To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
AHMED, Mr Farid
For services to interfaith communities
Mr Farid Ahmed is an active member of the Christchurch Muslim community and, following the March 2019 terror attack, has spoken at numerous public events.
Mr Ahmed was present at Masjid an-Nur during the mosque shootings of 15 March 2019 and his wife was killed during the attack. He spoke at the national memorial service on 29 March 2019 on he and his daughter choosing love and forgiveness as the way forward. He has since undertaken numerous national and international speaking and media engagements to spread his message of forgiveness and tolerance, including travelling to the United States, the Peace Forum in Abu Dabi, United Arab Emirates, and a United Nations conference in the Netherlands. He was featured in the documentary ‘We are One: The Mosque Attacks One Year On’. He initiated an annual dinner with the Bangladeshi Parents’ Group in Christchurch, ‘Unity in Diversity’, with the inaugural dinner attended by more than 300 people including diplomatic and Government representatives. Recent speaking engagements have included the Christchurch Word Festival in March 2021. Mr Ahmed has provided classes for tamariki and rangatahi to better understand and be confident in their religious traditions, as well as producing resources and workshops on the foundations of Islam.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
ĀNARU-TANGIRA, Ms Louise
For services to education
Ms Louise Ānaru-Tangira was Principal of Flaxmere College from 2010 to 2019, leading the school from a point of low student achievement and attendance to reach high achievement rates that were recognised with the Supreme Award at the 2018 Prime Minister’s Education Excellence Awards.
Ms Ānaru-Tangira focused on accelerating Māori student progress by working with their whānau and community, drawing input from a student leaders’ group for improvements to the school, and hiring Māori and Pacific staff to connect with students. She initiated a Teen-Parent Unit and attached early childhood centre at the school. She ensured all staff received professional development in Te Kotahitanga, a culturally responsive collective action learning strategy. She was a key member of the Hawke’s Bay Postvention Suicide Group and supported students and other schools in response to student suicides/attempted suicide. She set up and was lead Principal of her local Community of Learning Te Waka Mārama Kāhui Ako, which now includes nine schools and seven early childhood centres. Flaxmere College has continued to perform well since she left to become Principal of Kaitaia College in 2020. She was appointed to the NCEA Professional Advisory Group in 2018 and the Ministry of Education’s Curriculum and Assessment Reference Group. Ms Ānaru-Tangira judged the 2019 and 2021 Prime Minister’s Education Excellence Awards.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
BARRETT, Dr Alison Patricia
For services to women's health
Dr Alison Barrett has been contributing to women’s health as a gynaecologist, obstetrician, lactation consultant, sexual health specialist and maternal health advocate for more than 25 years.
Dr Barrett was the Chief of Obstetrics and Gynaecologists at Stevenson Memorial Hospital, Ontario, and Clinical Director of Obstetrics at Waikato DHB. She received the F M Hill Award for Humanitarianism while in Canada, recognising her dedication to compassionate care in patient management. She is dedicated to women’s health and community activism and presents internationally and nationally on topics such as women’s rights in childbirth, why breastfeeding matters to maternal, infant and planetary health, and improving health care systems by preventing iatrogenic harms. She has served on an HIV Multidisciplinary working group, the New Zealand National Breastfeeding Committee, as a La Leche League Leader and as a member of the La Leche League New Zealand Board, the Homebirth Association Trust and Wahine Connect, a women’s mentorship group. Dr Barrett has written in academic and lay publications with a health justice lens and has taught students of all levels in Canada and New Zealand.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
BORELL, Mr Nigel John Floyd
For services to Māori art
Mr Nigel Borell is an artist, curator, researcher and Māori art advocate.
Mr Borell’s contribution to Māori arts development spans working on three meetinghouse projects under tohunga whakairo Pakariki Harrison from 1995 to 2000, through to his curatorial practice, curating numerous Māori art exhibitions. He was Associate Curator Māori Art at Auckland War Memorial Museum in 2013 and Curator Māori Art at Auckland Art Gallery from 2015. In 2020 he curated ‘Toi Tū Toi Ora’, Auckland Art Gallery’s largest exhibition of Māori art and the most attended exhibition since 1989, with 191,000 visitors over its four-month run. He received the Art Foundation’s inaugural He Momo – A Moment In Time Award for this exhibition. Other curatorial projects include ‘The Māori Portraits: Gottfried Lindauer’s New Zealand’, which toured to deYoung Fine Arts Museum, San Francisco in 2017, and contributing to the 9th Asia Pacific Triennial, Queensland Gallery of Modern Art, Brisbane in 2018. He was involved with the First Nations Indigenous Curators Exchange Programme from 2015 to 2017 between New Zealand, Canada and Australia. He contributed to ‘Becoming Our Future’ (2020), a publication engaging in the discourse of indigenous curatorial practice in these countries. He currently holds the role of Curator Taonga Māori with the Auckland War Memorial Museum.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
BORREN, Ms Anne Marie (Anneke)
For services to ceramic art
Ms Anneke Borren has been creating ceramic artwork in New Zealand for more than 55 years.
Ms Borren has been involved with studio ceramics since migrating in 1963 and established Chez-Moi Ceramics in 1969. She was Wellington Delegate to the New Zealand Society of Potters for nine years. She was Vice President of the Society from 1994 to 1996 and President from 1997 to 2000. She was a Pottery Lecturer at Whitirea Polytechnic in Wellington from 1988 to 1993 and was a member of the Council of New Zealand Academy of Fine Arts from 1989 to 1991. Her work appears in collections nationally and internationally, including Te Papa Tongarewa, New Zealand Embassy collections worldwide, Australian craft museums, and private collections in countries including Denmark, Germany, Canada and Indonesia. She was a sculptor with Wellington’s bi-annual Tareitanga stone symposium from 1995 to 2003. In 1977, she was commissioned by the Ministry of Works to produce a range of ceramic furnishings for the then newly designed ‘Beehive’, the Executive Wing of New Zealand’s Parliament Buildings. She participates in the Kapiti and Porirua City Arts Trails and in 2020 she mentored at Driving Creek Pottery in the Coromandel. Ms Borren was made a Life Member of the New Zealand Society of Potters (now Ceramics New Zealand) in 2011.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
BRIDGWATER, Ms Vivien Anna
For services to governance and education
Ms Vivien Bridgwater has held governance roles in tertiary education, Māori, social service, performing arts and economic development organisations.
Ms Bridgwater was a driving force behind the creation of Mai FM in the early 1990s. This contemporary broadcasting outlet was a platform for young Māori to see themselves represented and normalise Te Reo in mainstream media. With Auckland University of Technology (AUT) from 2000 to 2014, she played a key role in pivoting the University to provide for communities underserved by existing universities, especially South Aucklanders, Māori, Pacific, migrant, and disability communities. She had a key role in establishing the AUT South Campus in Manukau CBD, now thriving with 3,000 students. She has been a Commissioner of the Tertiary Education Commission (TEC) since 2018 and has held governance roles with Television New Zealand and Auckland economic development agency ATEED. She chaired Save the Children from 2009 to 2015 and served on the global International Save the Children Board, amongst other board positions over many years within the charitable sector. Currently as Chair of the Auckland Theatre Company, Ms Bridgwater has led the organisation through forced closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic to successfully emerge and develop its strategic direction under her leadership.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
CHAN, Ms Jessie
For services to dairy and agriculture
Ms Jessie Chan has been contributing to the dairy and agricultural industry through her management and governance roles for 20 years.
Ms Chan was the first provincial President of the Wellington Young Farmers’ Club between 2008 to 2009. Between 2009 and 2017, she was on the Federated Farmers Dairy Section National Executive and Vice President and Chair of the Dairy Section of Mid Canterbury Federated Farmers. She has been a Fonterra Shareholders Councillor, an Associate Director of Dairy New Zealand and on the Land Use Futures Board. She is a member of New Zealand Asian Leaders, an organisation aimed at accelerating Asian Leaders’ contributions to New Zealand. She is a member of Super Diverse Women which showcases female leaders across all sectors of the community. She was awarded Fonterra’s Dairy Woman of the Year in 2017, which led to the delivery of more than 40 presentations nationwide to empower women to think outside the square when contributing to businesses and communities. Since 2013, she has been a member of Ruralco Board, becoming Chair in 2021 with a focus on gender diversity and equity from the executive level through to the shop floors. Ms Chan is a current Director of Ngāi Tahu Farming Limited, Alpine Energy Limited and Bioprotection Aotearoa.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
CHEYNE, Mr John William
For services to conservation
Mr John Cheyne worked for the Wildlife Service from 1967 to 1987 and played a key role in early detector dog work around species such as kākāpō, managing the assessment of protected species dogs in New Zealand.
Mr Cheyne was a key driver of the visitor centre at the Mt Bruce National Wildlife Centre, now known as the Pūkaha National Wildlife Centre. He became Conservator for the Wildlife Service in Otago in 1986 before transferring to the Department of Conservation in Hawke’s Bay in 1987, where he held several roles before retiring in 2000. In semi-retirement he has been a part-time consultant, helped set up the Hawke’s Bay Biodiversity Foundation, and was a strong voice for the establishment of The Hawke’s Bay Biodiversity Strategy. He has worked with iwi in Hawke’s Bay, engaging with Māori tikanga around freshwater principles, particularly in his coordination of Lake Whatumā Wetland Care Group since 2016. As a member of Te Taiao Hawke’s Bay Environment Forum he has helped bring parties together to deliberate management of the five major waterways of Heretaunga Plains. He has provided input on most of New Zealand’s major wetlands. He has been instrumental in the protection of the nationally critical Australasian bittern/matuku wetland species. Mr Cheyne was President of Ducks Unlimited from 2017 to 2019.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
CLUNIE, Mx Moira Janet
For services to LGBTQI+ communities
Mx Moira Clunie has held leadership roles in rainbow, mental health and disability non-government organisation for 16 years, focusing on evidence-based programme design, systematic advocacy and collaborative practice.
