To be a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
BLICK, Mr Graeme Hilton
For services to geodesy
Mr Graeme Blick has dedicated 55 years to improving the science of geodesy in New Zealand and has been New Zealand’s Chief Geodesist since 2009.
Mr Blick held various positions with Geological Survey (now GNS Science) from 1969 to 1995, including as Photogrammetrist and Geodetic Surveyor. He has been a member of the National Institute of Surveyors and Spatial for more than 40 years and a member of the International Association of Geodesy for 25 years. He has represented New Zealand at the United Nations Global Geospatial Information Management Committee of Experts since 2013 and has co-chaired the geodetic working groups. He was key in the establishment of the United Nations Global Geodetic Centre of Excellence, which aims to strengthen and advance global geodetic cooperation and coordination. As a member of the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research for 25 years, he has been involved in surveys of Mount Erebus’ summit and monitoring changes in the earth’s crust. He developed Land and Information New Zealand’s (LINZ) mapping and nautical charting programme in Antarctica, in operation since the 1990s. He developed a semi-dynamic datum for New Zealand in 1998 and was instrumental in establishing LINZ’s partnership in GeoNet in 2001. Mr Blick helped establish the Southern Positioning augmentation Network in 2022, aimed at improving the accuracy and reliability of satellite-based positioning systems in New Zealand and Australia.
To be a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
FOSTER, Mr Ian Douglas
For services to rugby
Mr Ian Foster was the Assistant Coach of the All Blacks from 2012 to 2019, before becoming Head Coach from 2020 until 2023.
As Assistant Coach of the All Blacks, he contributed alongside Sir Steve Hansen, leading the All Blacks to win 93 of their 108 tests across eight years, including a Rugby World Cup (RWC) Gold medal in 2015 and RWC Bronze medal in 2019. As Head Coach he led the All Blacks to win and retain the Bledisloe Cup, the Freedom Cup, and the Rugby Championship each year from 2020 to 2023, as well as a RWC Silver medal in 2023. During his time as Head Coach, the All Blacks had a 70 percent win rate. Prior to his time with the All Blacks, he coached the Waikato-based Chiefs Super Rugby team between 2004 and 2011, placing in the top eight across five years, and reaching the finals in 2004 and 2009. As a player, Mr Foster made 148 appearances in the fly-half position for Waikato and in 28 games for the Chiefs.
To be a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
FUNG, Mrs Esther Frances, ONZM
For services to the Chinese community
Mrs Esther Fung is a leading senior elder of the Chinese New Zealand community and, at 94, continues to be a voice for the community and its future.
Mrs Fung was involved in government consultation for a reconciliation package following the poll tax apology in 2002, which led to formation of the Chinese Poll Tax Heritage Trust to support Chinese New Zealand heritage and culture. She was an inaugural Trustee from 2004 to 2008 and served as Trustee again from 2011 to 2017. She was key in guiding the Trust’s early direction to ensure support for future generations of Chinese New Zealanders. She supported the Trust’s commissioning of several histories of New Zealand’s Chinese community. She has remained a member of the New Zealand Chinese Association (NZCA) since the mid-1980s. She was a guiding force on NZCA’s Ventnor memorial project, unveiled in Hokianga in 2021, and has contributed to the current development of a historical website Te Hekenga Taikoa telling Chinese New Zealanders’ stories. She has been Secretary of the Wellington Chinese Garden Society since 2003 and became Patron in 2023. Mrs Fung has been pivotal to keeping this project on the Wellington City Council’s agenda for more than 20 years in the face of waterfront redevelopment challenges.
HONOURS
Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit, New Year 2002
To be a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
GRAHAM, Mr Frederick John (Fred), ONZM
For services to Māori art
Mr Fred Graham (Ngāti Koroki Kahukura) has been involved in New Zealand art since the 1950s and has contributed to the growth, development and promotion of Māori art nationally and abroad.
