To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
BASKETT, Dr Jonathan James
For services to health
Dr Jonathan Baskett has been involved in geriatric medicine and community care and advocacy for the stroke affected in New Zealand for more than 35 years.
Dr Baskett established a stroke ward for younger people at Middlemore Hospital in Auckland in the early 1980s. He was instrumental in the formation of Counterstroke Auckland in 1982, which subsequently became the Stroke Foundation Northern Region Inc. He was President of the Northern Regional Council from 1984 to 1999 and 2007 to 2010. He served as the National President of the Stroke Foundation of New Zealand from 2003 to 2007 and is a Life Member of the Foundation. He served as the Stroke Foundation's Honorary National Medical Advisor from 1994 to 2002, during which time he led the writing of New Zealand's first stroke management guideline 'Life After Stroke' published in 1996. He co-edited the revised version of the guideline published in 2003. He was a founding member of the New Zealand Geriatric Society (NZGS) in 1976, representing Specialist Physicians in Geriatric Medicine, and served as President in the early 1990s. Dr Baskett assisted with the establishment of the academic Geriatric Medicine Unit at North Shore Hospital in 1986.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
BECK, Mrs Jennifer Lillian
For services to children's literature
Mrs Jennifer Beck is a children's author who has written more than 45 educational reading books and picture books, many of which have been published internationally and translated into other languages.
Mrs Beck's first children's picture book 'The Choosing Day' was published in 1988. Her more recent works include 'Stefania's Dancing Slippers' and 'John Britten – The Boy Who Did Do Better'. In some of her books she has included positive messages for children, such as dealing with bullying, isolation, diversity and changing family circumstances, as well as producing material encouraging young boys to read. She wrote a series of books for the former Eliminating Violence –Managing Anger Programme, part of the New Zealand Special Education Service's Safer Schools Project. Her story of the peaceful resistance at Parihaka in 1881 'Remember that November', illustrated by Lindy Fisher, was chosen to represent New Zealand at the International Board on Books for Young People Book Festival in South Korea in 2010. She has been involved with the New Zealand Book Council's Writers in Schools programme for more than 20 years. She has served on the committee and been President of the former South Auckland Children's Literature Association. In recent years Mrs Beck has taught courses on Writing Picture Books for Children.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
CLARK-REYNOLDS, Ms Melissa Jannet
For services to the technology industry
Ms Melissa Clark-Reynolds is an entrepreneur and professional company director.
Ms Clark-Reynolds has been the founder and/or CEO of several technology business over a twenty-year period, including Looxie, MiniMonos, PayGlobal, GMV Associates (sold to Southern Cross) which became Fusion – New Zealand's largest private ACC insurer. She is one of the few New Zealand women to raise investment money both nationally and internationally. She is on the Board of Radio New Zealand, ACCURO Health Insurance, and a number of private technology companies, as well as being a member of the Ministry for Primary Industries' PGP investment Advisory Panel. She represented New Zealand at the APEC Forum on encouraging women entrepreneurs and was a Director of Creative HQ, which founded New Zealand's first technology accelerator. She is a mentor for several technology accelerators in New Zealand and internationally in Singapore and London, including Lightning Lab, Live the Dream and SODA nationally. Ms Clark-Reynolds was named by Forbes Magazine as one of 'Ten Tech Women to Watch' in 2013, and was inducted into the Her Business Hall of Fame in 2000.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
DONALDSON, Ms Carol Anne
For services to people with intellectual disabilities
Ms Carol Donaldson established and has been manager of the Donaldson Residential Trust since 1989, a community care facility for people with intellectual disabilities.
The Trust was initially established with one house and has since expanded to employ 25 staff and oversee five houses with up to 29 residents at any one time. Ms Donaldson devoted her personal resources and time to getting the Trust off the ground and extensively lobbied for government funding and support to ensure the Trust would endure and succeed. The environment provided has seen most residents thrive with increased independence, particularly for residents who came from State institutional care. She has been CEO of the Helen Anderson Trust since 1993, which she established to provide day services for intellectually disabled people. She converted a garage at one of the Donaldson Residential Trust houses into a workshop where residents were able to engage in a range of practical activities. The Trust moved into separate premises and has since grown rapidly to provide a diverse range of activities for approximately 130 clients. In 2004 the Trust worked with the Duke of Edinburgh's Hillary Award programme to develop a separate programme for older participants over the age of 25 called the Helen Anderson Trust Challenge Award.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
DUDFIELD, Mr Murray James, MNZM
For services to the New Zealand Fire Service
Mr Murray Dudfield has served as the National Rural Fire Officer with the New Zealand Fire Service Commission since 1990.
