To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
ABERAHAMA, Inspector Tamuera Aitama (Sam)
For services to the New Zealand Police and the community
Inspector Sam Aberahama has worked for the New Zealand Police since 1988 in Auckland, Hawke’s Bay and Gisborne communities.
Inspector Aberahama has been Tairāwhiti Area Commander for the past 10 years. He helped establish the Cook Islands Internal Support Network at the New Zealand Police in 2016. He was Chairman of the Safe Tairāwhiti Community Trust from 1994 until 2017 when Manaaki Tairāwhiti amalgamated Safe Tairāwhiti, Violence Free Tairāwhiti and the Prisoner Reintegration Network. He remains a member of the Governance Group of Manaaki Tairāwhiti. In 2013, he helped establish the Nga Ara Pai mentoring programme in Gisborne to assist at risk youth to obtain their drivers licence, which to date has had an 80 percent pass rate. In 2016, he was instrumental in the establishment of ‘Te Hahi’, a partnership between police and a collective of local churches with a focus on family harm, which has since expanded into Rotorua and Hawke’s Bay. He was a member on the National Board of Safe Communities Foundation New Zealand for several years. He was instrumental in a number of successful community projects, including providing a safe network for families, suicide prevention, elderly home safety, road safety, Tamariki Ora working group, and Alcohol and Smokefree initiatives.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
ANDERSON, Mrs Susan Veronica, JP
For services to restorative justice
Mrs Susan Anderson was employed by the Whanganui Restorative Justice Trust Board as the Whanganui Restorative Justice Coordinator Facilitator from 2006 to 2019.
In this role Mrs Anderson increased restorative justice provision in the Whanganui and Ruapehu region, mentored facilitators to achieve national accreditation, and developed strong working relationships with key stake holders. She was a member of the Executive Board of Restorative Practices Aotearoa for two years and Chair of the selection panel for the Morikanui Tertiary Educational Scholarships for the Whanganui Maori Trust Board for 10 years. She was appointed Chair of RISE - Stopping Violence Services in 2019. She has volunteered at the Ruapehu Police Whakakotahitanga and Whanau Challenge weekend retreats for recidivist family harm couples and families, mentoring and supporting participants over the past 10 years. Within this group there has been approximately a 70 percent reduction in family harm and assaults. She has presented papers at Restorative Justice conferences nationally and in Vancouver, Melbourne and Hobart on family violence, restorative communities and victim engagement. She was involved in Professional Development at Whanganui Polytechnic / Universal College of Learning, designing, facilitating and evaluating training for staff. Mrs Anderson has held positions on the Trust Board of Te Arawhanui Learning Centre and the national Adult Reading and Learning Association Executive Board.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
ARGILLA, Dr Lisa Shelley
For services to animal welfare and conservation
Dr Lisa Argilla is one of New Zealand’s most accomplished wildlife veterinarians, who has dedicated the past twelve years to working with New Zealand’s wildlife, particularly native birds.
Dr Argilla is the Founder and Director of Dunedin’s Wildlife Hospital, which was established in 2018. Since opening, the Hospital has treated more than 1,300 animals across 63 different species with more than 34 percent of patients classified as nationally threatened. She was Veterinary Science Manager at Wellington Zoo from 2011 to 2015, where she played a pivotal role in establishing the hospital as a world class native wildlife treatment facility. Here she also began her involvement with the Kea Conservation Trust. She has volunteered her services with the Kākāpō and Takahē Recovery Groups as well as the Yellow-Eyed Penguin Trust and Department of Conservation over the past 12 years. She provided hand-rearing and veterinary support during the 2016 kākāpo breeding season. Dr Argilla is well-known for her successful treatment of ‘Happy Feet,’ the emperor penguin that got stranded in New Zealand on its way back to Antarctica in 2011.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
BAKER, Professor Michael George
For services to public health science
Professor Michael Baker is one of New Zealand's leading epidemiologists and has been involved with public health for more than 30 years.
Professor Baker has been Professor of Public Health at the University of Otago in Wellington since 2013 and is Director of the Health Environment Infection Research Unit (HEIRU). He is Co-Director of the University’s He Kainga Oranga/Housing and Health Research Programme and the Public Health Summer School. He has a range of public health research interests, with a particular focus on infectious diseases, environmental health, and housing, and has published widely in these areas. He is a member of the Ministry of Health’s COVID-19 Technical Advisory Group. He was a strong advocate for eliminating COVID-19 and keeping it out of the country, over the approach of flattening the curve. His commentary helped inform the Government’s nationwide lockdown. He is an active science media commentator and member of the Science Media Centre’s Advisory Board. Internationally he is a member of the World Health Organisation Regional Verification Commission for Measles and Rubella Elimination and the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council’s Centre for Research Excellence on Integrated Systems for Epidemic Response. Professor Baker’s contributions have been recognised with the HRC Liley Medal in 2013 and the Prime Minister’s Science Prize in 2014.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
BARNES, Mrs Janet Elsie (Jan), JP
For services to local government and the community
Mrs Jan Barnes has been involved with the Matamata community for 35 years across a variety of community committees, as well as serving on the Matamata Piako District Council for 18 years.
Mrs Barnes was elected to the Matamata Community Board in 2001 and became Chairperson for a term, before being elected to represent the Matamata Ward on the District Council in 2004. She was elected the first female Mayor of the Council from 2013 to 2019. She was Co-Chair of the Local Government New Zealand (LGNZ) Rural Provincial Committee and Rural Zone representative to the LGNZ National Council Board. She was a member of Matamata Public Relations Association Committee from 1998 to 2013. Between 2004 and 2007 she was an inaugural Trustee and Chair of the Matamata Community Resource Centre. She was a Trustee and Chair of the Matamata Community Health Shuttle from 2008 to 2013. She has been a founding member of MATE (Matamata Apprentice Training Enterprise) since 2004. She has been Patron of Matamata Menz Shed since 2013, after supporting its establishment. She chaired Matamata Centennial Committee from 2003 to 2004. Mrs Barnes chaired Mill Crescent Kindergarten from 1985 to 1989 and was a member of Firth Primary Fundraising Committee from 1989 to 1991.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
BARTON, Ms Christina Joy
For services to art history and curation
Ms Christina Barton is a leading art historian, art writer, and curator.
Early in her career, Ms Barton worked as the Assistant Curator at the Auckland Art Gallery and from 1992 to 1994 as the Curator of Contemporary New Zealand Art at the Museum of New Zealand in Wellington. She taught Art History at Victoria University of Wellington from 1995 to 2007, before becoming the Director of the University’s Adam Art Gallery, a position that she continues to hold. Her work has been especially important in drawing attention to and raising the profile of female artists in New Zealand. She was co-editor of the 1990s art journal ‘Antic’ and in 1993 she co-curated the landmark exhibition of feminist art ‘Alter/Image: Feminism and Representation in New Zealand Art 1973-1993’. Since then, she has produced often the first exhibitions and publications on certain underrepresented and emerging artists. As a teacher, museum curator, and gallery director, she has mentored numerous young students in these fields over 25 years. She has written or edited more than 100 books, book chapters, and articles. Ms Barton has been a selector for the Walters Art Prize and for New Zealand’s representative at the Venice Biennale.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
BENNETT, Major David Thomas
For services to the Salvation Army and the community
Major David Bennett was involved with the Salvation Army from 1965 until retiring from active service in 2018.
Major Bennett’s involvement has spanned more than 16 years in church leadership in Auckland, Christchurch, Wellington, and the United Kingdom. His involvement also included three years as Youth Director in Otago and Southland, 14 years with Public Relations in Auckland and Wellington, four years as National Secretary for Public Relations, Training Principal of the Salvation Army Training College, and National Coordinator of Emergency Services for 10 years. As Youth Director in Otago and Southland in the 1970s he initiated an Adventure Camp in addition to planning and directing other camps, music schools leadership seminars. As corps officer for The Glenfield Salvation Army he initiated a building renovation project to expand the premises and introduced the ‘buy-a-beam’ scheme for people to invest in their church. He introduced a scheme for the Christchurch City Corps that helped the church pay down its mortgage and become debt free within 13 years. As National Emergency Services Coordinator Major Bennett helped lead and was involved with Salvation Army support following the 2010 and 2011 Christchurch earthquakes and 2016 Kaikoura earthquake, as well as Salvation Army responses to international natural disasters in Nepal, Uganda, Fiji and Samoa.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
BOWDEN, Mr Mark Alexander
For services to education
Mr Mark Bowden has been an educator in the Taranaki Region, spending eight years as Principal of Opunake High School, then eight years as Principal of Spotswood College, retiring in 2018.
