To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
ADAMS, Senior Sergeant Bruce Robert
For services to the New Zealand Police and the community
Senior Sergeant Bruce Adams is a leading expert in the field of underwater search and recovery and he has contributed to the community and the Police National Dive Squad through his career with the New Zealand Police.
Senior Sergeant Adams is the New Zealand Police’s representative on Worksafe New Zealand’s Diving Industry Advisory Group and is frequently asked to assist with reviewing and refining policy and practices for working underwater. He runs training exercises in a wide range of testing environments and provides advice to other agencies. He has worked with and helped develop search and recovery procedures for use by the Police and the Royal New Zealand Navy. He is the Police representative for Water Safety New Zealand, spends time with youth groups and has taken part in the Tuakana Teina water safety programme to teach life-saving skills to at-risk youth. He also led successful efforts to secure sponsorship for equipment to be used in the programme. He has coordinated the response to diverse search and rescue operations, maintaining high standards in stressful and difficult environments. Senior Sergeant Adams is actively involved in his local community by supporting Child Cancer fundraising initiatives and providing gifts and visits for young children in hospital.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
AITKEN, Ms Claire Elizabeth
For services to rehabilitative programmes
Ms Claire Aitken has been Director since 1987 of the Downie Stewart Foundation, a Dunedin-based programme for the rehabilitation of offenders.
Ms Aitken has assisted in the rehabilitative efforts in several capacities. She has provided special care and therapy to at-risk individuals, as well as succeeding in reconnecting clients to their Māoritanga and families. She has worked diligently to secure external funding to ensure that the programmes can continue to run. She has organised fundraising events in the local community, such as annual Christmas tree sales, and has fostered strong connections with local Māori representatives. Her successful fundraising efforts have enabled the Foundation to expand its treatment of those affected by methamphetamine and it now provides 17 beds for vulnerable people. She helped initiate a national training programme, Te Taketake, to further enhance the available rehabilitation support. Ms Aitken shares her expertise in rehabilitation services with audiences across New Zealand and she has mentored several interns from the University of Otago’s Social Work and Psychology programmes, and Otago Polytechnic.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
AMITUANAI, Mrs Edith
For services to photography and the community
Mrs Edith Amituanai is a contemporary artist who is acclaimed for photographing her local Auckland Samoan community.
Mrs Amituanai has been the youngest artist to feature in Contemporary New Zealand Photographers, a major survey of photography published in 2005. In 2007 she won the inaugural Marti Friedlander Photography Award, and in 2008 was the first Walters Prize nominee of Pacific descent. Her works have been exhibited extensively both around New Zealand and abroad, and belong in a number of public and private collections. Alongside her arts achievements, she has served her community through a diverse range of activities. As the Chairwoman of Ranui Action Project, an NGO and community development organisation, she has utilised a balanced approach that focuses on the strengths and resourcefulness of the community. She has also served as the manager for the local rugby league premier team, the Waitemata Seagulls. As a volunteer with the Auckland Migrant Centre she has worked with a number of refugee families. Mrs Amituanai has linked her art with her community involvement and has used art as a vehicle to engage with young people, including undertaking a six-week residency at Flaxmere’s KimiOra Community School in 2017, resulting in the KeeponKimiora exhibition.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
BROWN-ACTON, Ms Phylesha
For services to the Pacific and LGBTQI+ communities
Ms Phylesha Brown-Acton is a high profile member and spokesperson of the Pasifika LGBTQI+ community.
Ms Brown-Acton’s work to secure rights and support for minority groups has raised the profile of transgender communities in New Zealand and abroad across many platforms and forums. In 2006, she became the Project Coordinator for the Pacific Peoples Project at the New Zealand AIDS Foundation. She co-ordinated the Love Life Fono gatherings in 2007 and 2009, the largest gatherings of Pacific sexual and gender minority groups in the world to date. In 2009, she managed the New Zealand AIDS Foundation’s International Development Programme. She has been a Trustee of the Māori, Indigenous, and Pacific HIV/AIDS Foundation, and Co-Chair of the Asia Pacific Transgender Network since 2015. In 2015 she founded F’INE Pasifika Aotearoa, an organisation funded under Whānau Ora that provides navigation support services to Pacific LGBTQI+ peoples and their families in the Auckland region. She is a board member of Auckland PRIDE Festival. Ms Acton- Brown has been a delegate to several equal rights and human rights conferences internationally, including as the Trans and Indigenous Representative on a panel at the United Nations High-Level Political Declaration on HIV/AIDS in 2016 and an Expert Representative to the 9th session of the Social Forum organised by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
BUSCH, Ms Ruth
For services to domestic violence prevention and the State
Ms Ruth Busch is a family lawyer whose work has contributed to the development and strengthening of domestic violence legislation in New Zealand over a number of decades.