Mx Clunie has been the Project Lead for Te Ngākau Kahukura, an organisation that is working towards an Aotearoa where rainbow people grow up feeling safe, valued and that they belong in the places they live, learn and access healthcare and social support. They Co-Chair OutLine, a rainbow support service which provides information and a sense of community, provides a free peer support phone line and a peer support service for transgender and non-binary people in Auckland. They are a member of the Professional Association for Transgender Health’s Policy and Advocacy Committee and Co-Chair Auckland and Waitematā District Health Boards suicide prevention strategy governance group. They were on the Auckland Council Rainbow Communities Advisory Panel for four years, helping raise the profile of LGBTQI+ communities and the rainbow support sector. Their work on the panel led to the introduction of all-gender bathrooms, collection of data on genders beyond the binary and including rainbow communities in several strategies such as youth homelessness. Mx Clunie has provided rainbow expertise on advisory groups for Statistics New Zealand, the Ministry of Health and Te Hiringa Hauora.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
CORLETT, Mrs Rebekah Helen
For services to education
Mrs Rebekah Corlett has been championing the rights to education for children with disabilities since 2015.
Mrs Corlett is a blogger and coordinator of the Very Important Parents Equity in Education New Zealand Facebook group for parents and family of children and young people with learning disabilities, providing advice and resources of all latest information to more than 4,000 members. She has been a member of the Governing Committee of Inclusive Education Action Group since 2017 and was a member of the consumer panel for Autism New Zealand between 2017 and 2020. She was a member on the Mahinawa Specialist School’s Board of Trustees between 2015 and 2018. She is a contributor and member of Awhi Ngā Mātua, an online community for parents of children with disabilities and Arts Access Aotearoa. She spoke at a parliamentary breakfast in 2019 for World Autism Day on assistive technology and active participation. She has been organising sensory events for children with learning needs in Kāpiti since 2015 and has been advocating for access to augmentative and alternative communication devices to help children with communication difficulties. Mrs Corlett has been a member of the Consumer Advisory Panel for Altogether Autism since 2020, publishing articles for their e-magazine and presenting workshops on working with autistic learners.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
DOUGLAS, Mrs Beverley Grier
For services to netball and the community
Mrs Beverley Douglas has been an integral member of Auckland Netball Centre for more than 50 years, beginning as a player, coaching from 1971 to 1989, and holding numerous administration roles over the years.
Mrs Douglas managed the New Zealand Under 21 Team to the World Youth Championship from 1992 to 1994 and the Young International and Youth Team touring Canada and South Africa in 1994/1995. She was Manager Facilitator for Netball New Zealand in 1997. She was President of Papatoetoe Rangers Netball Club from 1982 to 1990. She was a Board member of Netball New Zealand from 1997 to 1999, the Diamond Franchise Board from 1998 to 2006, and chaired the Auckland/Waitakere Netball Region Board from 1999 to 2004. She was President of Netball NZ from 2015 to 2019 and has recently been President of Auckland Netball Centre. Between 1984 and 2004 she held roles including TVNZ netball statistician, World Championship statistician, and Event Manager for the Diamonds, Auckland Area and the Fisher and Paykel Series and New Zealand Tests. She has been on the Board of the Pauanui Sports and Recreation Club since 2008, becoming President in later years. Mrs Douglas has been Club Captain of the Pauanui Women’s Golf Club Committee, President of the Pauanui Bridge Club, and has organised community fundraising events.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
EVANS, Mr Kevin William
For services to wildlife conservation and the community
Mr Kevin Evans is the Captive and Reintroduction Coordinator for the Department of Conservation’s Pāteke (brown teal) Recovery Group, a voluntary position he has held since 1998.
Mr Evans has played an integral role in the Pāteke’s recovery from ‘endangered’ to ‘recovering’ status, as the population has increased from just 700 birds to more than 3,000 over 20 years. He manages the network of 16 volunteer captive breeding facilities across New Zealand, which is the largest and most successful “bred for release” programme in the Southern Hemisphere. He has led new initiatives developing reintroduction techniques while working with landowners to create predator free environments. He is the co-author of the Pāteke Husbandry Manual and has created online and social media resources to educate and increase awareness of the Pāteke. He has presented internationally and nationally on the Pāteke recovery project. He has served 13 years on the Northland Conservation Board, been a Councillor for the Northland Fish and Game Council, and a warranted Firearms Safety Instructor for the New Zealand Mountain Safety Council for 20 years. Mr Evans is currently the Chief Fire Officer of the Ruawai Volunteer Fire Brigade and has served 27 years.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
FENG, Mrs Meijia (Kelly)
For services to health and Asian communities
Mrs Kelly Feng has advocated for the betterment of health and wellbeing services for Asian communities in New Zealand since 2005.
Mrs Feng established and led Asian Mental Health Services at Waitemata District Health Board from 2007 to 2016, a service providing culturally and linguistically appropriate mental health services to support Asian clients and families. She became National Director of Asian Family Services (AFS) in 2016, a non-governmental organisation for gambling prevention and harm minimisation. She supported establishment of the Asha Programme in 2017, which supports South Asians who face gambling and related issues like domestic violence, increasing awareness of prevention in these communities. In 2016, she created Asian Wellbeing Services to focus on providing non-gambling related counselling, psychological interventions and tailored psychoeducation. AFS then partnered with Apollo Medical, Alliance Health Plus and education providers in 2018 to provide psychological services within GP clinics and schools, providing support and counselling services to Asian clients. To address high suicide deaths amongst Asian New Zealanders, she collaborated through AFS with numerous mental health professionals to create Mandarin, Cantonese and Korean resource videos to reduce the stigma around mental health. AFS received the Lifekeepers Award in 2018 for their contributions to suicide prevention. Mrs Feng’s advocacy for Asian people in New Zealand has continued during the COVID-19 pandemic.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
FENTON, Dr Graeme Holt
For services to Māori and rural health
Dr Graeme Fenton has been a General Practitioner for 54 years, making notable contributions to Māori and rural health.
Dr Fenton established Moerewa Medical Services in 1967, serving an area with high health needs and a population of 85 percent Māori. He contributed to the planning of the establishment of Ngāti Hine Health Trust and has been associated with the Trust since. He was a director of the Northern Regional Health Authority. In 1997 he set up the first publicly funded rural locum and education service for general practitioners and practice nurses in New Zealand and was a director for 17 years. As Rural Director North Island from 2000 to 2001, he worked in rural communities and was involved in the Rural Implementation of the Primary Healthcare Strategy. He served on the New Zealand Rural General Practice Network Board from 2004 to 2008. He was involved in the development of the mid-north after hours service in 2008, which consolidated ten GP practices on-call, serving 40,000 people. He managed the service from 2009 to 2019. Dr Fenton served on the Te Tai Tokerau Primary Health Organisation (now Mahitahi Hauroa Primary Healthcare) Board from 2005 to 2012.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
FILIPAINA, Mr Alfred Meredith (Alf)
For services to the New Zealand Police and the community
Mr Alf Filipaina was a member of the New Zealand Police from 1978 until retiring in 2016.
Mr Filipaina became the first Pacific Liaison Officer with the New Zealand Police in 2000, building a positive rapport with the Pacific community in the Counties Manukau Police District, allowing him to resolve many issues in the community. He co-created the Counties Manukau Pacific Wardens and brought together the individual groups by establishing the Auckland Regional Pacific Wardens in 2010. He was elected to Manukau City Council in 2003 and appointed Co-Chair of Te Tiriti o Waitangi Komiti in 2007. In 2010 he was elected to the newly formed Auckland Council as the first Māori/Pacific Councillor for the Manukau Ward. Following the 2010 super city amalgamation, he played a key role in the development of the Auckland Unitary Plan, chairing the committee from 2013 to 2016. He was appointed Deputy Chairperson of the Environment and Communities Committee in 2016. He helped form the Counties Manukau Police Rugby League Team, assisting establishment of the first Trans-Tasman game against the New South Wales Rugby League Team. Mr Filipaina has been Director of Counties Manukau Rugby League zone since 2016, a Trustee since 2000 and now Chairperson of the Mangere Law Centre, and Deputy Chair of Tūpuna Maunga o Tāmaki Makaurau Authority.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
FLEURY, Mr William Eccles (Bill)
For services to conservation
Mr Bill Fleury has contributed to or led several sensitive programmes for the Department of Conservation and retired in 2020 after 46 years in conservation.
