tower completed in 1997, which remains the tallest building in the southern hemisphere.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
KAIO, The Very Reverend Taimoanaifakaofo
For services to the Pacific community
The Very Reverend Taimoanaifakaofo Kaio has held prominent positions within the Presbyterian Church of New Zealand between 2001 and 2021.
Very Reverend Kaio became the Moderator North Shore Presbytery in 2001 and played a pivotal role in the inception of the Northern Presbytery in Epsom, where he also served as Moderator in 2011. He served as the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of New Zealand in 2018, holding the position until 2021, the highest position within the church’s hierarchy. He led the Church through the COVID-19 pandemic with online pastoral messages and regular online sermons which were attended by thousands of people worldwide. He has been a Minister with the Onehunga Cooperating Parish since 2005 and a multi-denominational, multicultural and cross-culture faith community, preaching in multiple languages including Tokelauan, Samoan, Niuean, Cook Islands Māori and English. He has represented the Presbyterian Church of New Zealand at numerous Global Assemblies and consultations across the Pacific, Africa, Europe and the Caribbean regions. He is a member of the Book of Order Advisory Committee for the Presbyterian Church of New Zealand and has served on numerous panels for the organisation. Very Reverend Kaio has been a Trustee of Mataliki Tokelau Akoga Kamata since 2016.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
LEWIS, Mr Christopher John (Chris)
For services to tennis
Mr Chris Lewis is a tennis coach and former professional player who reached the 1983 Wimbledon final as an unseeded player.
Mr Lewis became only the third player from New Zealand to reach the final of a Grand Slam singles title and the second New Zealander to reach the Wimbledon final. He was ranked world junior number one and won the Wimbledon Junior final in 1975, the only New Zealander to achieve this title. He played on the ATP tour for 12 years, making 10 major tennis tournament finals and winning three. He reached 16 ATP doubles finals, winning eight tournaments. He was ranked number one in New Zealand for 10 years and achieved a career-high world ranking of 19. In his coaching career he has developed players in every age group, many of whom have won prestigious junior world events. He has coached at the highest level of professional tennis, including former world number one Ivan Lendl and New Zealander Marina Erakovic. He was coach/manager of the Auckland Tennis Development Programme from 1997 to 2005 and held several other sports governance roles during this time, including chairing the New Zealand Tennis Player Development Board. Mr Lewis co-founded the Brymer Lewis Tennis Academy in California in 2017, one of the United States’ top tennis academies.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
LINDSAY, Mrs Patricia Elizabeth Clare (Trish)
For services to netball and governance
Mrs Trish Lindsay has contributed significantly in Southland to netball, the arts and governance.
Mrs Lindsay was a founding director of the Southern Teamco Board (Southern Sting Netball), which helped revitalise netball in the South Island. She undertook key initial actions to drive the franchise to success. She became a director of the ILT Stadium Board in 1999, established for the build of a multi-purpose sports and leisure facility in Invercargill. She had a crucial role in fundraising, stakeholder engagement, design and build of the new facility, which is now a key Southland stadium for events. She was Trustee and Deputy Chair of the Community Trust of Southland from 2006 to 2014 and is a founding Trustee of Shakespeare in the Park Trust, which presents an annual outdoor production and provides scholarship opportunities for locals. She is secretary and manages its sponsorship for continuation. She has been a Trustee of the Southland Art Foundation promoting the visual arts, overseeing and growing a collection of public art works. She became a member of the Museum Governance Group in 2021, to upgrade the Museum, looking at its long-term purpose. Mrs Lindsay was a Board member and is now Trustee of Southland Disability Enterprises, a Director of Invercargill Rotary, and an Executive Member of the Southland Medical Foundation Council.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
MACKAY, Mr Alexander James (Jamie)
For services to broadcasting and the rural community
Mr Jamie Mackay has been a pioneer of rural radio, driving the broadcasting of rural content nationally in mainstream media through New Zealand’s leading rural network show ‘The Country’.