Mr Graham was an art adviser to Māori primary schools throughout Rotorua and Northland. He has been Head of the Art Department at various schools throughout the North Island and he has played a key role in inspiring and developing the next generation of artistic talent. He was a pioneer of the Contemporary Māori Art Movement and in 1966 he was a key figure in organising one of the first exhibitions of contemporary Māori painting and sculptures in Hamilton. He has represented New Zealand at many international exhibitions throughout his career, including the 1986 ‘Te Ao Marama’ (‘Seven Māori Artists’) exhibition that toured Australia and a 1992 United States tour showcasing contemporary Māori art. More recently he has exhibited at the Venice Biennale. Since 1996 he has served on the Haerewa Māori Cultural Advisory Group at the Auckland Art Gallery. He mentors young sculptors and artists. He has produced sculptures that are displayed in many New Zealand cities and towns, as well as galleries in Seattle, Vancouver and South Korea. Most recently, Mr Graham was commissioned to create sculptures for the new Catholic College in Drury and a roundabout south of Tirau.
HONOURS
Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit, New Year 2018
New Zealand 1990 Commemoration Medal
To be a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
HART, Mr John Bernard, ONZM
For services to sports governance
Mr John Hart was made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to rugby in 1997.
Mr Hart has been instrumental in the growth of the New Zealand Golf Open Tournament from a foundation to now a high-profile international event in the golfing space. He has served as the Chair of the New Zealand Golf Open Organizing Committee since 2011, driving the event from struggling for viability to boasting $2 million in prize money, with the event regarded as one of the top three tournaments in Australasia. He was the Chair of the New Zealand 2011 Group which oversaw the management of New Zealand hosting the 2011 Rugby World Cup Tournament. He used his network across business and sport to create engagement and interest in the tournament, enlisting help from All Blacks greats. He was the Executive Director of the New Zealand Warriors between 2005 and 2011, undertaking an extensive transformation which culminated in the Warriors reaching the grand final in 2011. Serving as Director of the Blues Rugby Club Board since 2018, Mr Hart has contributed to the club as a mentor to players and coaches, and founded the Blues Family Foundation which raises funds to continue development of rugby around the region.
HONOURS
Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit, Queen’s Birthday 1997
To be a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
HOOKS, Emeritus Professor Jillian Jeanette (Jill)
For services to accountancy and education
Emeritus Professor Jill Hooks has made significant contributions to accountancy teaching and research, advancing accountancy practice nationally.
Professor Hooks became Senior Lecturer in Accountancy and Law at Auckland University of Technology and then Academic Group Leader in 1994. She has held multiple teaching and Board roles at Massey University, advancing from lecturer in 1997 to Professor of Accounting in 2010 and Emeritus Professor in 2019, serving also as Academic Coordinator of the Auckland Campus from 2003. She has won several teaching awards, notably as Massey University Overall Lecturer of the Year in 2011. She has led teaching of the final qualifying exam for the New Zealand Institute of Chartered Accountants and the Master of Accounting and Finance and Master of Business degrees at Massey. Her research has helped shape accounting standards, including improvements to reporting within the electricity industry nationally, and environmental reporting both nationally and internationally. She is a well-cited published academic, with more than 2,100 citations, and has held visiting professor appointments in Queensland and Seattle. She edited the Pacific Accounting Review journal from 2011 to 2014 and served on the Auckland Region Accounting Conference Organisation committee. Professor Hooks’ contributions to the profession were recognised with the Certified Practicing Accountants New Zealand Division President’s Award for Excellence (Service and Leadership) in 2020.
To be a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
LUEY, Mr Kai-Shek (Kai), QSM
For services to the Chinese community
Mr Kai Luey was President of the New Zealand Chinese Association (NZCA) from 2005 to 2008, serving as Immediate Past President until 2010.