Mr Dudfield was appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 1999. Since then he has overseen the introduction of numerous initiatives for the improvement of the rural fire sector. He has represented New Zealand on best practice rural fire management in the Philippines, Vanuatu, Fiji, Cook Islands and Australia. He was a key figure in getting Australian and New Zealand fire managers to aid United States forest fire agencies in the suppression of forest fires in 2000, with subsequent deployments of New Zealand wildfire managers and fire crews to the United States, Canada and Australia. He helped organise International Wildland Fire Conferences in Sydney in 2003, Spain in 2007 and South Africa in 2011. He was involved in establishing the Australasian Bushfire Cooperative Research Centre in 2003 and is a member of the Governing Board. He helped develop the United Nations publication 'Fire Management: voluntary guidelines, principles and strategic actions'. Mr Dudfield has overseen the amalgamation of Rural Fire Authorities in New Zealand, with more than 50 percent of the country covered by enlarged rural fire districts.
HONOURS
Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit, Queen's Birthday 1999
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
ELLIS, Dr Gavin Peter
For services to journalism
Dr Gavin Ellis, a journalist for more than 40 years, was central to the transformation and modernisation of the country's biggest newspaper, The New Zealand Herald, in his roles as editor and editor-in-chief from 1996 to 2005.
Dr Ellis was instrumental in uniting print and broadcasting media in the Media Freedom Committee and advocating for freedom of expression. Under his leadership The New Zealand Herald was the New Zealand Newspaper of the Year three times. He was an executive board member and trustee of the National Knowledge Wave Conference from 2000 to 2003 and the Asia New Zealand Foundation from 2007 to 2012. He is an advisor to the Science Media Centre. Since his retirement from The New Zealand Herald in 2005 he has lectured at the University of Auckland, where he completed Master of Arts and Doctor of Philosophy degrees. His PhD thesis on the potential of trusts to enhance the quality of journalism was the basis of a book published in 2014. He has been a commentator on media matters for Radio New Zealand since 2012. Dr Ellis is highly respected for the way he has steadfastly worked over many decades to uphold his belief that a free press is fundamental to a well-functioning democracy.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
ELLISON, Mr Edward Weller
For services to Māori and conservation
Mr Edward Ellison has contributed to a range of organisations, particularly organisations dealing with Māori and environmental matters in the Otago region.
Mr Ellison served on the Otago Conservation Board, the New Zealand Conservation Authority, and QEII National Trust. He was a member of the University of Otago's Council and Treaty of Waitangi Committee, and a member of the Otago Peninsula Biodiversity Group. He was the Te Runanga o Otakou representative and inaugural Deputy Kaiwhakahaere to Te Runanga o Ngai Tahu and a member of the Ngai Tahu negotiating team for the Ngai Tahu Treaty Settlement with the Crown. He was inaugural Chair of the Ngai Tahu Māori Law Centre and a driving force behind the development of the Kai Tahu ki Otago Natural Resource Management Plan 1995 and its second iteration in 2005, one of the first comprehensive Iwi Management Plans under the Resource Management Act 1991. He was a driving force behind and is currently Chairman of a Papatipu Runanga owned Resource Management Company. Mr Ellison has been on a number of central and local government advisory groups and boards in relation to biosecurity, the Emissions Trading Scheme, human remains repatriation, cultural matters, water management and as a hearings commissioner.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
FINNIGAN, Ms Anita
For services to education and the Pacific community
Ms Anita Finnigan founded and is currently CEO of BEST Pacific Institute of Education, which is recognised as a top private training establishment for Pacific peoples in New Zealand with more than 3,000 students.
Ms Finnigan established the BEST Pasifika Leadership Academy and Charitable Foundation in 2010. She developed the first Pasifika e-Learning Programme in 2001 and established the BEST annual Prime Minister and Mayor of Auckland Awards for outstanding Pasifika Achievement. She negotiated a Memorandum of Understanding between BEST and the Auckland University of Technology, Whitireia Polytechnic and Unitec. She established the Pacific Institute of Performing Arts, which offers Australasia's first Diploma in Pacific Performing Arts (level 5). She created BEST People, a careers and employment service centre for graduates in 1996. She was a founding member of the RAISE Pasifika advocate group for developing Auckland's Pacific Education Strategy and the founder of BEST Pasifika Leadership Foundation leadership programme for high performing Pacific peoples in business managerial roles. She has been a Board member of UNICEF New Zealand. She has been a member of the Auckland Youth Connection Steering Group and New Zealand Women's Leaders Group. Ms Finnigan was inducted into the New Zealand Hall of Fame for Women Entrepreneurs in 2012.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
GIMBLETT, Mr Maxwell Harold
For services to art
Mr Maxwell Gimblett is a New Zealand artist who has lived in the United States since 1965 and has worked as a potter, ceramic artist and painter, fusing elements from Eastern spirituality, calligraphy, and ink painting with Western concepts of abstract expressionism, modernism and pop art.