Mr Fleury began with the Environmental section of the Forestry Service in 1974 before joining DOC in 1987. He co-led the development of an herbicide gel in New Zealand that has been a key tool for woody weed control. He has been a key part of the Tiakina Ngā Manu (Battle for our Birds) programme since inception, helping pioneer the use of low intensity aerial application of 1080 pesticide at large (landscape) scale for both possum control and critical wildlife protection. He initiated DOC’s successful aerial 1080 programmes in Whanganui and Taranaki that became the Kia Wharite programme for kiwi protection in Whanganui National Park and Project Taranaki Maunga. This has seen the successful reestablishment of whio on Egmont National Park after an absence of 50 years. He led the implementation of the 1996 Kaimanawa Wild Horses Plan, protecting the environment and welfare of the horse herd. The integration of diverse interest groups in support of the management plan has been a critical achievement. Since the mid-1990s Mr Fleury has advocated for enhanced management of public conservation lands as carbon sinks and jointly initiated the Wild Animal Control for Emissions Management project.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
GOODWIN, Ms Elizabeth Anne
For services to education
Ms Elizabeth Goodwin has been an advocate for inclusive education for children with disabilities and has been representing parents’ views on national advisory groups since the 1990s.
Ms Goodwin was a parent representative on the National Advisory Committee for Special Education in 1995, which steered the foundation of the special education policy in 2000. She presented international research to New Zealand audiences in 2003, for a change in the education system to accommodate children with disabilities. She was a Team Leader for Social Change with the Ministry of Social Development between 2010 and 2016, where she managed Strategies for Kids; Information for Parents (SKIP) which supported families raising children with access to community support and a range of resources. She established Connect and Co in 2016, aimed to create social change and connect communities, and helped with the Ministry of Education’s Government Disability Plan the ‘Good Start in Life’ focussed on bringing parents voices and experiences to the centre of decision-making. She worked with IHC New Zealand to develop an online network that supported parents and families with information and resources to help build resilient parents. This became ‘Awhi@Home’, a Facebook group started in March 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, a collaborative effort with the Ministry of Education, IHC and others, developed under Ms Goodwin’s leadership.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
GORDON, Mrs Gillian Margaret
For services to musical theatre
Mrs Gillian Gordon has contributed to New Zealand musical theatre through the Wellington Gilbert and Sullivan Light Opera Society for 50 years as a performing member, Society President and through directing and organising numerous performances.
Mrs Gordon was Society President from 1993 to 2001 and 2002 to 2003 and has volunteered hundreds of hours annually until 2021 to continue the legacy of the organisation. With similar Gilbert and Sullivan societies within New Zealand closing more than a decade ago, her personal commitment to the Wellington society has been a key factor in navigating financial difficulties on several occasions, donating her own money, managing grant applications and sourcing donations to ensure the society’s progression. She has championed the direction and production of numerous performances, including productions such as ‘The Mikado (2014)’ and ‘Merry Widow (2016)’, that have reached a total audience of more than 50,000 and supported hundreds of performers through show appearances. Her time on the society’s Executive saw her coordinating schedules for rehearsal, production and performances for cast and crew of more than 100 people on several productions. Mrs Gordon’s willingness to share her years of experience and coach those with a range of abilities from diverse demographics led to successful live performances on tour around the lower North Island.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
GREER, Mrs Cheryl Anne (Cheryl MacDonald)
For services to oncological nursing
Ms Cheryl MacDonald has been Clinical Nurse Specialist Breast Care for MidCentral Health since 2000, having worked in oncology since 1990.
Ms MacDonald is regarded as a connector in caring for breast cancer patients, working with the various medical professionals involved and helping patients navigate the system to receive the best care and understand the process, while addressing their individual and cultural needs. She established the MidCentral Health multi-disciplinary weekly meeting at Palmerston North Hospital to discuss treatment options for newly diagnosed breast cancer patients, communicating with patients on the outcomes of these meetings. She has initiated new processes and pathways to improve patient experience, such as a referral pathway for those with a high suspicion of breast cancer. She established a space in the surgical clinics for new patients to receive their diagnosis in a comfortable environment. As a result of her masters’ research, she developed a booklet together with the Breast Cancer Foundation, ‘Thriving After Breast Cancer – The Years Ahead’, available to every patient in New Zealand. Ms MacDonald has been on the Ministry of Health working party for the National Breast Cancer Standards that replaced the guidelines in 2014 and was previously involved with the New Zealand Breast Cancer Guideline Development Group 2009.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
HEKE, Ms Tanea Jane
For services to the arts and Māori
Ms Tanea Heke has been committed to upholding kaupapa Māori, mana Māori and mātauranga Māori as an actor, director and producer for theatre and film since the late 1990s.
Ms Heke has worked with and supported New Zealand literature, fine art and drama, while empowering women and Māori to take up positions and move into spaces in the arts sector. She was appointed the Director of Te Kura Toi Whakaari: New Zealand Drama School in 2019. She has worked as a programme manager for Taki Rua, exhibition manager with Te Papa Tongarewa Museum of New Zealand, and oversaw New Zealand’s participation at the Venice Biennale for Creative New Zealand. She curated New Zealand’s cultural programme as the Country of Honour at the 2012 Frankfurt Book Fair and managed the New Zealand delegation at the Festival of Pacific Arts in Guahan in 2016. She co-founded the Hāpai Productions in 2013, a Māori theatre company based in Wellington. She has acted in a range of film roles including in ‘No. 2’ (2005), ‘Waru’ (2016), and most recently the critically acclaimed feature film ‘Cousins’ (2021), as well as theatre credits in ‘The Prophet’, ‘Hāruru Mai’, and ‘Doubt’. Ms Heke was recognised at the 2020 Te Waka Toi Awards for her contributions to development of new directions in Māori art.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
HENRY, Mrs Alison Maynard
For services to conservation and the community
Mrs Alison Henry has contributed to the community for more than 40 years through conservation work and various organisations.
Mrs Henry has been a Trustee and now Guardian of Motutapu Restoration Trust since 1998, replanting native species and restoring habitat on the island. She has been a member of various committees including the Project Crimson Trust and Te Araroa, developing the Long Pathway from Cape Reinga to Bluff. She was actively involved with the restoration of the historic stone wharf and rebuilding the old library at Ferry Landing. She was elected to the Mercury Bay Community Board from 2004 to 2013 and was Chair for the last six years. She was a member of the Sea Change – Tai Timu Tai Pari Stakeholder Working Group from 2013 to 2017, developing a Marine Spatial Plan to restore the health of the Hauraki Gulf and its catchments. She was a Trustee of Mercury Bay Art Escape from 2010 until 2020, fostering the arts on the Coromandel. She is presently Chair of Mercury Bay Community Fund, administering pensioner housing in Whitianga, and chairs Kauri 2000 restoring kauri forests on the Coromandel Peninsula. Mrs Henry is an active member of the Cooks Beachcare Group, replanting dunes and spending many hours protecting New Zealand dotterel in nesting season.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
HEWITSON, Ms Melanie Lyn (Mel)
For services to governance
Ms Mel Hewitson has more than 30 years of governance and senior management experience in financial services, investments, risk and regulation.
Ms Hewitson is a Chartered Member of the Institute of Directors, an Accredited Investment Fiduciary and holds Climate Competent Board certification. She is an Independent Director of Fidelity Life Assurance, Simplicity New Zealand, Ngāti Whātua Ōrakei Whai Maia and Domain Name Commission. She is a trustee of Auckland Foundation and of Foundation North where she was Chair and Deputy Chair of the Investment Committee. As Chair of Centre for Social Impact between 2018 and 2020, she oversaw the establishment of the National Strategy for Community Governance. She chaired the Nominating Committee for the Guardians of New Zealand Super Fund from 2015 to 2021 and is Chair of the Nominating Committee for the Waikato-Tainui Group Investment Committee. She was appointed to the Crown’s independent evaluation panel for the selection of default KiwiSaver providers in 2013. Ms Hewitson has held senior executive roles with the Financial Markets Authority, AllianceBernstein and ANZ Bank, and was the Head of Governance and Investor Oversight at Trustees Executors between 2015 and 2018.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
IRWIN, Dr Kathleen Gaye (Kathie)
For services to Māori education
Dr Kathie Irwin has engaged in research in Māori education for more than 30 years.
Through Victoria University of Wellington, Dr Irwin founded and led He Pārekereke: Institute for Research and Development in Māori Education in 1991. Her research contribution has been made as a Junior Lecturer through to Professor across five institutions; Massey University, Victoria University of Wellington, Christchurch College of Education, Te Kōhanga Reo National Trust and Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiārangi, between 1981 to 2008. She was an Editor of ‘Feminist Voices’ and of ‘Toi Māori: worlds of Māori Women’. She received the Ngārimu Victoria Cross and the 28th Māori Battalion Post Graduate Scholarship for her PhD research. She was the first Māori recipient of the Hodge Fellowship in 1994 and was the inaugural recipient of the Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiārangi Post-Doctoral Professorial Research Fellowship. She has been a keynote speaker for several years, speaking at the First United Nations Permanent Forum on indigenous issues and the kōhanga reo model in 2003. She has been on the Wellington College of Education Council, the Women’s Advisory Committee on Education, the New Zealand Association for Research in Education Council and more. Dr Irwin is the Deputy Chair of the Joint Research Committee Mana Wāhine Kaupapa inquiry.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
JACKSON, Mr Ian James
For services to the plumbing industry and the community
Mr Ian Jackson ran Jackson Plumbing Ltd. in Auckland from 1965 to 1995, before going on to initiate the promotion and uptake of the Australian Plumbing Code AS3500 throughout New Zealand.