Mr Bowden played a pivotal role in creating a new paradigm for secondary education in Taranaki that focuses on the wellbeing of students. He was involved in an advisory panel in 2005 during the writing of the New Zealand Curriculum. From 2014 to 2018 he was the Deputy Chairperson of Taranaki Futures, a highly successful education to employment organisation focused on creating pathways for young people in the Taranaki region. This organisation has been instrumental in improving educational opportunities in Taranaki and the recognition of individual student vocational aspirations. He led changes in Outdoor Education policies and procedures in response to a tragic accident involving Spotswood College students during an outdoor education trip. Since 2009, he has volunteered as the Chairperson of the Taranaki Secondary Schools’ Principals’ Association and as a board member of the New Zealand Secondary Schools’ Sport Council as Taranaki Secondary Schools’ Representative. Since 2018, Mr Bowden has been engaged as an independent panel member for principal appointments, and a mentor for principals, and in a role with the Taranaki office of the Ministry of Education.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
CAMERON, Ms Sheena
For services to education
Ms Sheena Cameron has held a variety of roles in the education sector for more than 40 years.
Ms Cameron taught in low-decile primary schools in Gisborne and South Auckland between 1979 and 1995. Following this she taught at the University of Auckland and was Director of Kohia Education Centre, before becoming an education expert, publishing resources and hosting education workshops for teachers across New Zealand and internationally. She produced three books between 2004 and 2009, including ‘Teaching Reading Comprehension Strategies’, which became one of Pearson Education Australia’s top selling educational resource books with more than 94,000 copies sold. In 2012 she established S and L Publishing with colleague Louise Dempsey and co-authored a further three books. One dollar from the sale of each book has been donated to charities ‘The Malala Fund’, ‘I am Hope’ and a fully funded writing project to support Cook Islands teachers, with donations totalling more than $80,000 to date. In 2019, more than 7,000 teachers attended S and L Publishing workshops across New Zealand, Australia and the Cook Islands. Ms Cameron has given presentations at a number of New Zealand Literacy Association national conferences and frequently presents at international educators’ conferences.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
COCKSEDGE, Ms Kendra Margaret
For services to rugby
Ms Kendra Cocksedge is a current member of the Black Ferns women's rugby team and a former member of the Black Ferns Sevens team.
Ms Cocksedge has played in more than 50 tests, having made her test debut in 2007, and is the second most capped Black Fern. With the Black Ferns, she won the Women's Rugby World Cups in 2010 and 2017. She played in three tournaments for the Black Ferns Sevens and was part of the team that won the Women's Sevens World Series in 2013. Domestically, she has played for the Canterbury Farah Palmer Cup side since 2007. She was the first player in the competition to surpass 1,000 points. She won her first Farah Palmer Cup title with Canterbury in 2017 and successfully defended it in 2018. She was named World Rugby Women's Player of the Year and New Zealand Rugby Women's Player of the Year in 2015. She has been a trailblazer for women’s rugby and in 2018 was the first woman to win New Zealand Rugby's top award, the Kelvin R Tremain Memorial Player of the Year. Ms Cocksedge is currently New Zealand Rugby's Women's Participation Manager for the South Island.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
CROOK, Mrs Michelle Anne
For services to the community
Mrs Michelle Crook has led numerous charitable projects in the Bay of Plenty region.
Mrs Crook led a fundraising drive in 2014 and raised $100,000 to create a Gallipoli Exhibition in Tauranga that drew more than 13,000 visitors. She led the raising of $15,000 for New Zealand’s first beach mat for wheelchair access at Mount Maunganui beach in 2017. She organised several ‘Colour Dash’ run events that raised $75,000 for Ronald McDonald House in Auckland. She funded and mentored the establishment of Step Changers in 2016, a charity that assists New Zealand companies to improve their Corporate Social Responsibility programmes. She was Trustee and Secretary for the Papamoa Community Surf Rescue Base Trust, helping raise more than $4 million for its new surf club facilities. She was previously Chairperson of Creative Bay of Plenty, leading the organisation during the creation and adoption of Toi Moana, the region’s Arts & Culture Strategy. She was previously Chairperson of Breast Cancer Support Services Tauranga Trust, during which time she established the 200 Club which raised funds to support those recently diagnosed. Mrs Crook is a past Trustee of Whare Manaakitia Trust, has fundraised for Alzheimers Tauranga/Western Bay of Plenty, and is currently Project Lead (New Build) for Takitimu House, Tauranga Moana Men’s Night Shelter Trust.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
DHIRU, Ms Vanisa, JP
For services to the community and gender rights
Ms Vanisa Dhiru has been a strong advocate across gender, race, employment, leadership and age equity.
Ms Dhiru has served as Chief Executive for Volunteering New Zealand, Executive Director for the 20/20 Trust, and was National President of the National Council of Women of New Zealand (NCWNZ) from 2017 to 2019. As National President of NCWNZ, she led and guided the Gender Equal NZ campaign, increased the diversity of the national membership, led the Suffrage 125 work programme, and raised the profile of NCWNZ in the media. She led the NCWNZ delegation at the United Nation’s 70th session of the CEDAW Monitoring Committee in 2018, where she chaired the New Zealand NGO meeting to advocate for gender rights. She has volunteered on various charity boards including chairing the Inspiring Stories Trust and the YWCA of Greater Wellington. She was a Trustee of Trade Aid Wellington Trust and campaigned to make Wellington a Fairtrade city in 2009. She holds Commissioner roles with the New Zealand National Commission for UNESCO and the Library and Information Advisory Commission. Ms Dhiru has been a member of various advisory panels, including for the Ministry of Social Development, Ministry for Women, Inland Revenue and the Wellington School of Business and Government at Victoria University.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
EDWARDS, Mr Edward John (Ted)
For services to sustainable business and harness racing
Mr Ted Edwards established Reharvest Timber Products in 1996, a leading producer of premium products from wood waste.
Reharvest’s emphasis on only recycled timber products has set standards which others in the industry have emulated and has seen the company recognised for innovative yet ecologically friendly products. Mr Edwards has received several ACQ5 Global Awards, most recently as ‘Best Practice Operator’ for Reharvest. Reharvest’s products include enviromulch for landscaping and regeneration projects, Cushionfall surfaces for children’s play areas, and Cushionride surfaces for equestrian and dressage arenas. A number of councils have utilised Reharvest’s products for local projects. He has also been involved with harness racing as a driver, owner and trainer, later establishing a broodmare band. He has personally driven 30 winners and trained 181 winners. Reharvest has sponsored the Group One Rowe Cup for Trotters at Alexandra Park, as well as races at Kumeu and Pukekohe. Mr Edwards has coached rugby league locally, coaching the U10 Mangere team who were unbeaten for four years.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
FORREST, Mr Kenneth John
For services to the electricity industry and business
Mr Kenneth Forrest has been a leader in New Zealand’s electricity industry for more than 40 years.