In 1992, Ms Busch co-produced a report on the Domestic Protection Act 1982, which proposed many law changes that ultimately formed the basis of the Domestic Violence Act 1995. In 1994, she also worked on the Bristol Ministerial Inquiry that led to the enactment of violence provisions in the Care of Children Act. Ten years later, she was commissioned by the Ministry of Women's Affairs (now Ministry for Women) to review the law on protection orders. In 2018, she joined the Ministry of Justice's Expert Reference Group that examines the efficacy of family justice reforms implemented in 2014. She was an Associate Professor of Law at the University of Waikato from 1987 to 2012. Since her retirement from this role, she has continued to advocate for changes to legal treatment of domestic violence by the justice system and runs two free family law clinics that assist families experiencing domestic violence. Ms Busch was involved in the founding of the Hamilton Abuse Intervention Project, a domestic violence NGO that was the first of its kind in New Zealand.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
COARD, Mr Ian William
For services to the Coastguard
Mr Ian Coard has been a volunteer with Coastguard New Zealand for 31 years.
Mr Coard has been a member of Coastguard Riverton Unit since 1988 and has been instrumental in the successful management of search and rescue for a number of major incidents in the Foveaux Strait. He has held a number of roles in Unit including Safety Officer, Coxswain, Search and Rescue Coordinator, and President. Since 2004 he has been a Coastguard Boating Education tutor teaching a wide variety of courses including Boatmaster, VHF Certificate, Day Skipper, and inboard and outboard engineering. He was a Board member for Coastguard Southern Region from 2003 to 2012, and a Board member of Coastguard New Zealand from 2004 to 2012, including three years as President. During his term as President he led the relationship building between the national governance structure and local Coastguard Units, and oversaw the development and signing of the first service level agreement between Coastguard New Zealand, the New Zealand Search and Rescue Council, and New Zealand Police. Mr Coard is currently the Independent Member representing the search and rescue volunteer sector on the New Zealand Search and Rescue Council.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
COOK, Mrs Margaret Gwenneth
For services to the community
Mrs Margaret Cook has been a member of the National Council of Women of New Zealand since 1995 and held various roles including Vice President between 2000 and 2008.
Mrs Cook has been involved with Habitat for Humanity since 2000 and in 2002 she joined the Invercargill Board as Chair. In 2009 she became the National Director and Chair of the Christchurch Board, and served until 2015. She remains the Family Services convenor, a role she has undertaken since 2001. She established the Volunteer Programme, complete with policies and procedures, which is recognised as a pinnacle achievement. Since 2013 she has been a Trustee and Deputy Chair of the South Invercargill Urban Rejuvenation Charitable Trust, which trades as South Alive. She is currently the convenor of the South Alive Housing Action Group and the lead on the Southland Community Housing Group, which is responsible for progressing the Southland Community Housing Strategy Report. She has helped lead many events, including the annual Trolley Derby and Family Fun day, the South Alive Spring Flower Show, electric blanket testing, and the Landlord of the Year and Tenant of the Year competitions. Mrs Cook was previously a Cub Leader for Scouts New Zealand and chaired the Girls Brigade Area Council from 2001 to 2014.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
CRAM, Dr Fiona May
For services to Māori health and education
Dr Fiona Cram is a social psychologist whose work on Māori health and education has had a wide impact across many New Zealand communities.
Dr Cram founded Katoa Ltd. in 2003, an indigenous research organisation that undertakes kaupapa Māori research, evaluation and training. Before establishing Katoa Ltd, she was a Senior Research Fellow and Deputy Director of the International Research Institute for Māori and Indigenous Education at the University of Auckland from 1998 to 2003, and a Visiting Research Fellow at the Eru Pomare Māori Health Research Centre, Otago School of Medicine, Wellington. She has been active in the Health Research Council as a member of the Māori Health Research Committee, the Public Health Research Committee, and as a member of the Board. She is currently Editor-in-Chief of the Aotearoa New Zealand Evaluation Association journal 'Evaluation Matters - He Take To Te Aromatawai', published by the New Zealand Council for Educational Research, and has also co-edited a number of research books. She has undertaken projects for a number of organisations, including Te Puni Kokiri, the Ministry of Health, and Ngati Kahungunu lwi Inc. Dr Cram's project work, publications and conference presentations on kaupapa Māori have made significant contributions to indigenous research and evaluation both in New Zealand and within the international community.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
CRAWFORD, Dr Robert John Mackay
For services to mental health and addiction services
Dr Robert Crawford was the Superintendent of the Queen Mary Hospital in Hanmer Springs, a Residential Alcohol and Drug Treatment Centre, from 1976 to 1991.