Mr Jackson played a key role in implementing this more cost effective and efficient method of plumbing, which has reduced man hours on site, materials and labour due to its practical methods. From the late 1980s he promoted this method to the New Zealand plumbing and drainage industry, designers, specifiers and engineers to encourage conversion and uptake of this system. His company Allproof Industries has since continually researched and developed new products for the plumbing and drainage industry. Through Allproof he supports a range of charities, schools, sporting and local music organisations. He has supported Te Waha o Rerekohu Area School on the East Coast to provide opportunities for young people to gain work and apprenticeships. He has been involved with swimming and surf lifesaving as a competitor and coach. He became President of North Shore Swimming Club in 1989, securing a head coach that led the club to become one of the most successful clubs nationally throughout the 1990s and 2000s. Mr Jackson has been a member and President of the Auckland West Rotary Club.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
JESSOP, Mrs Judith Anne (Judi)
For services to lifesaving and water safety
Mrs Judi Jessop has contributed to lifesaving and water safety in the Nelson-Marlborough region and nationally for more than 40 years.
Mrs Jessop was elected delegate to the Society in 1986 and appointed as New Zealand Councillor on the Executive Board of the Royal Life Saving Society New Zealand (RLSSNZ) in 1988. She was Co-Convenor of the Social and Alternative Programme subcommittee, organising the 6th Asia Pacific Life Saving Council Conference and Competition in Christchurch in 1988 and has represented New Zealand at international conferences and competitions between 1988 and 2019. She was President of RLSSNZ from 2005 to 2009 and has since been Secretary. She has been the main overseer for training South Island examiners and instructors. Following the ‘Spark for Life’ conference in Melbourne 1993, she helped review the New Zealand National Standards of Basic Life Support that lead to the formation of the New Zealand Resuscitation Council in 1996. She was heavily involved in the adoption of the Standards of Life Support and in the revision of ‘immersion’, ‘hypothermia’ and ‘recovery position’, which lead to the work being published in the ‘Basic Resuscitation 2005’ and ‘Emergency Care for First Responders 2004’ manuals. Mrs Jessop has presented workshops and classes for Physical Education New Zealand, helping the RLSSNZ’s Bronze Medallion become an NCEA qualification.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
JORDAN, Mr Ian McKenzie
For services to the livestock industry
Mr Ian Jordan has contributed to sheep and cattle breeding in Marlborough, nationally and internationally.
Mr Jordan established his Willowhaugh Southdown Stud flock in 1956 and took over his father’s Jersey Stud in 1964. His Southdowns were awarded the grand champion all breed meat sheep at the New Zealand Agricultural Show and judged Supreme Animal of the Show in both 2017 and 2019. He is currently Honorary Judge for the Southdown breed. His Jersey cattle and Southdown sheep are regular exhibitors at Agricultural and Pastoral Shows. His Willowhaugh cows have won numerous championships including Royal Show Supreme Champion Jersey, South Island World Conference Champion, and five-time winner of South Island Champion Cow. He was a committee member of the New Zealand Ploughing Association from 1976 to 1997 and has been Patron since 2007, helping organise local ploughing matches, competing and encouraging younger competitors. He was made an Honorary Life Member in 1998 for his services to the Association. He has been a committee member of Graham Veterinary Club for more than 50 years, was President from 1981 to 1987, and remains Patron. He has been a judge at agricultural days, pet days and herd replacement competitions. Mr Jordan received the New Zealand Jersey Cattle Breeders Association Distinguished Members Award in 2004.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
KAKE, Mr Anthony Rangi (Tony)
For services to Māori
Mr Tony Kake is a leader in the South Auckland community and a champion for Māori interests, with a background in Māori health, community housing, community and marae development.
Mr Kake has been CEO of Papakura Marae since 2010. Under his leadership, the Marae offers more than 45 different services with 90 staff. He has driven the establishment of nine Kaumātua whare at Papakura Marae, acknowledging Kaumātua as an integral and valued part of the Marae. He has enabled many partnerships with government agencies, Māori entities and the private sector to flourish and be responsive to whānau. He demonstrates an inclusive and respectful leadership style based on principles of Tika, Pono and Aroha. He has played an active role in advancing the interests of Māori through key leadership and governance roles, including as Chair of Kia Puawai Youth Horizons Trust, Chair of the Community Impact Forum for the Department of Corrections – Te Ara Poutama, a Trustee of Mananui Arataki Charitable Trust, and a member of the Independent Māori Statutory Board of the Auckland Council. Mr Kake has a strong community focus, which includes working with Life Church who offer a community dinner every Thursday for 400 people.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
KAY, Mr Noel James Inglis
For services to surf lifesaving
Mr Noel Kay has been active with Surf Lifesaving for 63 years at Club, Regional, National and International levels, Joining Eastern United at Browns Bay in 1959.
Mr Kay became a Foundation member of the United North Piha Lifeguard Service in 1973 and remains a current member. On a voluntary basis, he has held almost all Club positions over those years. He has sourced more than $1 million in funding for the club, since his first application in 1989. He is still a Club coach, has been an Auckland selector and manager from the 1980s through to 2002. He has run three Auckland Development squads and coached a Team to California in 1989. He coached teams from United, Mairangi Bay and Orewa Surf Lifesaving Clubs to win New Zealand National Titles. He coached Auckland representative teams for more than 10 years. He was a New Zealand Surf Lifesaving Board member from 1992 to 1994 as a Director of Competition and Coaching and on the Coaching Advisory panel. He was a representative to Surf Lifesaving Australia. He has been an Event Judge for Northern and New Zealand Surf for 44 years. Mr Kay organised a Surf Canoe Classic Training Event for a number of years, which grew significantly.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
MCMANAWAY, Mr Shane Patrick
For services to agriculture and the community
Mr Shane McManaway has been regarded as a leader in New Zealand agricultural industry for more than 30 years.
Mr McManaway formed and has been Chair of Platinum Primary Producers Group (PPP) since 2005, a collective of 120 primary producers across Australasia and Asia. The group supports its communities through fundraisers, including raising $45,000 for those impacted by the 2011 Christchurch Earthquakes, $42,000 for The CatWalk Trust and Australia’s Spinal Cord Injury Network, and $41,500 for Piriroa School in the Wairarapa. He founded the Zanda McDonald Award in 2015 to recognise young people in primary industry sectors and support their career development with access to the expertise of PPP members. He was Chair of the Wairarapa Development Group, through which he led a group to reinvent ‘Wings over Wairarapa’ in 2011, since delivering five successful shows in the region. He has been a guest speaker at schools on mental health, as well as at agricultural conferences hosted in New Zealand, Australia, Asia and the United States. In 2018, Mr McManaway and his wife started development of ‘Five Rivers’, a medical facility for residents in the Greytown and wider South Wairarapa region, which will include GP services, specialists, sports rehabilitation facilities and a gym to serve the needs of the growing region.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
MCPHEE, Mr James Anderson (Jim)
For services to Judo
Mr Jim McPhee has been a member of Judo New Zealand (JNZ) since 1959.
As a competitor, Mr McPhee won gold and silver medals respectively at the 1965 and 1966 Oceania Championships. After retiring as a competitor, he combined governance with coaching and was mat-side coach for New Zealand’s first judo Olympian at the 1972 Munich Olympics. He became one of JNZ’s leading national coaches and was selected for the 1990 Auckland Commonwealth Games, 1992 Barcelona Olympics and the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. His considerable time spent coaching and managing New Zealand Teams over a 32-year period was all on a voluntary basis. He has been involved with Judo at the national level for more than 50 years. He is regarded as a ‘go-to’ person within JNZ, having served on many committees and review teams. He has ensured that JNZ adheres to its own rules, remains true to its objectives and always acts ethically. Internationally, Mr McPhee was an Executive member of the Commonwealth Judo Association from 2004 until 2012.
HONOURS
New Zealand 1990 Commemoration Medal
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
MILLER, Mrs Susan Mary (Sue)
For services to agricultural journalism
Mrs Sue Miller has contributed to agricultural journalism over four decades.
Mrs Miller became Greymouth Evening Star’s first female journalist in 1971 and went on to work with the Bay of Plenty Times and Northern Advocate, before moving to Wellington in 1977. She held several press and public affairs roles before beginning her involvement with the New Zealand Guild of Agricultural Journalists and Communicators (NZGAJC). She was national secretary and awards administrator of NZGAJC from 2003 until her retirement in 2020, a largely voluntary role with a small honorarium. She carried out the Guild’s administration, liaised with the National Executive, managed events, produced a newsletter, and maintained relationships with sponsors. Her key contribution was the development of the Guild’s journalism awards, presented annually. She is well regarded for ensuring Guild operations ran smoothly and for her efforts in recruiting and retaining membership. She organised conferences for the Guild’s 50th and 60th anniversaries and spearheaded the Guild’s hosting of the International Federation of Agricultural Journalists (IFAJ) World Congress in 2015, which attracted 150 journalists from 30 countries. She raised $200,000 to hold the event and surplus funds from the event have been re-invested into the Guild for annual travel grants. Mrs Miller represented NZGAJC at several IFAJ conferences around the world.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
MOFFATT, Mrs Marilyn Joan
For services to surf lifesaving
Mrs Marilyn Moffatt has dedicated more than 50 years to surf lifesaving.