Mr Forrest became the General Manager of the Marlborough Electric Power Board, now Marlborough Lines Limited, in 1980. He retired in December 2019, after 42 years of working for the same company. In the early 1990s, after the government announced significant reforms to the electricity industry, he led a group of industry entities in seeking community-owned assets. The group successfully received recognition of an ownership structure in the form of a trust that directly benefitted local consumers. He was the founding Chairman of the Electricity Networks Association, a former Vice-President of the New Zealand Electricity Supply Association, and a Past President of the New Zealand Electricity Managers Association. He is a past member of the National Executive Electrical Development Association and a current member of the Electricity Supply Engineers Association, the Institute of Professional Engineers, and the Institute of Directors. Mr Forrest has been a director of several other companies, including Nelson Electricity Limited, OtagoNet Joint Venture, Otago Power Services Limited, Port Marlborough New Zealand Limited, and Marlborough Airport Limited.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
GOOCH, Mrs Prudence Anne
For services to dance
Mrs Prudence Gooch established the Prue Gooch School of Dance in Tauranga in 1976, which led to the establishment of the Dance Education Centre in 1990.
Mrs Gooch has been Director of the Dance Education Centre since inception and has organised annual performances through the Centre and the Prue Gooch School of Dance since 1976. The Centre has attracted students from around the country and many have gone on to successful dance careers, including with the Royal New Zealand Ballet Company and ballet companies overseas. She was a founding member of the Dance Unlimited organisation of Tauranga dance teachers, students and parents, which has raised funds, held seminars and staged productions at the Baycourt Community and Arts Centre. She was involved in fundraising for the Art Centre to install a suitable dance floor for national and international shows. She also helped produce and stage a number of musical theatre shows at the Baycourt. She has been the New Zealand Senior Representative of the British Ballet Organisation since 2007, working to build the organisation's profile and raise dance standards generally in New Zealand. Mrs Gooch has been a member for several years of an Advisory Panel assisting the New Zealand School of Dance in Wellington to move forward in changing times.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
HARBISON, Dr Sally-Ann
For services to forensic science
Dr Sally-Ann Harbison leads the Forensic Biology Team at the Institute of Environmental Science and Research (ESR).
Dr Harbison initially joined ESR’s precursor, DSIR, in 1988 in the chemistry division, where she focused on crime scene and evidence examinations including identifying body fluids and blood grouping. Her work led her to play a significant part in many prominent New Zealand cases. With ESR, she has been a major contributor to the development and application of New Zealand’s Forensic DNA capability. In 1999 she worked on the first homicide case that was solved by using the DNA Profile Databank. She has been the case manager in a number of old cases that are being reviewed with more modern DNA methods. She has collaborated with colleagues worldwide and represented ESR on various international committees. She has spoken at many international conferences and meetings and written more than 60 publications in her field. She has held honorary positions at the University of Auckland since 1996, supervising more than 60 MSc and PhD students. Dr Harbison has led the Biology Specialist Advisory Group of the Australia/New Zealand Forensic Executive Committee and been an assessor for both Australian and American accreditation bodies.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
HAYWARD, Professor Bronwyn Mary
For services to political science, particularly sustainability, climate change and youth
Professor Bronwyn Hayward is director of Hei Puāwaitanga: Sustainable Development and Civic Imagination Research Group and a Professor of Political Science at the University of Canterbury.
Professor Hayward is recognised internationally for her expertise on sustainability and youth politics. Her work has helped shaped the understanding of climate change and the implications for younger generations. She is a co-lead investigator with the Centre for Understanding Sustainable Prosperity (CUSP) at the University of Surrey, UK. She is a Coordinating lead author for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and a member of the Core Writing Team for the IPCC Sixth Climate Assessment report. She has served as a lead author for the 2018 IPCC Special report on the importance of keeping global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. She is foundation Chair of the New Zealand Political Studies Working Group on Civics, Citizenship and Political Literacy education. She has been a Trustee for the Spark Foundation and the UK Foundation for Democracy and Sustainable Development. She was joint inaugural recipient of the University of Canterbury College of Arts Conscience and Critic of Society research award in 2014. Professor Hayward’s published books include ‘Sea Change: Climate politics and New Zealand’ (2017), and ‘Children, Citizenship and Environment’, (2012) recently re-published as a second #SchoolStrike edition.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
HEIKELL, Ms Vicki Anne
For services to heritage preservation and Māori
Ms Vicki Anne Heikell is recognised as New Zealand’s leading Māori Paper Conservator.
From 1993 to 1997 Ms Heikell was a Paper Conservator at the National Library of New Zealand, and from 1997 to 2000 was National Preservation Officer, Māori at the National Library. She was Paper Conservator with the National Museum of New Zealand, Te Papa Tongarewa from 2003 to 2010, alongside supporting the National Services Te Paerangi museum and iwi outreach team to develop and run marae and museum based preservation workshops. She has been Field Conservator for the National Preservation Office, Alexander Turnbull Library since 2010. She has been involved with nationally significant projects including ‘Pūkana: moments in Māori performance’ and the He Tohu exhibition of several of Aotearoa’s key constitutional documents. For many decades she has provided mentoring and advice on the care and preservation of works of art on paper and training and advice for iwi, hapū, whānau on preservation of paper-based taonga. Ms Heikell is currently on the Ngāti Porou Taonga Advisory and has been President of the New Zealand Conservators of Cultural Material collective.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
HENDY, Professor Shaun Cameron
For services to science
Professor Shaun Hendy has been director of Te Pūnaha Matatini since 2014, a New Zealand Centre of Research Excellence that focuses on the translation of complex systems and networks into understandable knowledge for eliciting change.
Professor Hendy has lectured at Victoria University of Wellington’s School of Chemical and Physical Sciences and currently lectures in the University of Auckland’s Faculty of Science. He was Deputy Director of the MacDiarmid Institute for Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology from 2008 to 2012 and President of the New Zealand Association of Scientists from 2011 to 2013. He has published numerous articles and texts across a range of fields including condensed matter physics, nanotechnology, computational materials science, the physics of complex systems, and innovation and economics. He is a public spokesperson on scientific issues, presenting regularly on national radio and producing articles for The Spinoff and Radio New Zealand Online. As an advocate for adapting to the challenges of climate change, he abstained from flying internationally and domestically for the year of 2018 to reduce his emissions. A number of his colleagues joined this movement, which formed the basis of his book ‘#NoFly’. He received the Prime Minister’s Science Media Communication Prize in 2012. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Professor Hendy's projections on the rate of transmission under different Alert Level scenarios has helped public understanding of the situation.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
HINE, Ms Michele Rae
For services to performing arts education
Ms Michele Hine has been a professional actor, director and acting teacher for 40 years.
Ms Hine has taught both nationally and internationally, including at Unitec, Toi Whakaari/New Zealand Drama School, and Auckland and Victoria Universities. She was a co-founder of, and lecturer in the acting department of The Bachelor of Performing and Screen Arts at Unitec for seventeen years. She has developed, and taught courses in characterization, improvisation and introduction to acting techniques. She is co-founder of and has been Artistic Manager at The Actors’ Program in Auckland since 2011. She has overseen students who have gone on to perform internationally in Australia, Europe, the United Kingdom and the United States. She was a founding Board member of the Basement Theatre not-for-profit performing arts venue from 2010 to 2017 and served as Chair from 2010 to 2016. In 1996 Ms Hine received an ASB Trust Teaching Award and in 2012 won an Auckland Theatre Award for her performance in the play ‘The Idea of America’.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
INGRAM, Mr Keith Luke, JP
For services to the fishing and maritime industry
Mr Keith Ingram is recognised as a maritime industry and recreational fishing advocate who has been a member of the New Zealand Recreational Fishing Council for the past 35 years, including 12 years as President.
Mr Ingram is a past President of the New Zealand Marine Transport Association (NZMTA), where he contributed significantly to the Maritime Transport Act 1994. He remains on the Board of the NZMTA, having been a committee member for more than 30 years. He was a Field Editor for Boating NZ Magazine for 10 years, before establishing Professional Skipper Magazine, recognised as a leading maritime journal now in its 25th year. He remains an advisor to Maritime New Zealand, the Ministry of Fisheries, the Department of Conservation, and the New Zealand Shipping and Fishing industries. He has been the Patron for the Tug William C. Daldy Preservation Society since 2008 and a marine assessor to the Transport Accident Investigation Commission. As a past Commodore of the Bucklands Beach Yacht Club, he remains a Vice-Patron of the club, where he was instrumental in the development of the ‘Women in Command’ training course now adopted by New Zealand Coastguard Education. Mr Ingram opened the way for Sea Cadet pre-sea training and women at sea to be accepted as part of the maritime industry.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
JARDINE, Mr Dickson Stewart
For services to philanthropy and conservation
Mr Dickson Jardine and Mrs Jillian Jardine have gifted a significant amount of land in the Otago region for the purposes of education, conservation and recreation.