In 1994, Mr Mackay co-purchased the radio station now known as Hokonui Gold in Gore and began a daily five-minute rural segment broadcast, working towards a one-hour show format. In 2007 he obtained a nationwide slot on Radio Sport through The Radio Network (TRN). In 2016 he co-presented a business case to TRN to take ‘The Country’ to more markets on Newstalk ZB’s provincial network. In 2021 he fought to get his weekly ‘Best Of’ show into the metro markets of Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch, to strengthen understanding of rural New Zealand in urban centres. He has been rural New Zealand’s voice in mainstream media and has acted as MC for numerous rural events and awards ceremonies, donating all his MC fees to charities. He has been a prominent advocate for rural mental health and wellbeing support and initiatives. He has also supported various causes including cancer fundraisers, IHC’s Calf and Rural Scheme, the Farmstrong wellbeing charity, and Rabobank’s Good Deeds initiative. Mr Mackay has been President of Riversdale Rugby Club, a Gore District Councillor, and a Trustee of Sport Southland and Mataura Licensing Trust.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
MANNING, Ms Deborah Ann
For services to the community and the environment
Ms Deborah Manning founded KiwiHarvest in 2012 to combat food waste and pollution to the environment.
Ms Manning’s charity has collected and donated 12 million kilograms of food to more than 220 charitable organisations across 12 years. KiwiHarvest is now located in Dunedin, Auckland, North Shore, Queenstown and Invercargill, and has distributed food equivalent of more than 27 million meals, diverted from landfills to those in need. This diversion from landfills creates less greenhouse gases, avoiding the creation and release of nearly 33 million kilograms of carbon dioxide into the environment. The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in her founding the New Zealand Food Network in 2020, a sister charity to KiwiHarvest, to address the need for a national overarching food distribution company. The New Zealand Food Network distributes food to more than 65 food hubs nationally. Since inception it has distributed more than 30 million kilograms of food, equivalent to more than 64 million meals, preventing more than 40 million kilograms of carbon dioxide being produced and released into the environment. Through the New Zealand Food Network, more than 655,000 people receive assistance each month. Ms Manning is a panel member of the New Zealand Food Waste Champions, providing actions and strategies on food waste towards a sustainable, resilient and beneficial food system.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
MCCUTCHEON, Mr Leslie Noel (Noel)
For services to the thoroughbred and harness racing industries
Mr Noel McCutcheon has been involved with the New Zealand thoroughbred and harness racing industries for more than 65 years, notably as Chief Stipendiary Steward for thoroughbred racing for 26 years.
Mr McCutcheon had a successful career as a jockey, riding three Derby winners in the 1960s. Following an injury, he pivoted to become a harness trainer and driver. He joined New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing in 1980 as a part-time steward based in Levin, becoming full-time in 1983. He became Chief Stipendiary Steward from 1990 until 2006, travelling the country to oversee race meetings. He has been instrumental in the consistent application of the rules and regulations of the thoroughbred industry at race day and non-race day hearings, in an industry with significant financial implications and impact on public trust and confidence. He is held in high regard by trainers, jockeys, drivers and owners as being firm, fair, objective and of total integrity. He has helped train and integrate other stewards into the system and ensured the Racing Rules Framework in New Zealand evolved and adapted to industry trends. For 20 years until his retirement from race day involvement in 2023, Mr McCutcheon served on judicial committees for the Judicial Control Authority and the Racing Integrity Board, as well as being an appellant judge.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
NEW, Ms Gemma Elizabeth
For services to music direction
Ms Gemma New has held high positions with orchestras across North America and New Zealand and is regarded as a rising star in the classical world.