Mrs Moffatt was a member of Wellington Ladies Surf Lifesaving Surf Club from 1971 before the Ladies Club amalgamated with Lyall Bay Surf Lifesaving Surf Club in 1976. She has held almost every position with the Lyall Bay Club Committee including Patrol Captain, Coach, Instructor, Team Manager, Treasurer and Chair. With Wellington Surf Lifesaving, she was Treasurer from 1980 to 1986, a Board Member, Team Manager from 2010 to 2012, delegate to the national body from 1984 to 1987, and was on the National Championship Organising Committee. She has won three national titles, four world championships and was a member of the first women’s surf boat crew in New Zealand. She received Life Memberships of Lyall Bay Surf Lifesaving Surf Club in 2010, Wellington Central Club in 2013 and Surf Lifesaving New Zealand in 2013. She has played a key role as Chair and Chief Fundraiser in driving delivery of the new Lyall Bay clubhouse, which faced consent and design difficulties over a 15-year development before opening in August 2021. Mrs Moffatt has been President of Surf Life Saving New Zealand since 2019 and is an active mentor for women to ensure there are no barriers hindering women’s participation in surf lifesaving.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
NAMOORI-SINCLAIR, Dr Rose
For services to the Kiribati community
Dr Rose Namoori-Sinclair has supported the Kiribati community in New Zealand since 2002.
Dr Namoori-Sinclair’s research background involved her as facilitator of the working group that established a Conceptual Framework for enhancing I-Kiribati wellbeing in 2015, a document titled “Boutokaan te mweeraoi”. She helped translate all communications from the Ministry of Social Development into Kiribati and helped with translations and editing of the document. She subsequently took the team lead role in writing the Maneaba Strategic Action Plan to implement the Boutokaan te mweeraoi framework. She helped establish and chaired the Kiribati Federation Aotearoa (KFA) from 2018 to 2020. As Chair, she ensured that KFA engaged with the Ministry for Pacific Peoples on including the Kiribati language in the Pacific Language Week Series. She helped write a training manual based on Kiribati heritage and cultural values to address violence towards both women and men in the Kiribati community. She obtained funding for this training and four courses were held in different regions around New Zealand. She chaired the Kiribati Wellington Club in 2003 and 2004. She identified a lack of traditional dancing experience locally and with community agreement sourced an experienced dancing master from Kiribati to provide lessons. Dr Namoori-Sinclair was an organiser for the 25th anniversary celebration of Kiribati independence held in Wellington.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
NEWMAN, Mr Patrick William (Pat)
For services to education
Mr Pat Newman has been involved with primary education for 45 years, 39 of these as a principal.
Mr Newman is Principal of Hora Hora School in Whangarei. He established a Trust that provides early childhood education to a small group of high needs children, plus daily trauma counselling for many children. He has led initiatives to help principals and their staff rethink their curriculum, policies and practices to make a difference for Māori tamariki through kaupapa Māori. He has been involved with the Māori Achievement Collaborative (MAC) from inception in 2014, which is now utilised by hundreds of schools across Aotearoa. He has led a growing school, initiating a building programme centred around learning pedagogies. He is a Board Member of the Miriam Centre that provides whānau counselling for Te Tai Tokerau and has been President of Te Tai Tokerau Principals Association since 2007. He is a member of the New Zealand Teachers Council and previously served eight years before being re-elected in 2019. In the past he has made a significant contribution to the Council's Complaints Assessment Committee, standing strongly against poor practice and supporting the just treatment of teachers. Mr Newman was on the New Zealand Principals Federation Executive for 13 years, serving two years as National President.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
OLIVER, Mr John Rutherfurd
For services to philanthropy
Mr John Oliver, supported by his wife, has contributed to the rural community of Otorohanga through philanthropic activities for several years.
Mr Oliver gifted $1 million to the Otorohanga Charitable Trust in 2017, to kickstart the building of a modern medical facility that then led to an influx of public support to fund the $3.6 million centre, helping the Trust become debt free and allowing the rental income of the medical centre to be re-directed towards further community benefit and a range of other smaller projects. He gifted $3 million to the Otorohanga Beattie Charitable Trust to enable the building of a 22 bed Dementia Unit facility, which has now been completed and is fully occupied. He has supported St Pauls Collegiate School in Hamilton, including a donation to establish an Agribusiness Hub at the school in 2016 and more recently has supported a project to develop a Learning Hub. He has also supported the scholarship fund for Southwell School. He supported Westpac Air Ambulance with a donation of $1 million. Mr Oliver and his wife have volunteered their time or financially supported the Otorohanga Zoological Society (now the Otorohanga Kiwi House Trust), along with many other community organisations in Otorohanga.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
OLIVER, Mr Robert Mark (Rob)
For services to the food industry and Pacific communities
Mr Rob Oliver is a New Zealand chef, raised in Fiji, who has been dedicated to benefitting Pacific communities in health, wellbeing, identity and culture.
Mr Oliver developed food programmes to feed the homeless and African migrants with AIDS in New York City and created farm to table resorts in the Caribbean. He returned to the South Pacific, writing two award-winning cookbooks “Me’a Kai” and “Mea’ai Samoa: Recipes and Stories from the Heart of Polynesia”, with both respectively winning awards at the 2010 and 2013 Gourmand Wold Cookbook Awards. He is Chef Ambassador of Le Cordon Bleu New Zealand and was a former judge of ‘My Kitchen Rules New Zealand’ in 2014/2015. He was co-host of Māori reality cooking show ‘Marae Kai Masters’ in 2015 and was a TEDx speaker in 2013. He is founder and Executive Director of ‘Pacific Island Food Revolution’ a television-led multi-media movement across the South Pacific, aiming to return the region to traditional cuisine to curb the Pacific’s non-communicable disease crisis. With the support of New Zealand and Australian governments, Pacific Island Food Revolution has delivered an average of 80 percent of Pacific people engaging with the project and 42 percent reporting a change in their diet. Mr Oliver is currently producing season three of ‘Pacific Island Food Revolution’.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
PAKURA, Ms Shane Karen (Shannon)
For services to social work
Ms Shannon Pakura has championed improvement in social work and services in New Zealand and internationally.
Ms Pakura held several senior social work positions with the Department of Child, Youth and Family (now Oranga Tamariki) between 1991 and 2008, including a period as Chief Social Worker. She has been a member of the New Zealand Association of Social Workers since 2001, serving as President from 2016 and New Zealand Representative on the International Federation of Social Workers (IFSW) from 2016 to 2019. She had a leading role in providing feedback on the proposed changes to social worker registration legislation, resulting in registration of social workers becoming mandatory in 2021. She was member of the Social Workers Registration Board from 2003 to 2007 and has been Chair since 2019. She was and member of New Zealand Parole Board from 2008 to 2020. She effectively works both within and outside of Te Ao Māori with social workers, professional and political leaders towards delivering better services and outcomes for people and whānau. Ms Pakura is currently a member of the Ministerial Advisory Board for Oranga Tamariki.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
PAYNE, Mrs Shelley Aileen
For services to people with intellectual disabilities
Mrs Shelley Payne became involved with IHC in 1995 to support her son who had complex disabilities.
Mrs Payne became President of IHC Mid-Bay of Plenty Branch in 1997 and joined the IHC New Zealand Board of Governance in 2002. She was Vice President of IHC NZ from 2003 to 2015. She has focused on supporting the self-advocacy of those with intellectual disabilities. The self-advocacy group People First New Zealand was established within IHC in 2003 and she was instrumental in helping People First become an independent organisation, as well as IHC encouraging greater participation of people with intellectual disabilities in the organisation and community. She chaired the Self-Advocacy Advisory Committee of the IHC Board from 2008 to 2014. She was a director of IHC’s service company IDEA Services Ltd from 2003 to 2018, involved in finding new ways of supporting people with intellectual disabilities following the end of institutional care in New Zealand in 2006. She was a Trustee from inception in 1999 and has been Chair since 2003 of the Arohanui Art and Education Trust, which delivers individually tailored programmes for people with disabilities. She has supported IHC events through her hotel business in Tauranga. Mrs Payne was made a Life Member of IHC in 2018.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
PITA, Mrs Margery Sylvia
For services to music
Mrs Margery Pita has been a part of the New Zealand music industry for 40 years.
Mrs Pita was an original band member of the Māori Volcanics Showband, established in 1964, who went on to perform Māori and Polynesian song and dance in 53 countries over 40 years. The Māori Volcanics performed for the troops stationed in Vietnam for several years, with the troops performing the haka upon conclusion of their performances. They had entertained several army bases throughout the Middle East, Europe and United Kingdom. She was a member of ‘The Polynesian Trio’, performing throughout New Zealand and was integral to both bands in organising and booking tours. The Māori Volcanics Showband were part of the ‘Unsung Heroes’ television series for their contribution to the music industry in New Zealand. She has been performing with the band at aged care facilities and fundraiser events for entertainers and musician funerals and can sing in several languages. Mrs Pita was recipient of the Waiata Māori Awards in 2011 for her lifetime contribution to music.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
PURCELL, Mrs Helen Bernice
For services to public health nursing
Mrs Helen Purcell began her nursing career in the 1960s and since the 1980s has supported people with liver disease.
Mrs Purcell became a public health nurse in the 1980s and helped set up an STD Clinic in Whakatane and was the infection control nurse for tuberculosis. In 1984, she became the hepatitis community nurse with the Hepatitis Foundation, during a time where 93 percent of the population of Kawerau were tested for Hepatitis B. From 1999 to 2002 she played a key role in helping the Hepatitis Foundation drive purpose-built caravans around the North Island to test as many people as possible and provide follow up support care and support. She was a public health nurse for Volunteer Service Abroad, based in Vietnam in the 1980s where she looked after residents of five villages and established a Hepatitis B testing programme across eight villages and two hospitals in Qui Nhon. Through her relationship building with Māori and Pacific Island communities, she has enabled the Hepatitis Foundation to ensure testing, monitoring and support of high-risk patients. Mrs Purcell is currently one of the seven nurses from Hepatitis Foundation who are responsible for contacting and supporting people who are considered high-risk to engage in monitoring and treatment.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
RAMAN, Mr Venkat
For services to the Indian community
Mr Venkat Raman has dedicated more than 20 years as Editor of Indian Newslink to disseminate current affairs and news to the Indian community and wider migrant communities.