In 2016, Mr and Mrs Jardine gifted a four-hectare Remarkables Station property on Lake Wakatipu to the University of Otago, to be held in perpetuity as an academic research retreat known as Hakitekura, with the intention of helping the University attract world-renowned speakers and researchers to New Zealand. In 2012 they organised a fundraising event for the Neurology Chair at Otago University. In 2013 they gifted nine hectares of land to the QEII National Trust, to be held in perpetuity for conservation and recreation, in order to protect the landscape from commercial development. This area of land, known as the Jardines Boulders Field, is known for its glacial boulders that attract tourists and climbers from around the world. Mr and Mrs Jardine have also supported local cultural activities in the Queenstown Lakes area, including significantly contributing to the establishment and development of the Lakes Music School ‘Turn Up the Music’.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
JARDINE, Mrs Jillian Frances
For services to philanthropy and conservation
Mr Dickson Jardine and Mrs Jillian Jardine have gifted a significant amount of land in the Otago region for the purposes of education, conservation and recreation.
In 2016, Mr and Mrs Jardine gifted a four-hectare Remarkables Station property on Lake Wakatipu to the University of Otago, to be held in perpetuity as an academic research retreat known as Hakitekura, with the intention of helping the University attract world-renowned speakers and researchers to New Zealand. In 2012 they organised a fundraising event for the Neurology Chair at Otago University. In 2013 they gifted nine hectares of land to the QEII National Trust, to be held in perpetuity for conservation and recreation, in order to protect the landscape from commercial development. This area of land, known as the Jardines Boulders Field, is known for its glacial boulders that attract tourists and climbers from around the world. Mr and Mrs Jardine have also supported local cultural activities in the Queenstown Lakes area, including significantly contributing to the establishment and development of the Lakes Music School ‘Turn Up the Music’.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
JOHNSON, Mrs Helen Susan
For services to Special Olympics and the community
Mrs Helen Johnson has advocated for the disability community and been involved with Special Olympics, coordinating volunteers and athletes to attend events locally and internationally.
Mrs Johnson has been a New Zealand coach at three Special Olympics Summer World Games, one Asia Pacific Games and several Trans-Tasman events. Nationally, she has attended five Special Olympics New Zealand Summer National Games and four Winter Nationals, leading the Manawatu team at eight of these events. She played a key role in organising the 2009 Special Olympics National Games in Palmerston North. She has been a driver for including Special Olympics athletes in unified and mainstream sports events. This has included her taking a team of athletes and volunteers to compete together at the Masters Games in Whanganui every two years. She has been involved with Parafed Manawatu since 2011 and is a current Board member. She has held leadership roles with Parent to Parent, the support and information network for parents of children with disabilities, in Manawatu from 1999 to 2007 and nationally from 2007 to 2018, including time as National President. Within the wider community she has held roles with school boards of trustees, Plunket, Enabling Good Lives Mid-Central Region, and the Palmerston North Street Van. Mrs Johnson has received several volunteer coach of the year and civic awards.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
JONES, Mr Rodney Whitiora
For services to economics and public health research
Mr Rodney Jones is a New Zealand economist and analyst, whose work has been focused on Asia for the last 30 years and is a Principal of Wigram Capital Advisors.
Prior to establishing Wigram Capital Advisors in 2001, Mr Jones was a Managing Director and Partner with Soros Fund Management, heading up the research office in Hong Kong. His focus has been on the interaction between the financial system and real economies across Asia. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he has provided ongoing modelling on the rate of cases and transmission both nationally and in countries overseas. Mr Jones’ modelling helped to inform the New Zealand government’s response to the pandemic, leading to the implementation of the lockdown in March 2020.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
JUDD, Mr Samuel Edwin Isaac (Sam)
For services to the environment and sustainability education
Mr Sam Judd is an environmentalist and sustainability educator.
Mr Judd founded Sustainable Coastlines in 2008, a charity which coordinates large-scale coastal and beach clean-up events as well as public awareness campaigns and educational programmes, and remained CEO until 2020. Sustainable Coastlines has worked with more than 100,000 volunteers on tree planting and coastline clean-up events. He was instrumental in bringing together 144 organisations and 2,000 people for the construction of the Flagship Education Centre in 2017, through which Sustainable Coastlines actively educates New Zealanders on how to protect their local environment. The Flagship received the globally prestigious World Energy Globe Award in the youth category for its design and construction as a low-emissions and sustainability-minded building. He has delivered more than 200 days of work with offenders on conservation projects and collaborated extensively with prisons to develop opportunities for employment pathways. He was the founding Chairperson of Pūniu River Care, which now employs 30 local rangatahi Māori and produces more than 500,000 native seedlings annually for restoration projects. Mr Judd was named New Zealander of the Year for the Environment in 2010 and Young New Zealander of the Year in 2013. Sustainable Coastlines was recognised with the Supreme Award at the 2013 Ministry for the Environment Green Awards.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
KEAM, Dr Glenda Ruth
For services to music and music education
Dr Glenda Keam is a music scholar and composer, who has advocated and created opportunities for New Zealand music nationally and internationally.
Dr Keam was President of The Composers Association of New Zealand (CANZ) from 2007 to 2017. She has been a New Zealand delegate at a number of international festivals through the International Society for Contemporary Music (ISCM). She was elected President of ISCM in 2019, having been Vice President from 2016. She has directed the (09)03 Festival in Auckland, the 2020 ISCM World New Music Days and Asian Composers League Festival (postponed to 2022), and co-curated the 2012 New Zealand in LA festival in California. She has been involved with a number of conferences in an organisational capacity, which have been instrumental in stimulating depth in New Zealand music as an academic area, and for creating platforms for the community to share ideas. She designed and inaugurated Unitec’s music programme, of which she was director from 2006 to 2013. She has held academic roles at University of Auckland and is currently Head of Music at the University of Canterbury. Dr Keam has published a number of works on New Zealand music, analysis, music education, the psychology of creativity, and cultural contexts.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
KEBBELL, Mr James Edward (Jim)
For services to sustainable business and the community
Mr Jim Kebbell and Ms Marion Wood founded Commonsense Organics, a leading example of sustainable small business in New Zealand.
In 1975 they bought land in Te Horo and named it Common Property, with the aim of growing organic vegetables, before opening the first Commonsense Organics supermarket shop in Wellington in 1991. There are now five Commonsense Organics stores, four in Wellington and one in Auckland, while Common Property is a professionally run commercial unit of 11.2 hectares. They are strong advocates for organic and regenerative agriculture and seek to educate their customers and communities on how to grow their own organic food. Their values have influenced Commonsense Organics to adopt BPA- free till receipts, home compostable packaging, and to become a Living Wage employer. They are involved in a number of charitable initiatives, including Commonsense being the primary supporter of the Porirua School Gardens scheme. They are founding members of the Organic Traders Association of New Zealand. Mr Kebbell is an Honorary Life Member of BioGro New Zealand, having previously been Chair.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
KELLY, Mr James (Jim)
For services to the trade union movement
Mr Jim Kelly has advocated for fair and equitable treatment of workers in New Zealand, particularly in the rail industry.