Ms New began her career conducting the Christchurch Youth Orchestra. She became Music Director of the Hamilton Philharmonic in Ontario, Canada in 2015 and has also served as Principal Guest Conductor for the Dallas Symphony and Resident Conductor for the St. Louis Symphony. In 2022, at age 35, she became the first woman Artistic Advisor and Principal Conductor of the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra. She has conducted more than 50 top orchestras in North America, Europe and Australasia, including the Chicago Symphony, Cleveland Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, New York Philharmonic and Philadelphia Orchestra, and she has performed at prestigious venues such as the Hollywood Bowl and Lincoln Centre. In 2023, she made her debut at the BBC Proms, leading the BBC Scottish Symphony. She is recognised for her efforts to highlight contemporary composers, bringing new talent into the spotlight, both from New Zealand and North America. She has been committed to engagements outside of her conducting duties, from mentoring and masterclasses to educational events and community engagements. Ms New was ranked as one of the most in-demand conductors in Bachtrack’s 2022 list of Top 12 Women Conductors.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
O'DONNELL, Dr Colin Francis John
For services to wildlife conservation
Dr Colin O’Donnell has been a scientist with the New Zealand Wildlife Service and the Department of Conservation (DOC) since the 1980s, carrying out many studies of the distribution, habitat use and populations of aquatic birds, and is recognised as the country’s leading expert in New Zealand long-tailed and short-tailed bats.
Dr O’Donnell has contributed significantly to the protection of Canterbury’s braided river systems, home to gravel ridges exclusively used for breeding by the endangered New Zealand black stilt, wrybill plover and black-fronted tern. He leads DOC’s Threatened Species Research workstream. He was contracted by Environment Canterbury in 2000 to conduct an inventory of indigenous birdlife on Canterbury’s waterways. He has participated in global bat studies and is internationally recognised for his publications. For many years he led DOC’s Bat Recovery Group, having been a member since inception, and heads DOC’s Bat Threat Classification Advisory Team. He has been at the forefront of work that has ensured the survival of the endemic long-tailed and short-tailed bats, training most people who work on or with bats in New Zealand. Between 1987 and 2000, Dr O’Donnell voluntarily compiled South Island and outlying islands bird sightings for publication by the then Ornithological Society of New Zealand (now Birds New Zealand).
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
PEART, Professor Emerita Nicola Sheila
For services to the law
Professor Emerita Nicola Peart has been contributing to the Faculty of Law at the University of Otago since 1987.
Professor Peart has taught more than 6,000 students property law and is a supervisor of Masters and Doctoral students. She has presented at 70 conferences of lawyers since 2000, on relationship property, trusts and disposition of property on death. She has presented to the New Zealand Law Society, the Law Association, Society of Estate and Trust Practitioners, the Senior Courts, Family Court and Māori Land Court. Her work has been widely cited by the judiciary with more than 120 citations of her work by the Courts and her work and advice has contributed to form judgements. She has been a member of expert panels including for the Law Commission between 2010 and 2013, Relationship Property between 2016 and 2019 and Succession since 2020. She provided advice to the Minister of Justice on the establishment of the Trusts Act in 2015. She was the Convenor of New Zealand Law Society’s Relationship Property Standing Committee between 2008 and 2014 and had an active role with the Otago Women Lawyers Society’s annual Ethel Benjamin Lecture. Professor Peart is an advisor and mentor to the Student Debating Society and has contributed to leadership development programmes within the university.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
POLATAIVAO, Ms Anapela
For services to Pacific performing arts
Ms Anapela Polataivao is an actor, director, writer and dramaturg whose work has brought the voice of South Auckland women to stages and screens around the world.
Ms Polataivao graduated from Toi Whakaari New Zealand Drama School in 2000 and received a best supporting actress nomination in 2005 for her role in ‘The Market’. She won several best actress awards and international acclaim for her performance in the 2012 short film, ‘Night Shift’. For her work as co-founder of the Kila Kokonut Krew theatre collective from 2002 to 2014, which serves to give South Auckland performers a platform, she was named a New Generation Arts Laureate in 2014. She has directed multiple works, including Sole Mio’s original opera ‘Alofagia: Le Opera’ and Tusiata Avia’s ‘Wild Dogs Under My Skirt’, some of which have toured New Zealand, Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States. In 2019, she received Creative New Zealand’s Pacific Contemporary Artist Award. Ms Polataivao was a tutor at the Pacific Institute of Pacific Arts, inspiring a new generation of Pacific performers, who have gone on to make a significant impact in the entertainment industry.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
POOLE, Professor Phillippa Jane
For services to medical education
Professor Phillippa Poole has contributed to the medical community in paid and voluntary capacities across the breadth of the medical workforce pipeline, from undergraduate education to hospital-based medicine and vocational specialist leadership, to trans-Tasman regulatory bodies and academic research.