Mr Gimblett's works have been placed in significant public and private collections, major museums and art galleries in more than 100 exhibitions internationally and nationally. This has included a solo show at the Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh and a group show at the Guggenheim Museum in New York, the only New Zealand artist to have exhibited there. His work is held in 15 New Zealand public galleries and university collections. He continues to visit New Zealand annually for dealer shows, university teaching engagements, workshops and public lectures. In 2004 the Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tamaki mounted a major survey of his work titled 'The Brush of All Things'. He has been a significant contributor to several New Zealand institutions with major gifts of drawings and paintings to the Auckland Art Gallery, the Christchurch Art Gallery, Caselberg Trust, Auckland University, Waikato University, Auckland Grammar School and King's School. Mr Gimblett has been a Trustee of the Len Lye Foundation for 25 years.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
HALE, Dr Christopher Neville
For services to horticultural science and the summerfruit industry
Dr Christopher Hale is a plant pathologist with particular expertise on bacterial diseases and has made significant contributions to the horticultural industry in New Zealand.
Dr Hale has been a pioneer in the development of sensitive methods for detecting plant pathogenic bacteria in plant tissue using molecular detection. He has developed protocols for the export of New Zealand's horticultural produce to international markets. He worked with the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry Policy and Biosecurity as part of the team that negotiated for the entry of New Zealand apples into Japan and Australia. He provided a funding proposal for ASEAN and UNESCO for biological control and biopesticide research and human resource development in Southeast Asia. He co-authored the International Society for Horticultural Science book 'Harvesting the Sun', an overview of the impact of horticultural science on global nutrition and food supply. He was Chair of the Commission on Plant Protection for the International Society for Horticultural Science from 2006 to 2014. He is a member of Summerfruit New Zealand, where he has managed the research and development portfolio since 2003. Dr Hale has contributed significantly to recommendations for managing the major negative impact of the bacterial disease PSA on the New Zealand kiwifruit industry.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
HAWKEN, Mr Anthony John (Tony)
For services to the kiwifruit industry
Mr Tony Hawken has been CEO of EastPack Ltd since 1983, a small kiwifruit cooperative that began in the challenging kiwifruit growing region of the Eastern Bay of Plenty and has grown into a major post-harvest supplier to Zespri with seven facilities from Northland to Opotiki.
EastPack represents 27 percent of the New Zealand kiwifruit crop. Mr Hawken has led the cooperative through difficult circumstances from industry restructures to natural disasters and crop bacteria outbreaks. Under his leadership the cooperative has seen 200 percent growth for the period 2000 to 2014, where comparatively the broader industry grew by 50 percent. He has been committed to achieving the best possible returns for growers and has made himself available year round to assist growers with any issues they raise with him. Mr Hawken has served on the Board of the regional development group Bay of Connections for several years as representative of the kiwifruit industry.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
HESSON, Mr Michael James (Mike)
For services to cricket
Mr Mike Hesson has been the head coach of the New Zealand Black Caps cricket team since 2012 and coached the team to the final of the 2015 Cricket World Cup, the first time the team has reached a World Cup final.
Mr Hesson has coached cricket for 20 years, having initially represented Otago B as an opening batsman. In 1998 he was the youngest person to attain a New Zealand Cricket level three coaching qualification and soon afterwards became coaching director at Otago Cricket for five years. He was appointed in 2003 by the International Cricket Council as national coach of Argentina. He was then selected as coach of the Otago first class side, achieving wins in the one-day competition in 2008 and Twenty20 in 2009. Mr Hesson later accepted a contract as national coach of Kenya before assuming his role as coach of the Black Caps.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
JONES, Professor Emeritus Boyd Robert
For services to veterinary medicine
Professor Emeritus Boyd Jones is widely regarded by the veterinary profession as the 'father of companion animal medicine'.
Professor Jones taught veterinary students at Massey University for 22 years. In 1996 he became Head of Department at University College Dublin, later becoming Dean of Veterinary Medicine. Since retiring from University College Dublin in 2009 he has been Professor Emeritus and Companion Animal Group Leader at Massey University's Institute of Veterinary, Animal and Biomedical Sciences. He is a member of numerous veterinary organisations nationally and internationally. He was a founding member of the Companion Animal Society of the New Zealand Veterinary Association in 1973. He was Chairman of the Veterinary Council of New Zealand. He has had a long association with the Australian College of Veterinary Scientists and was President in the early 1990s. He was instrumental in the establishment of the Companion Animal Health Foundation and the Centre for Service and Working Dog Health. Some of his greatest contributions to veterinary medicine include the discovery of five previously unreported entities affecting cats and dogs. He has provided editorial advice to a number of academic journals, and is currently on the Editorial Board of the New Zealand Veterinary Journal. Professor Jones recently resigned as Co-Chair of the Board of Directors of Veterinary Education International.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
LEAVASA-TAUTOLO, Mrs Tuiātaga Fa'afua Savelina, QSM
For services to education, arts and the Pacific community
Mrs Tuiātaga Fa'afua Leavasa-Tautolo has been a Co-Director of Teuila Consultancy since 2001, which provides professional development for educators.