Mr Kelly was a community leader in the 2012 and 2016 campaign to save the Hillside Workshops in South Dunedin. He came together with local engineering businesses and the Otago Chamber of Commerce to negotiate with Kiwirail from a community perspective. He was elected National President of the Rail and Maritime Transport Union (RMTU) from 1990 to 2011, becoming involved in many changes that affected the industry, including wage, welfare, and health and safety changes. He was made a Life Member of the RMTU in recognition of his efforts. He was previously President of the Combined Union of Railway Employees from 1990 until 1995, when it amalgamated into the RMTU. He has represented New Zealand workers at international forums on workers' welfare and safety. In 2002, he led the development and establishment of a memorial in Dunedin for workers who were killed while at work. He has since organised an annual event to recognise New Zealand's ongoing campaign to eliminate work place fatalities. Mr Kelly was also Vice Chair and advocate for workers whose union were affiliates with The Council of Trade Unions at Otago and national levels.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
KORTEGAST, Inspector Kieren William
For services to the New Zealand Police and the community
Inspector Kieren Kortegast has worked for the New Zealand Police for the past 48 years and currently manages the Police Southern Emergency Communications Centre.
Inspector Kortegast has been the Manager of the Police’s Southern Communications Centre for the past 18 years. The Communications Centres are responsible for receiving emergency and non-emergency calls for service, as well as all initial command and deployment of frontline staff to critical incidents. In this role, he has shown exemplary leadership, especially in his command roles during the Christchurch earthquakes and the subsequent response to the 15 March 2019 mosque shootings. He is responsible for the Police’s Business Continuity Plan (BCP) for the Police Communications Centres, including planning and co-ordinating joint emergency services and related agencies annual BCP workshops and training exercises. He has represented the Police on the National Emergency Communications Working Group - Australia and New Zealand for more than 14 years and until recently sat on its Executive Board. Outside of Police, Inspector Kortegast has spent nearly a decade fundraising for the Life Education Trust as part of his involvement with the Round Table Service Club.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
LANE, Mrs Janet Lyn
For services to tertiary education
Mrs Janet Lane was appointed Chief Executive of MITO New Zealand Incorporated (MITO) in 1999, the standard setting body for the automotive, transport, logistics and extractives sectors.
Mrs Lane’s leadership has inspired collaborative partnerships with industry associations, corporate entities, employer networks and government agencies to support workforce development strategies. Central to this are education and training initiatives that enhance workplace productivity, innovation and industry sustainability through the creation of nationally recognised qualifications leading to advanced technical and business management career pathways. A champion of enriching lives and inspiring futures through successful learner outcomes, she has implemented scholarship programmes, secondary school micro-credentials, diversity projects for under-represented groups, technical mentorships, literacy and numeracy coaching and dedicated bespoke pastoral care. She served as a Council Member of the Industry Training Federation for more than 20 years and was a Trustee of WorldSkills New Zealand from 2007 until 2011 and I-CAR New Zealand from 2012 to 2017. Mrs Lane represented New Zealand at the APEC Electromobility Symposium in Chile in February 2018, presenting on ‘Human Capital and Gender – the New Zealand Experience’.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
LELIJVELD, Mrs Josephina Henrica Maria (Josje)
For services to the Deaf community and education
Mrs Josje Lelijveld has been a strong advocate for New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL) nationally and regionally.
Mrs Lelijveld has supported the New Zealand Sign Language Teachers Association (NZSLTA) with leadership, resource development, professional development, and mentoring. She was instrumental in the development of Level 2 of the NZSLTA teaching resource ‘Teach Sign’. She has been NZSL senior tutor for the University of Canterbury postgraduate diploma Specialist Teaching programme. She trained as one of the original evaluators and interviewers for the NZSL Proficiency Interview. She joined the NZSL Experts Advisory Group in 2013 and served on the NZSL Board from 2015 to 2018. She was Vice President of the Deaf Society of Canterbury from 2005 to 2015 and helped secure a new clubroom building for the Society after the Canterbury earthquakes. She relocated from Christchurch to support the Deaf community in Dunedin, where she established community classes and worked to strengthen the relationship between the Otago Association of Deaf Children and the Otago Deaf Society. She has served on several advisory groups and boards including the Universal Newborn Hearing Screening and Early Intervention programme and Christchurch City Council Disability Advisory Group. Mrs Lelijveld has also worked with van Asch Deaf Education Centre, Workbridge, Deaf Aotearoa, and New Zealand Relay.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
LOCKE, Mr Keith James
For services to human rights advocacy
Mr Keith Locke has been a long-term human rights activist at both national and international levels.
Mr Locke became the National Co-ordinator of the Philippines Solidarity Network from 1986 to 1991 and created exchange programmes between social justice groups in New Zealand and their counterparts in the Philippines. Around this time he opened the progressive One World Books store, which provided a hub for activists in Auckland. He was Secretary of the Wellington Latin America Committee from 1980 to 1985. In the 1990s he was a Foreign Affairs spokesperson for the NewLabour, Alliance and Green parties and was a Green Member of Parliament between 1999 and 2011. During this time, he advocated on politically unpopular international human rights issues and drew attention to human rights abuses in Tibet, China, East Timor, Fiji, Sri Lanka, and the Middle East. He was recognised by Amnesty International with the Human Rights Defender Award in 2012 and the Harmony Award from the Federation of Islamic Associations of New Zealand in 2013. Since retiring from Parliament, Mr Locke has served on the Boards of the Auckland Refugee Council from 2012 to 2017 and the New Zealand Peace and Conflict Studies Centre Trust until 2019.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
MACKENZIE, Mr Donald William (Don)
For services to athletics and the community
Mr Don Mackenzie has officiated for Athletics Canterbury for 50 years and continues to officiate at the New Zealand Track and Field Championships each year.
Mr Mackenzie has officiated at international athletic events such as the World Games for the Deaf, World Masters Games and Pacific Conference Games, and was Technical Manager at both the 1974 and 1990 Commonwealth Games. He has been a longstanding member of the Athletics New Zealand Rules Committee and was Athletics New Zealand President from 1991 to 1992. He was Oceania Area Technical Official from 2003 to 2010. He was made a Life Member of Athletics New Zealand in 2006 and received the Oceania Athletics Merit Award in 2016. Using his civil engineering skills, he made a major contribution to the design and construction of the Chevron all-weather track, laid at Queen Elizabeth II stadium for the 1974 Commonwealth Games. Since the 2011 Christchurch earthquakes he has volunteered his extensive structural engineering skills to assist the elderly with their earthquake issues. He has assisted the Anglican Parish of Fendalton and other Anglican churches with various earthquake issues. Mr Mackenzie has chaired the organising committee of the St Barnabas Community Fun Day since its inception in 2012, as well as the St Barnabas Fair Committee.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
MCINTOSH, Mr John
For services to people with disabilities
Mr John McIntosh is regional leader in raising awareness for disability and ageing issues.
Mr McIntosh has been a coordinator for the Support Providers Allied Network (SPAN) Trust since 2004. He co-founded and was inaugural Chair of Progress to Health, a charitable trust for mental health clients, and is a committee member of Age Friendly Hamilton. He volunteered for the Disabled Persons Assembly Waikato between 2006 and 2018, including serving a twelve-year term as President. He has been a statutory committee member of the Waikato District Health Board since 2006. He was a senior manager at Life Unlimited Charitable Trust, a national provider of health and disability services, and has been responsible for the development of four Disability Resource Centres throughout the Midland region. Mr McIntosh is a mentor, coach, and trainer to many people across the wider Waikato region, leading a team who teach on topics that include disability awareness, accessibility matters, and the importance of universal design.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
MEDLICOTT, Dr Jann
For services to philanthropy, the arts and radiology
Dr Jann Medlicott has been a sponsor of the arts nationally and in the Western Bay of Plenty region through her involvement with the Acorn Foundation.
Dr Medlicott sponsored an adult learner scholarship at the University of Waikato from 2012 to 2015 and since 2012 has sponsored an annual Creative Arts Award through Creative Bay of Plenty. Since 2016, she has sponsored the Jann Medlicott Acorn Fiction Prize at the New Zealand Book Awards, which is annually adjusted for wage inflation and currently valued at $57,000. She worked as a radiologist from the late 1970s until retiring in 2011. She was Clinical Director of Tauranga Hospital Radiology Department 1988 to 1995 and co-founded private radiology practices in Tauranga in 1988 and 1998, acting as Managing Director. She was Chairperson of the New Zealand branch of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Radiologists from 1995 to 1997. During this time, she established a New Zealand branch office in Wellington, spearheaded a campaign for a College name change to incorporate New Zealand, and established a committee and procedures to formally assess overseas-trained radiologists for the New Zealand Medical Council. Dr Medlicott continued to serve on this and many other committees for several years and was made a Life Member of the College in 2006.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
MOON, Ms Melissa Potocka
For services to athletics and charitable causes
Ms Melissa Moon is a long distance runner who has won 21 New Zealand athletics titles over her career and in 2001 and 2003 was World Mountain Running Champion.