Professor Poole has held formal and informal teaching and mentoring roles through the University of Auckland and Auckland City Hospital, and has advocated for change in specialist colleges and statutory medical regulatory bodies. She was the first woman to be appointed Head of the School of Medicine at the University of Auckland in 2018, having led the Medical Programme for 10 years prior. She was the first woman elected as President of the Internal Medicine Society of Australia and New Zealand from 2005 to 2007. She has had significant influence on the diversification of the workforce to represent the population more accurately, and a shift towards a medical curriculum which trains doctors who are knowledgeable about health equity. She has advocated for the Māori and Pacific Admissions Scheme and Vision 20:20, the University of Auckland’s social justice initiative to increase Māori and Pacific Peoples in the medical workforce. Professor Poole has been an expert member on medical undergraduate education, prevocational and vocational training initiatives and committees with the Australian and New Zealand Medical Councils.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
ROUND, Dr William Howell (Howell)
For services to medical physics and biomedical engineering
Dr Howell Round is internationally respected in the fields of medical physics and biomedical engineering over four decades.
Dr Round has presented at numerous conferences, consulted on expert panels and advised government on a wide range of policy issues pertaining to his field. He has chaired the University of Waikato’s Department of Physics and Electronic Engineering, transforming the department through various initiatives into an innovative, internationally respected team. At Waikato University, his research has focused on medical ultrasonics, radiation therapy, exercise science and EEG analysis. He has represented Waikato University on national committees including the National Electronic Development Association and Innovative Healthcare Technologies. He has volunteered with the Australasian College of Physical Scientists and Engineers in Medicine (ACPSEM) since the 1980s, organising conferences and contributing to information documents for government, training documents and committees for guiding workplace professional development. He held almost every position at Branch and Australasian level over a 30-year period, including ACPSEM President. He initiated and led research that identified and quantified the Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering workforces for New Zealand and Australia, providing data informing government policy and funding decisions. Dr Round has served terms as Secretary-General of both the Asia-Oceania Federation of Organizations for Medical Physics and the International Union of Physical and Engineering Sciences in Medicine.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
STEPHENS, Professor Christine Vivienne
For services to health psychology and seniors
Professor Christine Stephens has been co-lead with Professor Fiona Alpass of the Health and Ageing Research Team (HART) at Massey University since 2006, an interdisciplinary research group running the New Zealand Longitudinal Study of Ageing.
Professor Stephens’ work has highlighted the importance of social and physical environments to health and provided opportunities for older adults to voice their perspectives on ageing well. Her research has made older adults’ needs, voices and strengths more visible and provided knowledge on many areas of ageing, especially housing needs. She has been involved in 20 completed externally funded research projects and continues in semi-retirement. Her research is frequently cited, and she co-authored “Healthy ageing: A capability approach to inclusive policy and practice” and authored “Health promotion: A psychological approach”. She was a founding member, Treasurer from 2009 to 2020 and Chair from 2011 to 2013, of the International Society of Critical Health Psychology and has played a significant role in the development of Massey University’s flagship health psychology programme. She contributes to the International Association of Gerontology and Geriatrics, the New Zealand Association of Gerontology, and is a Fellow of the Gerontological Association of America. Professor Stephens serves on the Board of Age Concern Kāpiti and supported the Kāpiti Coast District Council in developing its Age Friendly Strategy in 2023.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
WARRINGTON, Ms Lisa Jadwiga Valentina
For services to theatre and education
Ms Lisa Warrington retired as Associate Professor of Theatre Studies at the University of Otago in 2018, having joined as the sole drama lecturer in 1981.