Mrs Leavasa-Tautolo was a Senior Review Officer for the Education Review Office from 1994 to 2001. She was Project Director for the Pacific Early Childhood Qualifications Project and has been involved with Early Childhood Education participation and advocacy projects. She has been a founding member of the City of Manukau Education Trust (COMET) since 1999. She was Pacific Commissioner of the Hillary Commission from 1990 to 1993, responsible for liaising with Pacific communities to promote Pacific sports and culture. She was a member of the Māori and South Pacific Arts Council from 1985 to 1990, during which time she negotiated a revised structure to incorporate more Pacific representation on committees dealing with different art forms and cultural practices. She became Chairperson of the first South Pacific Arts Committee. She was Director of the Pacific Islanders Educational Resource Centre from 1992 to 1993. Mrs Leavasa-Tautolo was a Trustee of the Pacific Island Youth Leadership Trust from 1986 to 1997 and in this role provided up-to-date information on Pacific students, teachers and courses to inform the allocation of scholarships.
HONOURS
Queen's Service Medal for Public Services, Queen's Birthday 1986
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
LETT, Mr Barry Gordon
For services to art and conservation
Mr Barry Lett established the Uptown Gallery in Auckland in 1964, and opened the Barry Lett galleries the following year, working there as a pioneer art dealer until 1975.
The Gallery played a key role in building the reputations of a number of prominent painters such as Colin McCahon, Ralph Hotere, Don Binney, Pat Hanly and Gretchen Albrecht. The Gallery inspired a subsequent model of dealer galleries that spread throughout main centres in the late 1970s and 1980s. As an artist in his own right Mr Lett worked with Pat Hanly on large mural paintings for the Birkenhead Trust Hotel, the Christchurch Town Hall and the Auckland International Airport, and became known for his iconic dog sculptures. He held his first exhibit at the Peter Webb Gallery in Auckland in 1978 and has since held 21 solo and numerous group exhibitions. His work is held in public galleries and private collections throughout the country. He was a foundation member of the Tawharanui Open Sanctuary Society (TOSSI) in 2002, an open-access wildlife reserve of native species. Mr Lett began the series of Art in the Woolshed exhibitions that have been a major source of revenue for TOSSI.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
LOVELOCK, Detective Superintendent Andrew James
For services to the New Zealand Police and the community
Detective Superintendent Andrew Lovelock has been involved with the New Zealand Police since 1975.
Detective Superintendent Lovelock was Chief of Police in Niue from 1996 to mid-1999, during which time he influenced positive changes in policing practice and areas outside of his immediately sphere of responsibility including civil defence planning and prison management. Having returned to the New Zealand Police in 1999, he was later promoted to Field Crime Manager, Auckland District as Detective Inspector and was seconded to the Commission of Inquiry into Police Conduct from 2004 to 2006. He was appointed Detective Superintendent in 2005 and continues in this role with oversight of all criminal investigations undertaken in the Northland, Waitemata, Auckland City and Counties Manukau, Bay of Plenty and Waikato Police districts. He was appointed as advisor to the select committee considering legislation to enact the Criminal Proceeds (Recovery) Act 2009 and played a leading role in the Act's implementation within Police. Detective Superintendent Lovelock has led a number of sensitive and high public interest cases, some of which have dealt with Police conduct, and recently in 2014 the review of the 1970 double homicide of David Harvey and Jeannette Lenore Crewe, handling these cases with professionalism and thoroughness.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
LOVETT, Ms Raewyn Jeanette
For services to netball
Ms Raewyn Lovett was Chair of the Netball New Zealand (NNZ) Board for seven years until 2014, during which time she was instrumental in establishing an innovative framework which has seen the popularity and sponsorship of netball in New Zealand increase exponentially.
Ms Lovett led NNZ through a major structural change, moving from 12 independent regions to five Netball Zones, and led the development of a new family of sponsors worth more than $3 million and including a multi-million dollar broadcast deal with SKY Television. She was Chair of the NNZ High Performance Advisory Group from 2009 until 2013, and was Chair of the Board of the Trans-Tasman Netball League. She spearheaded developing the Australia/New Zealand Championship Netball League (ANZ Championship) from a semi-professional competition to a fully professional netball league. She is a member of the Auckland Sport Establishment Board, and has played a key part in implementing structural change in the Auckland Regional Sport Trust environment. Ms Lovett is currently Chair of Auckland Sport.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
MACKENZIE, Mrs Judith Mary
For services to mental health
Mrs Judith MacKenzie was one of the founders in 1978 of the Richmond Trust which has become one of New Zealand's largest non-governmental providers of mental health services, with an annual turnover of around $30 million.