Mr Luey remained Chairman of the Auckland branch of the NZCA until 2011. He organised ‘Going Bananas’ conferences in 2006, 2007, 2009 and 2014, bringing together Chinese keynote speakers from diverse fields to celebrate the stories and profile of New Zealand Chinese. He helped establish the Leadership Development Conference (LDC) and Youth Leadership Camp (YLC) for young New Zealand Chinese to develop leadership and communication skills, running bi-annually since 2007. He joined the Auckland Chinese Community Centre Committee in 2001, serving as Treasurer from 2007 to 2009 and again in 2012/2013, Deputy Chairman, and as Chairman from 2013 to 2023. With the Community Centre, he organised 16 Chinese New Year Festival and Market Days and has helped develop the organisation into one of the largest Chinese community groups with sporting, cultural and social facilities with a sound financial foundation. He became involved with the Chinese Poll Tax Heritage Trust in 2004, serving as a Trustee until 2011, from 2014 to 2021, and as Chair from 2017 to 2021. My Luey was a Trustee of Auckland Regional Migrant Services from 2008 to 2013 and co-chaired the Auckland Chinese Garden Steering Committee from 2009 to 2018.
HONOURS
Queen’s Service Medal for Community Service, New Year 2005
To be a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
PILMORE, Professor Helen Linda
For services to nephrology and transplantation services
Professor Helen Pilmore is a transplant nephrologist at Auckland Hospital, having helped establish the simultaneous kidney/pancreas transplantation service in 1999.
Professor Pilmore has helped drive growth of transplants at the Auckland unit from 20 to more than 130 per year. She has been instrumental in developing systems that have seen patient and kidney survival rates in Auckland exceeding global benchmark standards. She has driven measures for disadvantaged people to access transplantation and has worked with colleagues in Canada and Australia to find and resolve transplantation barriers for Māori, Pacific and First Nations peoples. She has been New Zealand lead investigator for several international trials and been involved in the design and implementation of large-scale local and multi-national trials. She is a pioneer and world expert in the field of cardiac disease in patients with kidney failure, with her research helping change clinical management protocols for these patients. She has authored reference standards for the Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) global guidelines group. She co-chaired the Covid Rapid Response Team for Transplantation for New Zealand and Australia, formulating strategies for transplantation during an evolving pandemic. Among her numerous kidney and transplantation society and committee memberships, she was President of the Transplantation Society of Australia and New Zealand from 2021 to 2023. Professor Pilmore developed the University of Auckland’s Renal Asynchronous teaching programme.
To be a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
PRENTICE, Ms Suzanne Lena, OBE
For services to music and the community
Ms Suzanne Prentice’s career in music and television has spanned 50 years, with musical performances with notable international artists including Julio Iglesias, Dolly Parton and Kris Kristofferson, while also contributing to community initiatives.
Ms Prentice has featured on the New Zealand Music Charts and in numerous television shows in both New Zealand and Australia, and internationally. Her career since 1995 has seen her inducted into the Australia Hands of Fame in 1997 and two Australasian bestselling lifestyle books titled in 2002 and 2004 respectively. While pursuing her international music industry career, she has also served as the Events Coordinator for Southland Hospice. She was one of three people who, over 18 years, wrote a series of shows called 'Kids for Kids' which toured nationally each year, giving thousands of New Zealand school children the opportunity to perform with her on stage, building their confidence and self-esteem, at the same time raising the awareness of under-privileged children worldwide. The shows ‘Kids for Kids’ and ‘Prentice and Friends’ raised 13.7 million dollars in sponsorship for underprivileged children. She was an ambassador for World Vision for more than twenty years. Ms Prentice was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2015 and the Wrest Point Entertainment Roll of Honour in 2016.
HONOURS
Officer of the Order of the British Empire, Queen’s Birthday 1995
To be a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
SCHOLES, Mrs Robin, OBE
For services to the screen industry
Mrs Robin Scholes has been a leading film and television producer over five decades and was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 1995 for her services to the film industry.