Mr Raman has been employed with Indian Newslink since its establishment in 1999 and has since used the platform to maintain a link to the home country culture of hundreds of thousands of Indian-Kiwis. He instituted and promoted the Indian Business Awards, which plays a key role in motivating Indian diaspora to excel in business, improve governance and create employment. He is a founder and member of the governance body of Gandhi Nivas, an organisation which provides refuge and counselling programmes to rehabilitate male perpetrators of family violence. He is an advisor for several ethnic communities including Aotearoa New Zealand Federation of Tamil Sangams and Mana Andhra Telugu Association, and actively promotes communities amongst the Indian diaspora. He has been appointed to several Police boards including the Ethnic Advisory Board of the Police Commissioner, the Asian Advisory Board of Auckland City District Police and the South Asian Advisory Board of the Counties Manukau District, all since their inception. He has developed relationships with senior political leaders across the spectrum and ensures Indian community concerns are communicated. Mr Raman is also a founder of Saint Mother Teresa Interfaith committee.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
REEDY, Mr George Haig
For services to people with disabilities and the community
Mr George Reedy has contributed to the Hawke’s Bay and amputee communities for more than ten years.
Mr Reedy has been a Board Member of Peke Waihanga Artificial Limbs Service since 2011, serving as Chair since 2013, driving the organisation’s focus on the needs of amputees. Under his leadership the organisation has seen an increase in patient satisfaction, better outcomes for Māori and Pacific communities, a 200 percent increase in services and technology provision for amputees and those at risk of amputation, and the adoption of new technology device programmes that have reduced self-reported falls and pain. He has brought a Māori perspective to the organisation, leading to increased equitable outcomes, increased accessibility and trust for Peke Waihanga by Māori. Since 2014, he has been CEO of Te Taiwhenua o Heretaunga, a health and social services in the Hawke’s Bay region. As CEO, he identified a need for affordable housing in the region and worked with various organisations to deliver 100 high-quality houses. Mr Reedy was a Board Member and Chair of Te Huarahi Tika Trust from 2014 to 2020, supporting the development of dozens of Māori technology start-up groups in Hawke’s Bay and the wider North Island area.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
ROBERTSON, Namulau’ulu Taotua Leaoa Joshua James Potoa'e
For services to the Pacific community
Namulau’ulu Taotua Leaoa Joshua Robertson has been a Pacific leader in the Taranaki region since 2003.
Mr Robertson has been a member of the Sinoti Samoa Methodist Church of New Zealand for more than 20 years, holding various positions including Convenor of Sinoti Samoa property advisory committee and member of the business committee. He is the President of the New Zealand Lay Preachers Association and under his leadership membership numbers have increased significantly, particularly of Pacific lay preachers. In 2009 he helped revive the Taranaki Vaimoana Pasifika Charitable Trust, which has evolved into a community trust supporting Pacific communities in sectors across justice, education, social, health, sports and Pacific language and culture. He helps organise the annual Taranaki Pasifika Day Festival. He was instrumental in organising successful Pacific contracts with Aere Tai Pacific Midland Collective to deliver Whānau Ora assistance for Pacific families. He has coordinated and helped distribute food and hygiene packs to Pasifika households and seasonal workers in the Taranaki region, working with local iwi, government agencies and non-government organisations. He co-created a Pasifika health programme for the community during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown. Mr Robertson was instrumental in an application to MBIE’s Regional Fund for the renovation of the New Plymouth Samoan Methodist Church and worked with the contractors to employ local Pacific workers.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
ROMERIL, Dr Kenneth Robert (Ken)
For services to haemotology
Dr Ken Romeril has been a consultant physician/haematologist for 40 years.
Dr Romeril founded the charitable trust Myeloma New Zealand, of which he has been CEO since 2016, continuing in this role following retirement from clinical practice. He was an early leader in the care and treatment of AIDS patients in New Zealand. He has been a committee member of the Medical Advisory Subcommittee on AIDS. He set up the Wellington HIV Medicine Unit and introduced HIV viral load tests. He has been an examiner in Haematology for the Royal College of Pathologists of Australia (RCPA). He was a consultant haematologist for the Community Laboratory from 1989 to 2016. He has been a principal investigator for many drug trials, including the first for chronic lymphatic leukaemia. He established the ground-breaking autotransplantation initiative in 1995. He is the only New Zealand member of the International Myeloma Working Group. He has convened three International Myeloma Summit Meetings in 2016, 2018 and 2020. Dr Romeril has been a Senior Lecturer at the Wellington Campus of Otago University Medical School.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
ROOK, Mr Hans
For services to wildlife conservation
Mr Hans Rook worked with the Wildlife Service and the Department of Conservation for 42 years until retiring in 2014 and has since continued volunteering.
Mr Rook spearheaded protection of whitebait spawning sites as a means of species recovery and has demonstrated the methodology in other districts. He spent many hours of his own time removing debris from the Ahuriri estuary and undertaking weed surveillance and control. He has played a key role in the Ahuriri Wetland Restoration Project to re-create habitat for the critically endangered matuku hurepo (Australasian bittern), reinstating 52 hectares of wetland and seeing a population increase. He worked with neighbouring farms on the project and consulted on how to implement similar programmes elsewhere. He has engaged with iwi in conservation efforts, particularly in the development of the New Zealand whale stranding network. He developed techniques for humanely ending the suffering of whales unable to be re-floated. He has overseen the removal of 39 sperm whale jawbones, which were returned to iwi, plus two complete sperm whale skeletons for Te Papa Tongarewa’s national collection and the Tohorā Exhibition. Mr Rook tutored in early trials of a Māori Youth in Conservation programme, a collaboration between DOC, MSD and Treaty partners, and has advised on techniques to preserve bird pelts and feathers for weavers.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
RURU, Professor Jacinta Arianna
For services to Māori and the law
Professor Jacinta Ruru is one of New Zealand’s leading Māori legal scholars and has been involved in celebrating mātauranga Māori for more than 20 years.
Professor Ruru has lectured at the University of Otago’s Faculty of Law since 1999. She has published widely on Indigenous peoples’ rights, interests and responsibilities to own and care for lands and waters. She is a strong advocate for recognising tikanga Māori in law and decolonising the tertiary sector including legal education. She has co-founded many initiatives including the University of Otago Māori Academic Staff Caucus, Te Poutama Māori, and the Māori teaching and learning research theme Poutama Ara Rau. She co-directed Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga, New Zealand’s Māori Centre of Research from 2016 to 2021. She is Aotearoa New Zealand’s first Māori professor of law, and was one of the first Māori women to be elected Fellow of the Royal Society Te Apārangi. She holds Ministerial appointments to Te Papa Tongarewa Museum of New Zealand Board and Kāhui Wai Māori, the Māori Freshwater Forum. Professor Ruru’s contributions have been recognised by the Prime Minister’s Supreme Award for Excellence in Teaching and an inaugural University of Otago Sesquicentennial Distinguished Chair.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
RUTLEDGE, Mr Leicester Malcolm
For services to rugby and the community
Mr Leicester Rutledge is a former rugby union player for the All Blacks and Southland.
Mr Rutledge played 113 matches for Southland between 1972 and 1983 and 31 matches and 13 tests for the All Blacks from 1978 to 1980, including one match as Captain. He was voted the Grand Slam Tour Player of the Year in 1978. He coached the Southland team for two years and has been an administrator for the club for decades. In 2002, he was Assistant Coach of the undefeated U-19 New Zealand Rugby Team and Assistant Coach of the Italian national team in 2003. In 2011 he managed the Highlanders rugby team. He became President of Southland Rugby Union in 2020 and is a Life Member of the club. Alongside another former teammate, he endorsed and has been the face of the Southland Bowel Screening programme with the Southern District Health Board. Within his wider community, Mr Rutledge regularly drives the Myross Bush school bus and created Match-Fit, a basic rugby fitness programme for older men in Bluff facing health issues.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
SCHAAFHAUSEN, Mrs Rukumoana Tira Marie
For services to Māori and the community
Mrs Rukumoana Schaafhausen has contributed to Waikato in the area of water provision and leadership to iwi and Māori health providers since 1996.
Mrs Schaafhausen has worked with Waikato-Tainui Governance Boards, shifting the focus to the voice of tribal members and marae, health and wellbeing of the Waikato river, and maximising the collaboration with public and private partnerships to benefit both tribal members and the community. She led the development of a five-year strategic plan across 68 marae and 76,000 tribal members and partnered with Watercare to ensure reduced reliance on the Waikato River. She has helped with iwi job creation with a joint venture Blueberry Orchard and the creation of an iwi-owned employment hub Hauaa Ihu Oneone. With the Prince's Trust New Zealand, she has focused on Māori youth enterprise and entrepreneurship. She has been the Chair of the Waikato District Council Waters Governance Board since 2018, implementing an ongoing focus on improved Three Waters infrastructure and sustainable measures for the health and restoration of the Waikato river. Mrs Schaafhausen has been the Chair of Miro Limited Partnership since its inception in 2017, a collective of 30 Māori shareholders with a vision to transform Māori land through high-value horticulture.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
SHARPLES, Dr Angela Denise
For services to education
Dr Angela Sharples has been contributing to education in the Eastern Bay of Plenty region by addressing issues of disparity and equitable access to quality education.