Mrs MacKenzie served as either Chair or Deputy Chair from 1984 to 1995, or otherwise as a National Council member of the Richmond Trust, until serving another period as Chair from 2005 to 2009. For more than 55 years she has worked in various roles in mental health, both at the grass roots level and as The Chief Social Worker of the Wellington Hospital Board from 1977 to 1982 and the Chief Social Worker of the Auckland Area Health Board from 1982 to 1991. She is renowned for her determination to develop the professionalization of social work services in New Zealand, and contributed to the Social Work Registration Act being passed in 2003. She was a founding member of the Christine Taylor Foundation for Mental Health. Mrs MacKenzie was Chair of Age Concern for Auckland/Waitakere from 2006 to 2012.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
MAIR, Mr Alexander Keith Robertson (Keith)
For services to basketball
Mr Keith Mair has contributed to basketball as a coach and administrator for 54 years.
Throughout his working career Mr Mair has coached, in an unpaid capacity, school, club, representative, national league and international basketball teams at all levels of the game from 1969 to 2002, including 13 years as Head Coach of the New Zealand Men's Basketball Team, the Tall Blacks, culminating in the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games. He served 18 years as a Board member of Basketball New Zealand, including six years as Vice-President. He has promoted basketball in the community as a life-long activity for players of all abilities, generally over-40, through weekly games for those "Going Nowhere". He was the honorary Secretary-Manager of Aorangi Sport Stadium Timaru for 10 years and a member of the four-person committee of Christchurch City Council to build an 8,000 square metre events centre. From 2003 to 2013 he was Chief Executive for England Basketball and is currently the volunteer Head Coach for the Men's Basketball Team of Wales. Mr Mair was also a director of the British Basketball Federation and a member of the International Basketball Federation Europe's Finance Commission.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
MCCULLUM, Mr Brendon Barrie
For services to cricket
Mr Brendon McCullum captained the New Zealand Black Caps cricket team to the final of the 2015 Cricket World Cup, the first time the team has reached a World Cup final.
Mr McCullum has been New Zealand Test captain since 2012 and New Zealand One Day captain since 2008, and was New Zealand Twenty20 International captain from 2010 to 2013. He made his Test debut for New Zealand in 2004 against South Africa and his One Day International debut against Australia in 2002. He is the leading career scorer in Twenty20 International cricket and is the first and so far only player to have scored two Twenty20 International centuries and 2,000 runs in T20 Internationals. In 2014 he scored 302 runs against India making him the first New Zealander to score a triple century in Test cricket. Since 2007 he has played for the Otago Volts at provincial level and previously played for the period 1999 to 2003. He played for the Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League and was captain in 2009. He was selected for the 20-man International Cricket Council (ICC) World XI squad for the ICC Super Series in 2005.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
MCKAY, Mr Douglas Alexander (Doug)
For services to business and local government
Mr Doug McKay has contributed to business and local government.
As Managing Director of Lion Breweries Ltd in Auckland and China for five years Mr McKay led equity investment into China, new start-ups in Europe and significant growth in the United States via a strategic partnership. He was Chief Executive of Tissue and Packaging Divisions in Carter Holt Harvey and led safety benchmarks for the whole group. He held various executive roles in Goodman Fielder in Sydney, achieved record profits in 2005 as CEO of Australasia's largest seafood company Sealord, and successfully transitioned Independent Liquor from family to corporate ownership. He currently holds governance roles in Genesis Energy, Ryman Healthcare, Insurance Australia Group New Zealand Ltd, Bank of New Zealand, Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand, is Chair of Eden Park Trust and is a former Chair of Auckland Civil Defence and Emergency Group and Board member of Auckland City Mission. From 2010 to 2013 Mr McKay was the first Chief Executive of the new 'supercity' Auckland Council. He successfully achieved the amalgamation of eight legacy councils, the biggest transformation in New Zealand's corporate history involving 8,000 staff and a $3.5 billion annual budget.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
MCKINLEY, Professor Elizabeth Ann
For services to education and Māori
Professor Elizabeth McKinley has been involved with education in New Zealand for 36 years.