In 2001 Ms Moon was named New Zealand Sportswoman of the Year, in 2010 she won the World Tower Running Championship and World Vertical Running Championship, and in 2020 was recognised by the World Mountain Running Association as the second-ranked female mountain runner of all time. In 2007 she was one of 20 selected international athletes who participated in the Blue Planet Run around the world, a 95 day non-stop relay race which began at the United Nations in New York with the aim of providing safe drinking water to 200 million people by 2027. In 2015 she guided blind runner Maria Williams in the London Marathon where Ms Williams’ time earned her the number two spot in the International Paralympic rankings for the fully blind. Ms Moon volunteered at Wellington's Compassion Centre for more than 10 years; is an Ambassador for the Malaghan Institute; and serves as a Patron of Project K, a mentoring programme for youth that uses adventure-based learning. In 2008 Ms Moon was recognised as one of the JCI Ten Outstanding Young Persons of the World.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
MORRISON, Mr Christopher John (Chris)
For services to sustainable business and Fair Trade
Mr Chris Morrison has been a pioneer of the Fair Trade movement in New Zealand in the food and beverage industry.
Mr Morrison began his career co-founding beverage company Phoenix Organics in 1985. He co-founded All Good, New Zealand’s first Fair Trade banana business in 2010. In 2012 he and his colleagues launched Karma Cola, a Fairtrade and organic range of soft drinks, now available in more than 20 countries. Alongside the Karma Cola arm of All Good Organics is The Karma Cola Foundation, which takes money from every bottle sold and as of 2015 has donated more than $250,000 to community and sustainable development projects in developing nations, supporting the small-scale producers who grow the ingredients. He has promoted Fair Trade throughout local communities in support of Fairtrade New Zealand’s ‘Fairtrade Fortnight’, and by donating drinks and bananas to community groups for events and fundraisers. He was named Sustainability Champion in 2012 by the Sustainable Business Network for his commitment to ethical business. In 2013 All Good Organics was named one of the World’s Most Ethical companies by Ethisphere Institute in New York and in 2014 was recognised by the international Fair Trade community as ‘The Fairest Trader of Them All’. Mr Morrison currently chairs the Board of Organics Aotearoa New Zealand.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
MURPHY, Ms Janice Mildred (Jan)
For services to education and children with intellectual disabilities
Ms Jan Murphy, as a speech therapist, was one of the founding clinicians of the Champion Centre in 1977.
The Champion Centre is now New Zealand’s largest and longest-running early intervention service, providing family-centred multi-disciplinary early intervention for infants and young children with a wide range of developmental delays and disabilities. Ms Murphy was a key member of the early team and later became Clinical Practice Manager, a role she held for more than 20 years before retiring in late 2020. She has supported children and their families across Greater Christchurch and throughout the Canterbury region as they attended programmes aged between birth and school entry and as they transitioned into either a mainstream or a special school. She often retained contact with the children and families after they had transitioned into schools. She is well regarded for her relationship-based approach to early intervention, focusing on the child’s identity, their view of the world, and the barriers to their development. She worked with the teachers who would receive the children transitioning to schools to integrate them into the classroom and support their learning. Ms Murphy has mentored parents, team members and students in therapeutic techniques to facilitate child development and helped produce teaching resources with the New Zealand Down Syndrome Association.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
MURRAY, Mrs Katie, QSM
For services to Māori and the community
Mrs Katie Murray has run the Waitomo Papakainga Development Trust family-focused social service organisation for 30 years.
Mrs Murray was Chairperson and Trustee of Te Hiku Iwi Development Trust for three years, including membership of Te Hiku Accord. In 2013, she initiated the bringing together of Iwi/Māori social service providers in Te Hiku to form Te Kahu Oranga Whānau. She drove the establishment of a partnership between Te Kahu Oranga Whānau and Oranga Tamariki. In 2019, she was the lead organiser of the Safe and Effective Justice hui held in Rotorua for Māori. In efforts to reduce family violence in Kaitaia, she initiated a collaborative partnership between Police and Iwi/Māori providers, wherein social workers from the providers would visit whānau who came to attention through family harm incidents. In 2019, she set up a shelter for the homeless and to provide meals on Sundays for families experiencing financial hardship. She has been a member of key advisory bodies for Oranga Tamariki and the Ministry of Social Development. She was Deputy Chair for Te Rūnanga O Te Rarawa for eight years. Mrs Murray has connected with Ma Mawi Wi Chi Itata people of Winnipeg, Canada to share knowledge of working with Indigenous peoples.
HONOURS
Queen’s Service Medal for Community Service, Queen’s Birthday 2003
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
NGATA, Dr James Wayne (Wayne)
For services to Māori and education
Dr Wayne Ngata (Ngāti Ira, Ngāti Porou, Te Aitanga a Hauiti) is active in the revitalisation of te reo Māori and education models that are underpinned by Māori processes, and is also a specialist in Māori literature and long-time advocate for Māori art.
Dr Ngata helped establish Māori Studies at the Tairawhiti Polytechnic (now EIT Tairawhiti) in the 1990s. Together with Te Aitanga a Hauiti, he has developed strong working and research relationships with regional, national and international institutions in the areas of indigenous art knowledge. He is a practitioner, composer and advocate for haka and mōteatea. He is a practitioner of waka hourua navigation and voyaging, participating in the Te Waka Tapu voyage from New Zealand to Rapanui, and in 2019 had a leadership role in the Tuia 250 commemorative events in New Zealand. He has helped develop health programmes with a Māori approach, including the Atua Matua Māori Health Framework and The Horouta Collective for Te Hauora o Te Aitanga o Hauiti. He has had several academic, management and governance roles at EIT Tairawhiti, the MacDiarmid Institute, the Ministry of Education, Te Whare Wananga o Awanuiārangi, Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori, and the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa. Dr Ngata is currently a Board member of the Tertiary Education Commission and Board Chair of Te Taumata Aronui.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
NORRIS, Mr Paul Gerard
For services to the tourism industry and conservation
Mr Paul Norris has worked in the tourism industry for more than 25 years and is General Manager of Real Journeys, a major South Island tourism company that espouses strong conservation values, contributing funding and support to a variety of projects.
As General Manager, Mr Norris has introduced or overseen a number of conservation support initiatives. He was the driver behind Conservation Expeditions to Dusky Sound and Cooper Island, in conjunction with the Department of Conservation. Passengers would attend conservation lectures and carry out volunteer work on the islands, with a portion of tickets sales going to the Cooper Island Restoration project, raising almost $60,000 in 2019. He has overseen Real Journeys providing free transport to DOC staff to support work in Southern Fiordland. He has overseen the annual Cruise-for-a-Cause event, which in the last five years has raised more than $230,000 for organisations including Forest and Bird and the Dunedin Wildlife Hospital. Since 2004 he has supported Real Journeys’ sponsorship of the Southland Environment Awards ‘Achiever’s Award’ for going above and beyond in commitment to the environment. Mr Norris is a member of the Wilmot Pass Road and the Manapouri Doubtful Sound User Groups and has been Chair of the Predator Free Rakiura (Stewart Island) project since 2016.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
RITCHIE, Ms Denise Alexandra
For services to the prevention of sexual violence and exploitation
Ms Denise Ritchie is a practicing barrister who is recognised nationally and internationally for her contributions towards ending sexual exploitation.