Mrs Scholes’ 2024 colonial drama ‘The Convert’ is planned to be her final produced film before retiring. Since 1995, her numerous producer credits have covered a broad range of feature films, television series and documentaries, including films such as ‘Crooked Earth’ (2001), ‘Mr Pip’ (2013) and ‘Mahana’ (2016), and television shows such as ‘When We Go to War’ (2015) and ‘The Bad Seed’ (2019). She is recognised for helping develop Māori screen talent, screenwriters, directors and producers. She has volunteered her own time to mentor young people in these areas across the screen industry. She has been committed to ensuring Māori stories are authentically represented on screen. She has also been committed to the showcasing of New Zealand stories on the international stage, securing international film financing that has increased New Zealand’s screen industry output. She was a Board member of the Digital Media Trust (NZ On Screen and AudioCulture) from 2009 to 2018. She is a past Board member of Women in Film and Television. Mrs Scholes received the Industry Champion award from SPADA, the New Zealand Screen Producers’ Guild in 2023.
HONOURS
Officer of the Order of the British Empire, Queen’s Birthday 1995
To be a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
SINGH, Dr Harjinder
For services to food science
Dr Harjinder Singh has made outstanding contributions to food science, in particular protein chemistry related to foods and food processing, for more than 30 years.
Dr Singh has investigated structure-function relationships in food colloids, providing new insights into molecular interactions in food systems and how they alter following food processing. His prolific publications have ranked him as the number one food scientist in Oceania, with more than 500 publications, including serving on 15 editorial journal boards. He has translated his scientific findings to commerce, to achieve industrial outcomes of significant economic and social importance. With his team he invented an encapsulation technology for omega-three fatty acids, which allows the incorporation of fish oil into foods at high levels, creating healthier foods, subsequently enabling several companies to create products using this technology. His FerriPro technology which brings affordable iron nutrition to the developing world, where iron deficiency is a debilitating problem, and has been commercialised by the Nestlé-Riddet institute partnership, earning significant royalties for Massey University and the Riddet Institute, of which he has served as Director since 2018. The FerriPro technology is one of the largest licensing deals in Massey University’s history and has been recognised by several awards. Dr Singh contributed to development of functional milk protein products for Fonterra, which generate significant revenue annually.
To be a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
SMYTHE, Mr Alan Richard Baillie
For services to the community and philanthropy
Mr Alan Smythe has been producing fundraising events in New Zealand for charitable causes for more than 40 years.
Mr Smythe created The Great Investment Race in 1986 which raised $1.7 million for the Children’s Medical Research Foundation. In 1994 he established Opera in the Park, an annual free entry concert which ran until 1999 in Auckland, raising $100,000 for children’s charities. He initiated Dragon Boat Racing in Christchurch, Auckland and Wellington, which raised around $2 million across ten years for Life Education Trust. He helped raise $400,000 for charity as Founder and Producer of Symphony Under the Stars in 1995, an annual free entry classical concert which ran until 2005. He produced Coca-Cola Christmas in the Park in 1996 in the Auckland Domain, an event that continues to run annually throughout New Zealand today. He remains Executive Producer of the event, which provides a platform for up-and-coming New Zealand dancers and singers and has raised more than $10 million for charities since inception. With more than 140 large-scale free concerts produced and combined fundraising events, he has raised $34 million for charities in New Zealand. Mr Smythe launched the Great Investment Race in Australia, Singapore and Hong Kong which has raised more than $10 million for community causes.
To be a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
THOMSON, Emeritus Professor William Murray (Murray)
For services to oral health
Emeritus Professor Murray Thomson has contributed to oral health in New Zealand for more than 40 years, working in University of Otago roles since 1996.
Professor Thomson is an extensively published and multi-award-winning oral health researcher in New Zealand, authoring several book chapters, and nearly 500 peer reviewed journal articles, with his work being cited more than 30,000 times. He led the dental component of the Dunedin Multidisciplinary Study from 1998 to 2015. His contributions have been vital to understanding oral health of the ageing population and the effectiveness of dental care in improving the lives of children and families. He has written many reports helping improve oral health outcomes for New Zealanders, on issues such as water fluoridation, workforce analysis and child oral health inequalities. His oral health survey work in Australasia has been internationally influential and he is considered a world expert in his field. He has held senior editorial roles for scientific dental journals such as Gerodontology, Community Dentistry and Oral Epidemiology, the European Journal of Oral Sciences, and the New Zealand Dental Journal. His professional standing internationally has been recognised with multiple fellowships. Professor Thomson has taught and mentored more than 30 years’ worth of dental students and his teaching of Dental Epidemiology and Public Health Dentistry has been sought after for national and international conferences.