Professor McKinley stepped down as Director of Starpath in 2014, which supports struggling Māori and Pacific students with the transition to university, after eight years of the leading the project and gaining funding for the initiative to expand the number of partner schools. She was the academic coordinator for the University of Auckland's doctoral support programme for Māori students. At the University of Waikato she chaired the review of Māori Immersion and Bilingual Teacher Education programmes in the school of Māori education. She has been a national spokesperson on educational equality and has advocated for better paths to allow Māori students to participate and achieve in science and mathematics. She produced a popular resource book for students and their families to explain the NCEA system in plain language. She has been a Trustee of the First Foundation, the National Advisory Board for the Teaching and Learning Initiative, and the New Zealand Qualifications Authority Independent Panel to review the implementation of the 2007 NCEA enhancements. Professor McKinley currently holds a position to establish and lead a Centre for Indigenous Education Research at the University of Melbourne.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
MEEHAN, Mr Andrew Roderick
For services to youth and tourism
Mr Andrew Meehan has been involved with The Duke of Edinburgh's Award since 1991 at regional, national and international levels.
Mr Meehan has been Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Award from 2003 to 2014, Asia Pacific Regional Delegate to the International Council from 2003 to 2009, a member of the World Fellowship of The Duke of Edinburgh's Award Foundation since 1998, and a Trustee of The Duke of Edinburgh's Hillary Award Foundation since 2002. He was instrumental in the process to associate Sir Edmund Hillary's name with the award in New Zealand in 2009. He oversaw New Zealand becoming the first country to 'go live' with the Award's Online Record Book initiative. He was Deputy Chairman of the New Zealand Tourism Board, Chairman of the Japan New Zealand Business Council, Chairman of the Government Foreign Direct Investment Advisory Group, and Convenor of the Takeovers Panel Advisory Committee from 1991 to 1993. Mr Meehan is involved with a variety of organisations at Directorship or Chairmanship levels, has been Steward of the Wellington Racing Club, and is Club Captain of the Royal Wellington Golf Club.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
NEILL, Ms Donna Lesley
For services to victim support
Ms Donna Neill was the Canterbury/Tasman District Manager from 2004 to 2010 and South Island Regional Manager of Victim Support New Zealand from 2010 until her retirement in 2014.
Ms Neill contributed significant amounts of her time to coordinating support for those affected by the Christchurch earthquakes as well as the Pike River Mine Disaster. She contributed to the development of a Bereavement Service for families affected by suicide. In 2012 she worked with the Pathway Trust to develop a Restorative Justice Service which has been successfully implemented in the Canterbury Area. She began her involvement with Victims Support as a Victim Advisor in Dunedin from 1993 to 1997. As the Courts Victims Advisor in Dunedin she delivered training sessions to Police staff, both front line and supervisors, on how best to deal with the needs of victims. She was District Manager of Otago Victim Support from 1997 to 2004. In this role Ms Neill recruited and trained a number of volunteers in order to provide a 24/7 call-out service to the public, personally covering shifts when volunteers were not available or further volunteers required.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
NGAEI, Dr George
For services to health and the Pacific community
Dr. George Ngaei is a Consultant General Surgeon based in Invercargill.
In 1976, Dr Ngaei was appointed to Southland Hospital by the Southland Hospital Board to establish an Endoscopy and Colonoscopy Service, by the Otago Medical School as Clinical Lecturer in Surgery and by the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (RACS) as a Supervisor of Surgical Studies. He was an elected member of the New Zealand Committee of the RACS from 1986 to 1994 and was instrumental in engaging with and continuing to support Pacific Island Surgeons. He remains as the RACS representative on the Southland Medical Foundation. He is a founding member of the New Zealand Association of General Surgeons. In 2002 as the Pacific Island representative on the Community and Public Health Advisory Committee of the Southland District Health Board he established a Pacific Island Specialist Nursing Service in collaboration with the Pacific Island Advisory and Cultural Trust (PIACT). He has been Chairman of PIACT since 2007. He is on the Board of the South Island Pacific Providers Collective and the Committee of the Auckland based Cook Islands Health Network Association. Dr Ngaei was previously Manager and a Board member of the Park Hospital Trust and led the negotiations resulting in the purchase of this Trust by Southern Cross Health Care.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
NICHOLAS, Mrs Louise
For services to the prevention of sexual violence
Mrs Louise Nicholas is an advocate for women who have been the victims of sexual violence.