Ms Ritchie was involved from 1993 to 2003 with ECPAT, the global network of organisations working to end the sexual exploitation of children. In 2003 she founded Stop Demand, recognising a need to address the social factors that affect people’s attitudes to exploitation. Stop Demand has worked to change societal attitudes and standards that perpetuate problems of exploitation, stemming from influences such as pornography. She has presented at numerous international events and has been a leader in helping promote law reform in the area of child sex tourism and issues related to possession and distribution of child sex abuse material. She has consulted on changes to laws on prostitution and various other issues arising over the exploitation of women and girls. She is often consulted by specialist government groups such as the Police and Chief Censor on various issues related to pornography, censorship, and name suppression. She contributed significantly to the development of the Objectionable Publications and Indecency Legislation Act 2015. Ms Ritchie initiated an ongoing community campaign in Kaikohe to address issues of sexual abuse, partnering with local community movements such as Men Against Sexual Violence.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
SAGAGA, Mr Muipu La'avasa (Lega Tagoa'i Muipu La'avasa)
For services to boxing
Mr Lega Tagoa'i Muipu La'vasa Sagaga had a career as a high-ranking middleweight boxer in the 1970s and is known in New Zealand and Samoan boxing history as ‘Battling La’avasa’.
Mr Sagaga won the Samoan and South Pacific Games amateur titles before embarking on a pro career. His pro boxing career saw him win 34 fights with 14 KOs, earning him a prestige reputation where at one point he was an unbeaten pro fighter for more than five years. When he arrived in New Zealand in 1972, he had won 14 professional fights in the Islands and fights in Australia in 1971/1972. In his New Zealand debut, he defeated Kahu Mahunga, the then New Zealand champion. He had a streak of 38 straight fights undefeated until 1974. In 1975 he fought Fijian champion Jone Mataitini and won on points, and defeated Australian boxers Jimmy Gillon and Rocky Taitin. He retired from boxing shortly afterwards, going on to mentor and train numerous youth over 20 years, some of whom went on to sporting success including boxer David Tua. He is regarded as paving the way for the next generation of boxers in Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific. Within his community Mr Sagaga was deacon of the Otara Pacific Island Church for a number of years.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
SERVICEMAN M
For services to the New Zealand Defence Force
Serviceman M is recognised as a leading expert in the full spectrum of Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) by western ally nations. He has provided technical oversight during thousands of call-outs over the past twelve years for explosive or energetic threats to New Zealanders and has developed unique world class procedures that have benefited multiple New Zealand and international government agencies in the advancement of their own EOD capabilities. Serviceman M has significantly enhanced the New Zealand Defence Force’s ability to operate an EOD emergency response option both domestically and at an international level.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
SINGH, Dr Gagrath Pradeep
For services to health
Dr Gagrath Singh was made a Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians (RACP) in 1987 and has been a full-time specialist physician at North Shore Hospital and Waitemata District Health Board since 1987.
In the mid-1990s Dr Singh helped establish and since 1999 has been Chair of the Senior Medical Advisory Committee (SMAC) of Waitemata DHB. SMAC has engaged in constructive advocacy around streamlined emergency care and increased bed numbers for North Shore Hospital and has generated support for new models of care that have subsequently been funded and delivered. He is voluntary Chairperson of the DHB’s Pharmacy and Therapeutics Advisory Committee. Within the RACP he has been New Zealand Examiner since 1995, member of the Australian Senior Examination Committee for more than 10 years, and led the Committee responsible for overseeing Advanced Training in Geriatric Medicine. Having personally trained in regional New Zealand, he has used his experience to support local supervisors of trainees outside urban centres. He co-established and has led Shore Trials and Research Unit (STAR Unit) since 1996. Under Dr Singh’s voluntary leadership, more than sixty clinical trials have taken place, allowing local patients in the WDHB area access to new medications and best practice care that would have otherwise not been possible through the health system.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
SMITH, Mrs Pauline Kei
For services to Pacific arts and the community
Mrs Pauline Smith is Chairperson of Mīharo Murihiku Trust, previously the Murihiku Māori and Pasifika Trust Cultural Trust.
In 2009, Mrs Smith was a founding member of the first Murihiku Polyfest, which led to the establishment of the Murihiku Māori and Pasifika Cultural Trust in 2010 in order to make this an annual event. The 2009 Polyfest was a one-day event and Murihiku Polyfest has since grown to a week-long event including an annual art exhibition, community projects, art workshops for educators, youth and arts mentoring, with more than 7,500 Pacific, Māori and youth of all ethnicities performing to 40,000 attendees. In 2019 she supported Fafine Niutao I Aotearoa, a group of elderly Tuvalu Kolose (crochet) artists, to travel from Auckland to attend the Murihiku festival in Invercargill. She authored the book ‘Dawn Raid’ in 2018 for Scholastic’s My New Zealand Story series, highlighting the controversial raids on alleged Pacific overstayers and the activist work of the Polynesian Panthers, along with an education package to accompany the book. ‘Dawn Raid’ won the Best First Book Award at the 2018 New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults. The book also led into the ‘Polynesian Panthers’ exhibition, which Mrs Smith spearheaded and has toured several main centres in New Zealand.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
SUTTON, Mr Michael John (Mike)
For services to education
Mr Mike Sutton has been Principal of six primary schools in New Zealand since 1977, most recently as Principal of Rototuna Primary School since 2009.
At Rototuna Primary Mr Sutton has dedicated time to meeting with individual ethnic community groups to ensure these groups are involved in the student conversation. He has organised Mandarin lessons for a growing number of students at Rototuna Primary. At Leamington Primary and Nawton School he significantly increased the number of classrooms providing bilingual or Māori immersion programmes through his involvement with Māori communities to develop engaging programmes. He has been a regular speaker at the annual International Congress for School Effectiveness and Improvement. He runs regular regional and national workshops for the New Zealand Educational Administration and Leadership Society. He was Lead Principal in establishing one of the largest Communities of Learning/Kāhui Ako in New Zealand, with 19 schools and more than 8,000 students. He has been a mentor for teachers to develop leadership abilities. He is a member of the Waikato Principals’ Association and has been a learning facilitator for the University of Waikato’s Educational Leadership Centre. Mr Sutton chaired the Angels for Children Charitable Trust in Hamilton from 2008 to 2016 and was Treasurer of the New Zealand Educational Administration and Leadership Society from 2005 to 2016.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
TAMAARIKI-POHE, Mrs Moana Ngawaiata
For services to Māori and conservation
Mrs Moana Tamaariki-Pohe has held several roles around her tūpuna moana of te Waitematā, including 10 years with the Hauraki Gulf Forum.
As the Forum’s Deputy Chair, Mrs Tamaariki-Pohe led the successful transformation to a co-governance leadership model. She was a member of the central government Ministerial Advisory Committee on Sea Change Tai Timu Tai Pari. She has volunteered and worked extensively with iwi and non-iwi groups on environmental initiatives across Tamaki Makaurau. She co-founded in 2000 and is President of the Orākei Water Sports Club (OWS), a whānau-based and community focused waka organisation. Through OWS she has led collaborations to lay mussel reefs and remove moorings at Ōkahu Bay, provided waka experiences for children with disabilities and their whanau, and managed the Te Wānanga o Aotearoa Certificate in Waka Ama programme delivered in collaboration with Kaitiaki Enterprises. She has empowered thousands of wāhine across Aotearoa through her company P3, giving women the tools and confidence to start and manage their own businesses. She has held several senior and governance roles across her hapū, Ngāti Whātua Ōrakei. Mrs Tamaariki-Pohe was a member on the Ngāti Whātua o Ōrakei Māori Trust Board from 2003 to 2010 and part of the Treaty settlement team, and member of the Ngāti Whātua Ōrakei and Auckland City Council Reserves Board from 2007 to 2010.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
TEEVALE, Dr Tasileta
For services to Pacific education and public health research
Dr Tasileta Teevale has contributed to the public service sector and academia for more than 20 years through her research work in Pacific youth health and education, sports, physical activity and public health in relation to Pacific peoples in Aotearoa.