Dr Sharples has been the Principal of Murupara Area School since 2015, ensuring students in rural, remote schools that are facing issues of poverty and deprivation, have access to quality education. She has encouraged staff to individualise learning programmes for students and has engaged with the Youth Employability programme and Massey University’s Pūhoro programme, as well as building relationships with Stray, Air New Zealand and Kohutapu lodge to achieve this. She partnered with the District Health Board to provide mobile dental vans in Murupara, after discovering many teenagers were absent from school because of dental infections and the nearest adolescent dental service was in Rotorua. The mobile dental van now provides services to low-income earners in the area as well as students. She helped establish Te Aka Toitū Trust to address the digital divide in the Eastern Bay of Plenty area, connecting households in Murupara and surrounding areas to the school’s Network for Learning to ensure digital connectivity. Dr Sharples has been Chairperson of the New Zealand Biology Olympiad programme since 2006, secretary for Rotorua Show Jumping since 2012, and of Bay of Plenty Show Hunter since 2013.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
SHEWARD, Ms Rochana
For services to the community
Ms Rochana Sheward has worked more than 20 years with not-for-profit organisations, strengthening communities through empowering and developing sustainable projects.
Ms Sheward was the Chief Executive of Maclaren Park Henderson South Community Trust between 2006 and 2017, establishing and developing four key programmes; the Hubwest Facility, Fairfood, The Tipping Point and Studio MPHS. Fairfood, now an independent charity, is a food rescue operation, partnered with local businesses and trusted donors to ensure surplus food is delivered to frontline charities in Auckland. The Tipping Point is a bargain store for preloved, salvaged goods adjacent to the Waitakere Refuse Station. She secured a brand-new facility that is accessible to all in West Auckland in collaboration with Auckland Council to form the Hubwest Facility. Studio MPHS is a STEM creative centre designed as an after-school space for the youth of West Auckland. She has been Chief Executive of Belong Aotearoa since 2017, working to address systemic barriers to settlement by supporting thousands of newcomers, migrants and refugees who have settled in Auckland. Ms Sheward works collaboratively with communities, government and other organisations in the non-profit and profit sectors, to innovate and lead initiatives and provided a place to learn skills and gain experience.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
SMITH, Ms Gwendoline
For services to mental health
Ms Gwendoline Smith has been advocating for mental health in New Zealand through the publication of several award-winning books since the 1980s.
Ms Smith worked with health providers as a clinical psychologist and consultant since 1981, before becoming a social commentator on radio and television of mental health issues. She published her first book ‘Will the Real Mr. New Zealand Please Stand Up’ in 1990, which focussed on male psychology and the rising suicide and mental health issues in men. She published ‘Sharing the Load – What to do When Someone you Love is Depressed’ in 1996 and worked with Auckland Health Board and Saatchi & Saatchi Advertising to de-stigmatise mental health, raising $13.65 million for a campaign which is now known as Like Minds. Upon recovery from breast cancer in 2010, she wrote her following book ‘Breast Support’, a guide to assist women from diagnosis to post surgery and became an active campaigner for breast cancer research. She helped establish askdoctorknow.com, a mental health advice blog for young people worldwide which grew massively overnight, leading to an interview with the Guardian and the publishing of ‘The Book of Knowing’ in 2017. Ms Smith published the bestselling books ‘The Book of Overthinking’ in 2020 and ‘The Book of Angst’ in 2021, with a combined 80,000 copies of her books sold worldwide.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
STOWERS, Mr Allan
For services to the Samoan community
Mr Allan Stowers has served the Samoan community in New Zealand and in Samoa through various fundraising and community initiatives.
Mr Stowers has been a volunteer with the Samoa Victim Support Group (SVSG) since 2005, which provides support, refuge, and education around domestic violence and sexual abuse. He co-founded the Auckland SVSG, which then generated several sub-groups in Christchurch, Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne and American Samoa. He has supported the Carmelite Nuns of Samoa through fundraising efforts, which have helped fund the build of the first monastery in Wallis, Futuna and in Tonga. He started the Lilomaiava Development Project, creating employment opportunities for youth in Safotu, Manase and nearby districts in Samoa while fulfilling the needs of New Zealand businesses for seasonal workers. He was a founding member of the 13 Days of Christmas for the Congregational Christian Church Mangere East (EFKS Puaseisei) focusing on uniting different religious denominations and youth during Christmas, which has been operating for more than 12 years. He has been instrumental in many fundraising activities for church groups and schools in New Zealand and Samoa, as well as sport teams including the International Manu Samoa Rugby team and Toa Samoa Rugby League when needed. Mr Stowers supports and mentors young Samoan entrepreneurs within Auckland.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
TUAI, Mrs Kolokesa Uafā (Kolokesa Uafā Māhina-Tuai)
For services to cultures and the arts
Mrs Kolokesa Uafā Māhina-Tuai works for Lagi-Maama Academy & Consultancy, an educational and cultural organisation she co-founded in 2018.
Mrs Māhina-Tuai’s knowledge of Tongan culture and background in art history, anthropology, museum and heritage studies has inspired her cultural and arts advocacy, curatorial practice and writings. She co-curated local and international exhibitions ‘Tangata o le Moana: The Story of Pacific People in New Zealand’ in 2007 at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa and ‘Tatau: Symmetry, Harmony, and Beauty: The Art of Sēmisi Fetokai Potauaine’ in 2010 at the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, Cambridge, UK. Her exhibitions and writings highlight artistic knowledge and skills of Moana Oceania creatives as critical agents for maintaining and safeguarding their cultural heritage in diaspora such as ‘Kolose: The Fine Arts of Tuvalu Crochet’ (2014). She values a cross cultural approach and the importance of looking critically at imposed western worldviews on Moana Oceania cultures and arts in the publication ‘Crafting Aotearoa: A Cultural History of Making in New Zealand and the Wider Moana Oceania’ (2019) and exhibition ‘Ā Mua: New Lineages of Making’ (2020). Mrs Māhina-Tuai has been a guest curator and consultant for the Visible Voices Research Project at Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
TUHORO, Mrs Helen Muriel
For services to education
Mrs Helen Tuhoro has been contributing to education in the eastern Bay of Plenty region for more than 30 years.
Mrs Tuhoro was the Deputy Principal of Trident High School in Whakatane between 1999 and 2012. She became the founding Principal of Tarawera High School in Kawerau in 2012, built on the grounds of the former Kawerau College, which had faced financial difficulty, low pass rates and less than 50 percent attendance rates. She opened the school in 2013, ensuring the school was a safe, drug-free environment and focussed on student achievement. She led the redesign of the school’s curriculum and teaching models, introduced free breakfasts and lunches and drove a building project to replace two-thirds of the old school building. She incorporated a Teen Parenting Education Centre, a Specialist Learning Centre for students with high special learning needs and, a Defence Academy. In 2019, more than 86 percent of year 11 to 13 students were passing their respective NCEA Levels, in comparison to less than 40 percent in 2013. Mrs Tuhoro was appointed as a member of the Ministry of Education’s Equity Index Sector Reference Group in 2019.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
WADIA, Ms Frian Percy
For services to disability and education
Ms Frian Wadia has championed systemic change and policy improvement in inclusive education and equity through her governance roles.
Ms Wadia has governance experience through several committees and boards and is passionate about leading systemic change to ensure meaningful, dignified lives for all individuals with disabilities. She was the Secretary of Auckland Parents of Deaf Children (APODC) for several years, providing supports, networks and advocacy for deaf children and their families. She has been a member of the Chaucer School Board of Trustees since 2016, ensuring policies are inclusive, equitable and representative of staff and children, and fundraised through grants for the build of a new playground. She has been a Coordinator of Very Important Parents – Equity in Education since 2016, engaging with the Ministry of Education, the Disability Rights Commissioner, Members of Parliament and other agencies to improve education for disabled children. She is a Board Member of the Teaching Council, establishing and chairing the Inclusive Education Advisory Group to the Board, consisting of experts in inclusive education influencing the Teaching Council functions and responsibilities. Ms Wadia is a Board member of Parent to Parent, a nationwide not-for-profit organisation supporting families of children with any type of disability or health conditions, and Presiding Member of the Lottery Individuals with Disability distribution committee.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
WARD-HOLMES, Mr John Tahana
For services to Māori and conservation
Mr John Ward-Holmes (Ngāti Tama, Te Ātiawa) has contributed to conservation and Ngāti Tama’s customary interests in Golden Bay through various leadership roles.
Mr Ward Holmes was involved in the establishment and building of Onetahua Marae at Pohara in 1985 and has been a Trustee since 1992. He was involved with the development of a statutory management plan for the wāhi tapu site of Te Waikoropupū Springs in 2009 between the Department of Conservation and Manawhenua ki Mohua. He contributed to the negotiation of the Treaty Settlement for Ngāti Tama Ki Te Tau Ihu and was instrumental in negotiating the return of the Te Tai Tapu wāhi tapu land. He provides iwi input to DOC decision making on various conservation matters in Golden Bay, such as whale strandings on Onetahua/Farewell Spit, and has supported the Department to incorporate tikanga in their work. He provided leadership for the establishment of Mohua Ki Te Tai Tapu Mataitai marine reserve in 2011 at Paturau to protect the paua fishery on Golden Bay’s west coast, ensuring a partnership between iwi and the local community. He was an establishment Trustee and is now Kaumātua for the Ngāti Tama Ki Te Waipounamu Trust. Mr Ward-Holmes instigated the waharoa built for the RSA to recognise the 28th Māori Battalion and historical wars.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
WEBB, Air Commodore Darryn Robert
For services to the New Zealand Defence Force
Air Commodore Darryn Webb has served with the New Zealand Defence Force for 31 years in a range of command and leadership positions, and for eight months in 2020 was seconded to the All of Government (AoG) effort to protect New Zealand from the COVID-19 global pandemic.