Mrs Nicholas's personal experiences with sexual violence led to a Commission of Inquiry into Police Conduct, which was established to investigate the way in which New Zealand Police managed allegations of sexual violence. The Commission resulted in the 2007 Bazley Report that identified a range of systemic issues and behavioural patterns to be addressed to ensure the Police handled sexual violence complaints appropriately with recommendations being implemented by Police leadership. Mrs Nicholas was appointed to the first Survivor Advocate position for Rape Prevention Education, which has involved supporting numerous women who are survivors of sexual violence. She has represented survivor perspectives in the development of victim services. She is on the Tauiwi Caucus of the Executive Committee of Te Ohaakii a Hine – National Network Ending Sexual Violence Together. She has advised national government advisory boards relating to sexual violence. Mrs Nicholas co-wrote the book 'Louise Nicholas – My Story' with Phil Kitchin, documenting her experiences and interactions with the criminal justice system.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
NOBILO, Mr Nicholas Thomas (Nick)
For services to the wine industry
Mr Nick Nobilo has contributed to the New Zealand wine industry for more than 50 years.
Mr Nobilo established the Nobilo wine brand together with his parents and brothers. He pioneered commercial production of Pinot Noir in 1973, introducing the technique of maceration carbonique (whole berry fermentation) in 1976. He produced New Zealand's first German style Muller Thurgau in 1974, which became the country's vin-du-pays with the rest of the industry emulating its success. He was the first winemaker to use new French oak for reds and introduced barrel fermentation for Chardonnays. He patented a field crushing system that he invented for greater quality and efficiency and developed the T-bar trellising system that raised quality of grapes at harvest. He led New Zealand's wine industry from fortified hybrid wines into classical vinifera styles that are the mainstay of the industry today. In the 1980s he developed New Zealand's first generic wine style for the export market called 'White Cloud', which secured large export markets in Europe and Asia. He transacted the acquisition of Nobilo wine Group by BRL Hardy in 2000, and subsequently Constellation Brands, securing Nobilo's access to the global market. Mr Nobilo has since launched his own boutique winery in Gisborne called Vinoptima.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
PENNINGTON, Mr Mark Rundle
For services to design
Mark Pennington has contributed to design, especially industrial design, as both an educator and practitioner for more than 40 years.
Mr Pennington worked on the design for New Zealand's exhibit at Expo70, Japan. He taught at the Wellington Polytechnic School of Design, and was later Head of Industrial Design for 10 years. He was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to study 'international design education trends' in 1987. This investigation translated into a design programme that has produced many internationally influential graduates. In 1999 he taught as Associate Professor at the Rhode Island School of Design. He has worked with many companies who have won both National and International Design Awards, including products from Methven, Philips, Air New Zealand, and Formway, for which he has led the design of their commercial furniture. Formway's 'Life' chair, constructed from recycled and bio-based materials, is marketed globally, and is part of the Chicago Design Museum's permanent collection. It was the first product in the United States to win the Environmental Smart Award, and recently surpassed one million production units. His designs can be seen in public spaces such as Te Papa's Awesome Forces exhibition and the Lighthouse in Wellington's Frank Kitts Park. Mr Pennington is Lead Coach for the government funded 'Better by Design' programme.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
RAPANA, Mr Te Wahapu
For services to Māori
Mr Te Wahapu Rapana has provided Kaumatua support, offered guidance on Māori protocol and shared local knowledge to assist a range of organisations, since 1960.
Mr Rapana has provided guidance on various Crown agency projects concerning whitebait, noxious weed eradication, water discharges and other related issues impacting plant life, shell fish and fresh water species. He was part of the focus group that contributed to the development of the Waikato Iwi Resource Management Plan for the Manukau Harbour and its catchments. From 2006 to 2010 he was one of 12 members of the Māori Advisory Committee of Watercare, an Auckland Council Controlled Organisation. He is a member of the Māori Wardens Association and Patron of Counties Māori Rugby. Since 1983 he has been an advisor to the Huakina Development Trust and has provided protocol support and cultural services to the nine marae overseen by the Trust. He was a key kaumatua in the planning and building of Oraeroa Marae during the 1970s and is the current Chairperson of the Oraeroa Land Block Trust. He is a member of the Waikato Tainui Kahui Kaumatua Forum. Mr Rapana has been a strong advocate of Te Kohanga Reo and supported the establishment of four Kohanga Reo centres by marae in the Waikato area.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
SHEAT, Mrs Denise
For services to Māori and education
Mrs Denise Sheat has contributed extensively as an advisor and teacher of te reo and tikanga Māori, especially in the education sector.