Ms Warrington built up a successful theatre programme at the university, fostering numerous well-known New Zealand theatre practitioners. She revived Allen Hall as a working theatre space, reinstated the Lunchtime Theatre programme, and helped keep professional theatre alive in Dunedin as one of the directors at Fortune Theatre, including as Associate Director from 1986 to 1991. She directed 37 plays for Fortune between 1981 and 2016, and directs original productions in Dunedin with theatre co-operative WOW! Productions. She was a guest director for Toi Whakaari New Zealand Drama School, and has directed in other centres. More than half of her 130 directed plays are New Zealand works. The theatre programme she co-developed is well-regarded for its role in the acknowledgement and support of New Zealand theatre, including Māori and Pacific theatre. As an academic, she has published three books, notably co-authoring ‘Floating Islanders: Pasifika Theatre in Aotearoa’ (2017). Ms Warrington set up the Theatre Aotearoa database in 2004 as a more permanent record of theatre activity nationally, with more than 20,000 records of productions since 1840 by professional and community theatres, entering and maintaining much of the data herself until the present.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
WILLIAMS, Dr Murray John
For services to wildlife conservation and science
Dr Murray Williams has committed more than 60 years to wildlife science and conservation.
Dr Williams is the leading researcher of New Zealand’s living and extinct waterfowl species. His research is nationally and internationally published and includes translating outcomes of rigorous research into practical management and conservation actions. He has contributed significantly to professional organisations facilitating science, notably leadership, organisational, and editorial roles with the New Zealand Ecological Society, Birds New Zealand, and the International Ornithological Congress between the 1970s and 2000s. His early career with the New Zealand Wildlife Service included research on gamebirds and the development of science-based approaches for management and hunting of game waterfowl for Fish and Game Councils. Within the Department of Conservation (DOC), he helped establish and implement conservation programmes for New Zealand’s endangered waterfowl, most notably Whio (blue duck), and contributed to similar waterfowl conservation projects internationally. He was involved with DOC’s Kākāpō Recovery Group, and edited a compendium on the history and current knowledge of Kākāpō as at 2006. He developed and taught New Zealand’s only postgraduate Master of Science degree in ecological restoration at Victoria University of Wellington from 2005 to 2010. Dr Williams served as Trustee of Nga Manu Wildlife Trust on the Kāpiti Coast from 2015 to 2020.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
WILSON, Ms Sheryll Christine (Sherryll)
For services to early childhood education
Ms Sherryll Wilson has been Chief Executive since 1995 of the Canterbury Westland Kindergarten Association, trading as Kidsfirst Kindergartens, the largest not-for-profit early childhood education provider in the South Island with nearly 70 kindergartens.
Ms Wilson has balanced a strong social responsibility to families and communities with the need to grow, develop and remain viable and relevant. Her management has ensured that the kindergartens have benefitted from strategic, efficient, cost-effective management and administration, in turn allowing more to be done for children, whānau and communities. She has overseen an increase to the number of kindergartens and ECE services operated by the association, as well as adapting services to better meet families’ needs. She has led the organisation through the Christchurch earthquakes, the Pike River Mine disaster, Christchurch mosques terrorist attack, and the COVID-19 lockdowns, all of which directly affected staff and families utilising Kidsfirst. She made herself available at all hours and provided personal support to staff and families during these times. She is a long-time employer representative for the Kindergarten Teachers Collective Agreement. She represents Kidsfirst, New Zealand Kindergartens and the ECE sector on numerous organisations, working groups, panels, governance groups and committees throughout New Zealand. Ms Wilson is a Fellow of Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
WINKELMANN, Ms Adrienne Karen
For services to the fashion industry
Ms Adrienne Winkelmann is a fashion designer who has been contributing to the fashion industry through her fashion company ‘Adrienne Winkelmann’.
Ms Winkelmann established her company in 1980, and employs 17 staff, with all garments made locally in New Zealand. Her company has sold garments throughout New Zealand, Australia, Europe and the United States of America. Through her business she has supported the Women’s Refuge and Starship Children’s Hospital in Auckland. She has donated surplus designs at the end of each season to Dress for Success. She has hosted pop-up charity shops selling second-hand clothing in excellent condition, which have raised tens of thousands of dollars for charities. Ms Winkelmann received an Honorary Doctorate from Auckland University of Auckland in 2016.