Air Commodore Webb was initially selected along with other NZDF members to develop and enact a plan to enable thousands of New Zealanders and foreign nationals to return to their home countries. His responsibilities were extended to operationalise and lead the Government's new policy for isolation and quarantine. This saw the establishment of the Managed Isolation and Quarantine (MIQ) system and Managed Isolation Facilities (MIFs). As the pandemic response evolved, he was appointed as Head of MIQ within the AoG response. His responsibility in a constantly changing pandemic was to provide a safe system to prevent COVID-19 encroaching into communities and provide advice and assurance to Government on all aspects of the MIQ system. In a short space of time he had to earn Ministerial trust and confidence, begin building long-term structures required, establish a multi-disciplinary team and become a key public face of the MIQ leadership. He implemented an operational framework to set consistent, repeatable and safe operations and infection prevention and control standards. Air Commodore Webb is well regarded for transforming New Zealand’s approach to MIQ into a world-leading end-to-end system to provide New Zealanders with confidence.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
WHITEMAN, Mr Alan Bruce
For services to fullbore target rifle shooting
Mr Alan Whiteman has contributed to the sport of target rifle sporting since 1965.
Mr Whiteman began as a target marker on the Seddon Range in 1965, serving as a participant, manager, coach, volunteer and administrator at local, national and international levels. He has represented Wellington on 20 occasions at national competitions and was a member of the New Zealand Team at the 1995 Long Range World Championship. He has been a key figure with the Upper Hutt Rifle Club, carrying out almost every role in the club for 50 years, providing safe and proper use of firearms. He was integral in the reinstating of the Seddon Shooting Range after it had been closed for safety reasons in 2000, and worked with the New Zealand Defence Force, planners, range designers to ensure the Wellington region could continue to use the range. He has an extensive involvement with the Wellington Rifle Association and the New Zealand Rifle Shooting Team, particularly as coach and manager of the national teams including managing the 1997 Under-21 Team against Australia. He is a former Chair of the National Rifle Association and was appointed as a Life Member in 2012. Mr Whiteman is a member of the Upper Hutt Rifle Club, now Trentham Rifle Club.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
WHITING, Ms Michele June-Marie
For services to education
Ms Michele Whiting has been contributing to education in Wellington since 1985, holding several leadership roles since 1991.
Ms Whiting became Deputy Principal of Maraeroa School in 1991 and of Clyde Quay School in 1993, before becoming Principal of Otari School in 1994. Her leadership at Otari turned around a falling roll and developed a coherent school culture of three strands: local, Montessori and Māori immersion. She initiated a co-principal leadership model, giving equal authority to each strand and growing future leaders. She became Deputy Principal of Corinna School in 2006 then Principal in 2009, helping create the Porirua East Cluster Schools, bringing together all principals of the area to focus on building strong teacher and leadership capability and capacity. She became co-leader of Porirua East Kāhui Ako, which grew out of the cluster, initiating the co-leadership model for the Kāhui Ako and for the inclusion of early childhood centres on the same basis as schools. She led the establishment of Te Mana o Kupe Trust in 2013, which is committed to achieving digital equality for every child and family in Porirua East. Ms Whiting has been Chair of the Trust since 2019, which has provided more than 2,000 learning devices to whānau in the area, access to low-cost home internet, seminars on internet safety and replacement computer accessories.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
WILCOX, Mrs Beryl Joan
For services to the community
Mrs Beryl Wilcox has contributed to community governance in the Southland region for more than 30 years.
Mrs Wilcox has served as member or chair of more than 20 local boards and committees in the fields of education, health, social development and employment. She was a member of the Stewart Island Community Board between 1992 and 1995 and was the Chair of Rimu School Board of Trustees between 1996 and 2004. She was the Manager of Southland Community College and Youth Service between 1996 and 2018, focussing on programmes and services supporting at-risk youth aged 15 to 19 years. She was Chair of the Ministry of Education’s Joint Schools Initiative Funding Management Group, the Chair of the Southland Tertiary Training Providers Association for ten years and was a ministerial appointee and Chair of the establishment board of trustees for secondary schools. She was the Deputy Chair of the Community Colleges New Zealand Council between 2005 and 2013. She has been a member of the Oban Volunteer Fire Brigade for several years and was awarded a Life Membership for 15 years of service. Mrs Wilcox is currently the Chair of the South Alive – South Invercargill Urban Rejuvenation Charitable Trust and a Trustee of South Alive Limited – The Pantry since 2020.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
WILSON, Dr John Douglas (Doug)
For services to health and seniors
Dr Doug Wilson is a specialist on ageing, a medical researcher, author and leading expert in the field of ageing.
Dr Wilson has published several children’s books and two non-fiction books on ageing titled ‘Ageing for Beginners’ and ‘Ageing Well’ (2021), encouraging positive inter-generational approaches and advocating for the older generation to be proactive about their health and finances. He has supported and advocated for the rights of seniors by informing and educating as a member of the Clinical Governance Committee for Ryman Healthcare, presenting and engaging with the public. He has written regular blogs for Age Concern New Zealand and was a recent keynote speaker at the Vision for Ageing in Aotearoa conference. He had produced his own podcast series and regularly features on Radio New Zealand’s Saturday morning show. He has been an active member of the Age Friendly Steering Group since 2020 with the Taupo District Council, a World Health Organisation programme on age friendly cities. He has worked within the pharmaceutical industry globally in London, the United States and Europe, becoming global head of medical research for a major German company. Dr Wilson is a Board Member of AFT Pharmaceuticals and was named the Ryman Healthcare New Zealander of the Year in 2021.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
WRATHALL, Mrs Rosalie Myrtle Martha
For services to golf
Mrs Rosalie Wrathall has contributed to golf, particularly women’s and junior golf for 40 years.
Mrs Wrathall held positions at Turangi Golf Club as Captain, Vice-Captain and as the first woman to hold the position of President. She was Convenor for Junior Golf and the Greens Committee and was made a Life Member of the Club, where she was the 12-time Senior Club Champion. She was Zone Representative, Vice President and President of Bay of Plenty Women’s Golf Association over a period of seven years and was a member of the Bay of Plenty Junior Committee. She was a Board member of Women’s Golf New Zealand for five years, involved in the amalgamation of men’s and women’s golf nationally. She was a member of the Ohope Golf Club for 15 years, and held the positions of Vice-Captain, Ladies Vice-Captain, Zone Representative and Club Captain between 2012 and 2016. She has held several titles including Senior Club Champion in 2001 and Ladies Open winner in 2000 and 2001. Mrs Wrathall was the first woman to be a member of the Bay of Plenty Eagles Golfing Society and is Convenor of Women’s Matches at Fairview Golf Club, continuing to encourage women into golf.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
WRIGHT, Mr William Richard (Willie)
For services to conservation
Mr Willie Wright has been Programme Manager of Te Uri O Hau / Integrated Kaipara Harbour Management Group (IKHMG) since 2015, having been Chairperson from 1996.
Mr Wright is a Treaty Negotiator for the settlement of Kaipara Harbour and future co-governance of Kaipara Moana. He has led IKHMG in improving water quality and biodiversity outcomes through community action. He has been a catalyst for the development of Predator Free Kaipara, having led IKHMG analysis in 2019 on scaling up predator and pest control across the catchment. He has been actively hands-on in planting thousands of native plants throughout the Kaipara Harbour catchment, also raising support by helping with seed collection, organising hui on marae, and stakeholder engagement. He was recognised at the 2019 New Zealand Association of Resource Management conference for his contributions to the way climate change and freshwater are managed, in relation to his contributions to Kaipara Harbour and catchment. He was on the Northland Conservation Board from 2014 to 2020, serving his final year as Chair. He has been Trustee of the Kaipara District Economic Development Trust. Mr Wright is a current member of Kaipara District Council’s Pou Tu Te Rangi/Harding Park Joint Management Committee, having previously been Chairperson in 2017.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
YALA, Mrs Teremoana
For services to the Cook Islands community
Mrs Teremoana Yala has contributed to a range of Cook Islands community activities in Wellington and Palmerston North.
Mrs Yala helped purchase a church building, helped revive the Cook Islands Manawatu Association, and started groups for budgeting, cooking and driver licensing to help her church and community. She started a weekly Tivaevae group for Palmerston North Cook Islands women, which expanded to include other ethnic groups and participated in the local Pasifika Festival Arts display. She has been member of Palmerston North City Council’s committee overseeing Highbury Community Hall. She helped establish the World War One Pacific war memorial 'Te Reo Hotonui o te Moana Nui a Kiwa'. She is member of the Cook Islands Translation Panel and is involved with Lift Education, helping develop Cook Islands language resource kits for New Zealand schools. She was Assistant General Secretary of the 43rd Diocese South Pacific District Council of the Pentecostal Assemblies of the World for more than 10 years and has been Cook Islands Commissioner of Girls’ Brigade. Mrs Yala was Cook Islands High Commissioner to New Zealand from 2016 to 2018, having worked with the Cook Islands public service from the late 1960s until moving to New Zealand in 1998.