Dr Teevale’s notable research work has included a large school-based weight management intervention and the Youth2000 survey series, a national study of the health and wellbeing of New Zealand youth. She played a pivotal role in the establishment of the University of Otago’s Pacific Development Office, of which she has been the Director since inception, and has been responsible for monitoring and implementing the progress of the Pacific Strategic Framework 2013 to 2020 university-wide. This work has seen the establishment of Associate Dean Pacific roles in each academic division, a Pacific Leadership Group, support for the student voice in University governance and the creation of Pacific student associations. She led research into enablers and barriers to Pacific student achievement, which resulted in the development of a credit-bearing university preparation programme for first-year Pacific students. She is a founding member of Universities New Zealand Pacific Komiti. Dr Teevale has advised the public service sector on the Ministry of Education Summit, Ministry of Pacific Peoples Vision Summit and reviews of NCEA, Tomorrow’s Schools and NZQA.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
TRUBRIDGE, Mr William
For services to freediving
Mr William Trubridge is a world champion and world record holding freediver.
Mr Trubridge began freediving in 2003 and in 2005 became the first freediver to dive at Dean's Blue Hole in the Bahamas. There he broke his first world record in the discipline of CNF (Constant Weight No Fins) in 2007, diving to 81 metres. In 2010, he became the first human to descend to 100 metres with no assistance and furthered this record to 102 metres in 2016, the current world record. He also set the world record in Free Immersion in 2016 with 124 metres. He founded Vertical Blue, which is both the most prestigious annual freediving competition as well as a freediving school in the Bahamas, for which he is Course Director. He has advanced the development of the sport internationally through the school and events. In 2011 and 2012 he received the World's Absolute Freediver Award. He instigated Project Hector in 2010, to raise awareness of New Zealand's critically endangered Hector's and Maui dolphin species. He is an ambassador for the Ocean Recovery Alliance, an organisation working to find solutions and raise awareness of the plastic waste epidemic. In 2019, Mr Trubridge completed an 'underwater crossing' of the Cook Strait as a series of 934 breath hold dives.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
VILI, Reverend Tumama
For services to the Pacific community
Reverend Elder Tumama Vili has been the Minister of Religion for Ekalesia Faapotopotoga Kerisiano Samoa (EFKS) in Christchurch since 1985.
Reverend Vili and his wife run the largest EKFS church in Christchurch and in 2005 he was appointed to the role of Reverend Elder, making him responsible for EFKS in the South Island, overseeing 11 parishes with a membership of more than 3,000. In this role, he has encouraged leadership and mentoring programmes for youth and has run transition events for Pacific families who have recently moved to the South Island from Pacific nations or from elsewhere in New Zealand. He helped coordinate the University of Otago’s Pacific Immersion Programme in Christchurch in 2018, helping organise the billeting of more than 100 medical students. He founded the Samoan Ministers Fraternal in 1988 and continues to chair this group of Samoan ministers from different religions in Christchurch, who have promoted positive education and health outcomes for Pacific and wider communities. He is Chairperson of Mapusaga Early Childhood Preschool, which he established with his wife and has operated for more than 30 years. He often officiates at University of Canterbury and ARA Polytechnic functions. Reverend Vili has been Patron of the Trades Training Pasifika Programme at ARA Polytechnic since 2010.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
WATTS, Mr Gary Lynnford
For services to mental health
Mr Gary Watts has been an advocate and assisted the community, public health and disability services and the mental health consumer movement in Christchurch, throughout New Zealand, and Internationally for more than 30 years.
Mr Watts has held a clinical advisory position since 2006 assisting the World Health Organisation. He was instrumental in establishing Christchurch Psychiatric Survivors in 1991 (now MHAPS) and during the early 1990s assisted a difficult section of the Mental Health Deinstitutionalisation process throughout Canterbury. He has been committed to introducing a significant amount of new projects within New Zealand’s Mental Health arena, which have improved the quality and standards of publicly provided services. This includes the initial development of the New Zealand Mental Health Consumer Advisory Position and the Christchurch Mental Health Education and Resource Centre. He has been Board member of ComCare Trust and Step Ahead Trust, member of the Southern Regional Health Authority Disability Support Services Advisory Group, President of Christchurch Disabled Persons’ Assembly, and Chairperson of the Christchurch Savage Club. He has been a Street and Suburb Coordinator for Neighbourhood Support Canterbury for 20 years. Mr Watts founded SigJaws Trust in 2005, a not-for-profit organisation that provides ongoing support, advocacy services, information, and other special forms of assistance to many people who fall out of conventional type services.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
WOOD, Ms Marion
For services to sustainable business and the community
Ms Marion Wood and Mr Jim Kebbell founded Commonsense Organics, a leading example of sustainable small business in New Zealand.
In 1975 they bought land in Te Horo and named it Common Property, with the aim of growing organic vegetables, before opening the first Commonsense Organics supermarket shop in Wellington in 1991. There are now five Commonsense Organics stores, four in Wellington and one in Auckland, while Common Property is a professionally run commercial unit of 11.2 hectares. They are strong advocates for organic and regenerative agriculture and seek to educate their customers and communities on how to grow their own organic food. Their values have influenced Commonsense Organics to adopt BPA- free till receipts, home compostable packaging, and to become a Living Wage employer. They are involved in a number of charitable initiatives, including Commonsense being the primary supporter of the Porirua School Gardens scheme. They are founding members of the Organic Traders Association of New Zealand. Ms Wood is a member of the Fair Trade Wellington Board, chairs the Soil and Health Association of New Zealand and the Organic Traders Association of New Zealand, and has been Vice Chair of the Sustainable Business Network.
To be an Honorary Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
KRUMDIECK, Professor Susan Pran
For services to sustainability research and engineering
Professor Susan Krumdieck is co-leader and trustee of the Global Association for Transition Engineering, which she co-founded.
Transition Engineering is the work of designing and carrying out change projects for industry and the public sector that meet COP21 targets, while providing multiple near and long-term benefits. Professor Krumdieck has spent the last 17 years consulting for local and central government, and community groups on a number of transport, energy and future demand projects. Her research focuses on developing the engineering methods and innovative technologies for adaptation to reduced fossil fuel production and consumption. She is currently Director of the University of Canterbury’s Advanced Energy and Material Systems Lab. She was appointed to the Royal Society of New Zealand Energy Panel in 2005 and has contributed to long-term energy transition analysis. She was the Institution of Engineering and Technology prestige lecturer in 2010, presenting nationally and in London and Brussels. She published the textbook ‘Transition Engineering’, which covers the methodology for discovering innovative changes in unsustainable systems. Since 2018 she has been a member of the Upper North Island Supply Chain Strategy working group, investigating ports, coastal shipping and port supply chains. Professor Krumdieck has more than 160 peer-reviewed publications and is on the editorial boards of six scientific journals.
To be an Honorary Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
SAKATA, Emeritus Professor Yoshihiro
For services to New Zealand-Japan relations and rugby
Emeritus Professor Yoshihiro 'Demi' Sakata has had a relationship with rugby in New Zealand since the 1960s, including during Japan’s hosting of the 2019 Rugby World Cup.
In 2012, Professor Sakata was the first Japanese player to be inducted into the World Rugby Hall of Fame and has been Vice President of the Japanese Rugby Football Union. He first toured to New Zealand in 1968 and was a member of the All Japan team that defeated the Junior All Blacks. He then lived in Christchurch and played for the University of Canterbury Rugby Football Club (UCRFC), Canterbury Provincial team, the New Zealand Universities and the New Zealand Barbarians. He coached Japanese national teams on the 1979 New Zealand tour and against the All Blacks in 1987. He was appointed a Life Member of the UCRFC in 2009. He has enhanced international rugby relationships with the UCRFC with other Japanese university rugby clubs and promoted the New Zealand club rugby, coaching and refereeing methods within Japan. Between 2015 and 2019, mutual expeditions between New Zealand Universities Rugby Football Inc. and Kansai Rugby Football Union were arranged. Professor Sakata organised an appeal that raised more than $40,000 for 2011 Christchurch earthquake relief efforts and has donated to the Old Maroon Foundation and the UCRFU to support the next generation and the club house.