Mrs Sheat became a resource teacher of Māori in 1986 and travelled in an advisory capacity to schools throughout the Canterbury and West Coast regions. From 1994 to 2004 she was a lecturer in Māori Education at the Christchurch College of Education. She was part of the group that developed the Charter of Understanding between Taumutu Marae and Lincoln University and since 2008 has been the Taumutu representative and advisor to Lincoln University's Focus Group Māori. She was appointed to the Christchurch College of Education's Board as a representative of Ngāi Tahu in 2006 and provided protocol support for the merger of the College with the University of Canterbury. She was Māori Advisor to the inaugural Board of Trustees for the newly opened Clearview School in 2010. She is currently the Māori appointment on the Establishment Board of the Rolleston West Primary School and is also Kaumatua to the Canterbury Branch of Early Childhood New Zealand, Te Rito Maioha, and Cultural Advisor to KidsFirst Kindergartens, and Canterbury Westland Kindergarten Association. Mrs Sheat is a member of Ngāi Tahu Papatipu Rununga Education Committee and Kaumatua of Ellesmere College.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
SOLOMON, Mrs Maretta Tuasivi
For services to education and the Pacific community
Mrs Maretta Solomon co-founded the Pacific Peoples Learning Institute, Martin Hautus (MHI) in 1990 in Auckland with the purpose of catering to the growing number of predominantly Pacific learners who were not succeeding in New Zealand's mainstream education system.
MHI has around 300 students annually and is considered a leading learning institute for the Pacific community. In 2012 MHI established an early childhood education centre, Incredible Angels, in Mangere. Since retiring as a Managing Director of MHI in 2013 Mrs Solomon together with her husband Pulotu Arthur Solomon established a Martin Hautus Institute in Samoa, offering courses in Tourism and Hospitality and catering to 60 students. She has been an executive member since 1997 and Treasurer in 2004 of Pacific Island Training Providers of New Zealand. She has been involved with St Joseph's Primary School's Board of Trustees and held various voluntary roles with St Anthony's Catholic Church.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
SOLOMON, Mr Pulotu Arthur Gus
For services to education and the Pacific community
Mr Pulotu Arthur Solomon was a teacher at various primary and secondary schools from 1970 to 1990 before co-founding the Pacific Peoples Learning Institute, Martin Hautus (MHI) in Auckland with the purpose of catering to the growing number of predominantly Pacific learners who were not succeeding in New Zealand's mainstream education system.
Mr Solomon was a Governing Manager from 1995 to 2012. During this time he ensured that 50 self-funded scholarships were offered to international students from Samoa, Fiji and Tonga so they would have the opportunity to gain New Zealand qualifications. He established the Performing Arts Centre in 2011, providing a platform for emerging Pacific performing artists and Pacific story telling. The Performing Arts Centre has raised funds for youth suicide and family violence causes. MHI has around 300 students annually and is considered a leading learning institute for the Pacific community. He assisted with the establishment of St Anthony's Early Learning Centre in 1995 and stepped in to provide governance advice when the centre hit hard times in 2000. In 2012 MHI established an early childhood education centre, Incredible Angels, in Mangere. Mr Solomon produced the inaugural Mangere Easter Festival as a platform for local talent in 2005 and 2006.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
STEVENSON, Mr Brian William
For services to the arts and health
Mr Brian Stevenson has contributed to the arts and the Cancer Society.
Mr Stevenson has been voluntary President or Chair of two major arts organisations and led the strategy of two others. In particular during 1992 to 1999 he chaired the difficult transition of changing the Arts Council of New Zealand to Creative New Zealand, guiding changes in policy and complex structure of governance into the new brand and setting the strategic direction for public funding to place New Zealand arts on a sound footing. He led the formation of the independent Toi Māori Aotearoa and was a key founder and later a Trustee of the Arts Foundation of New Zealand, created to generate private philanthropic private funding to the arts, which has provided $4 million to the arts since its inception. He has also served as President of Auckland Philharmonia and helped to guide Chamber Music New Zealand to Charitable Trust Status in 2005, serving as a founding Trustee until 2008. Mr Stevenson is a foundation Trustee of the Davis Carr Cancer Society Endowment Trust established in 2007 and has been Chair of the Trust since 2009, soliciting significant donations from a variety of supporters.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
WOODLEY, Sergeant Robin Bruce
For services to the New Zealand Police and youth
Sergeant Rob Woodley has been involved with the New Zealand Police for 20 years, the past 14 of which have been dedicated to developing New Zealand's largest Police affiliated youth development programme: the Genesis Youth Trust (GYT), which works with the most at-risk, disadvantaged and challenging young people.
Under Sergeant Woodley's leadership the Trust has grown from a staff of three to twenty-three in a mixed Police/Trust funded model and has expanded the Trust's area of operations from Mangere into Manukau West, Auckland East and Papakura. He has expanded the scope of the Trust to provide a seamless holistic service for youth offenders and their whanau involving youth workers, social workers and family counsellors. The annual case load of the Trust has grown from 26 clients per annum to more than 200 clients per annum, with a cumulative role of more than 1,700 cases since 2000. GYT has achieved commendable levels of non-reoffending, with an average of 70 percent of youth ceasing reoffending within the year they joined a GYT programme. Sergeant Woodley is a frequent speaker at youth justice conferences and advises other youth development programmes throughout New Zealand.