To be a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
TSUI, Mrs Kennie
For services to the environment and governance
Mrs Kennie Tsui is a chemical and environment engineer, and a qualified International Expert on Greenhouse Gas Inventory.
Mrs Tsui was nominated as the New Zealand International Expert for the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change on Greenhouse Gas Inventory and contributes to several processes mandated by the United Nations, on behalf of New Zealand. She was appointed as the Deputy President of Engineering New Zealand, the first Asian woman on the Board in its 110-year history. She has had a significant role as Chair of Engineering New Zealand’s Wellington Branch, leading the organisation in hosting more than 30 events annually. She is the Chief Executive of New Zealand Geothermal Association (NZGA), which represents New Zealand’s geothermal community through promotion of legacy, sustainability and the benefits to New Zealand. NZGA facilitates projects across the geothermal sector to coordinate parties and other industries, advising the government on New Zealand’s geothermal potential. She has been a Global Board Member of the USA Geothermal Resources Council since 2021, and Chair of the International Partnership of Geothermal Technologies, an organisation which connects the geothermal community and champions geothermal energy globally, and consists of New Zealand, Australia, Iceland, Switzerland and the United States. Mrs Tsui is a Director of the Wellington Cable Car, Venture Taranaki and the President of the Scots College Parents Association.
To be a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
TURNER, Dr Keith Sharman
For services to the electricity industry
Dr Keith Turner has made a significant contribution to the electricity industry over 55 years and has also contributed to governance.
Dr Turner was the founding Chief Executive of Meridian Energy, established in 1998, and served until 2008. As Chief Executive he was instrumental in the establishment of the Mākara windfarm in 2009. Between 1983 and 1998 he held various positions with DesignPower and the former New Zealand Electricity Department, and served as the Chief Operating Officer of the Electricity Corporation of New Zealand. He was involved in the reform of the electricity industry, serving as a member of the Transpower Establishment Board, an M-Co founding director, a member of the Contact Energy Establishment Team, and a member of the Market Surveillance Committee. As Chair of Fisher and Paykel Appliances from 2010 to 2019, he guided the company through challenging years. He is a member of the New South Wales State EnergyCo Board, Chair of Napier-based Kwetta Technologies which builds networks of integrated ultra-fast EV chargers, and served as Chair of DamWatch from 1999 to 2008 and again from 2016 to 2022. Dr Turner has been the Chair of Transpower New Zealand since 2022.
To be an Honorary Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
HILSGEN, Ms Laurie Ann
For services to family carers
Ms Laurie Hilsgen established Carers New Zealand in 1995, an organisation providing information, advice and support to New Zealand’s family, whānau and aiga carers.
Under Ms Hilsgen’s leadership as the Chief Executive, Carers New Zealand has provided support through several national networks, including those caring for young children, Pacific peoples and whānau carers. Since 2006 she has been providing free information to carers as publisher of Family Care Magazine. She developed CareWise in 2017, a Carers New Zealand programme that helps carers to continue working and employers to retain staff. Since 2023 she has been the New Zealand representative of the Expert Advisory Panel of APEC Embracing Carers and the New Zealand representative of the International Social Prescribing Collaborative. With others she established the New Zealand Carers Alliance in 2004, serving as the Head of the Secretariat since establishment. This comprises 60 national non-governmental organisations including Autism New Zealand, CCS Disability Action, Blind Low Vision New Zealand and others. The New Zealand Carers Alliance has worked with the government to create New Zealand Carers’ Strategy (Mahi Aroha) to deliver priorities since 2008, recognising the country’s more than 500,000 family carers and their contributions. Ms Hilsgen has been the New Zealand representative on the International Alliance of Carer Organisations since 2008.