Dr Crawford brought an innovative and bold approach to treating people with addictions, introducing ground-breaking educational, physical and psychotherapeutic models for recovery, such as psychodrama. Under his leadership, Queen Mary Hospital became a centre of excellence for expanding the treatment modalities for families affected by addition, and the training of health professionals and others working nationally in treatment and rehabilitation. He established a successful Kaupapa Māori/Taha Māori programme, Te Aroha o to Hau Angiangi, which provided a model of cultural healing. The programme ran from 1990 to 2003 and influenced and encouraged the development of Māori treatment services in New Zealand. He also authored a number of publications and served in various national governance and advisory roles, including on the treatment committee of the Alcoholic Liquor Advisory Council, the Medical Society on Alcoholism, and the Doctors Health Advisory Service. In 1999 he was appointed Director of the Christchurch Institute for Training in Psychodrama. In 2018 Dr Crawford was awarded Distinguished Membership of the Australian and New Zealand Psychodrama Association.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
DANCE, Mrs Patricia Jane (Pat)
For services to the New Zealand Kennel Club
Mrs Pat Dance has held numerous leadership positions within the New Zealand Kennel Club since joining in 1971.
Mrs Dance has been active at all levels in numerous kennel associations throughout New Zealand and over many years has supported educational activities for judges and stewards, while also prioritising encouragement and support for ordinary members. She has worked at the National Dog Show since 1976 in various capacities and eventually became the first woman to manage the show. In 1990 she was appointed as a mediator by the New Zealand Kennel Club and in this voluntary capacity she has mediated disputes between clubs and members throughout the country. She served as Interim Director Secretary in 2009 managing the Club through a time of difficulty for the organisation. In 2018 Mrs Dance formed Pedigree Dogs New Zealand, an organisation dedicated to public education and the preservation and promotion of pedigree dog breeds.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
DAVIS, Mr James Columba (Jim)
For services to Māori art, the Catholic Church and the community
Mr Jim Davis has produced a range of traditional Māori carved furnishings and artworks for Catholic parishes throughout New Zealand since the late 1960s.
Mr Davis first produced a Pataka (tabernacle) for a new church in Stokes Valley and later carved Pataka for parishes in Wairoa, Motueka and Stoke. He was a driving force behind the establishment of Tawhiti A Maru Marae in Wairoa, where he completed all of the carvings inside the whare nui and assisted with exterior carvings. He designed the plan for the whare kai at Te Hora Marae in Canvastown, Marlborough. On a voluntary basis he produced carved panels with the names of everyone baptised at the respective parishes of Blenheim, Petone, Motueka, Waikanae, and Khandallah. In addition to these projects he has carved other items for various parishes from lecterns to patronal saint figures. His carvings are also present internationally at locations in the United Kingdom, the United States, Australia, Ireland, and the Philippines. Within the wider community he has been involved with the Nelson and Marlborough Hospices since 2004 as a biographer. He established the Menz Sheds in Waimea and Blenheim to provide social opportunities for older isolated men. Mr Davis has overseen the Blenheim Menz Shed become debt free and added an extension for light metal work.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
DAVIS, Mr Tane Craig
For services to conservation
Mr Tane Davis contributed his services to conservation efforts and Māori interests throughout New Zealand for more than 20 years.
Mr Davis has been an advocate for the appropriate management of Whenua Hou/Codfish Island, a nature reserve off the north-eastern coast of Rakiura/Stewart Island. He was instrumental in establishing an Access Policy and operational plan for Whenua Hou, which is the subject of a Deed of Recognition under the Ngāi Tahu Claims Settlement Act 1988. He has been the Chairman of Whenua Hou Committee since its inception and was the principal Murihiku Māori representative in the major archaeological excavations on Whenua Hou in 2007. He has strongly supported scientific and scholarly researching concerning Whenua Hou and has assisted in the development of numerous research applications. Since 2006 he has been a member of the Kākāpō Recovery Group and has participated in the conservation efforts through engagement on discussion genetics, breeding events and sponsorship. Mr Davis has led efforts to promote biosecurity on the Tītī Islands and successfully negotiated an agreement between Tītī islanders to use a conservation dog trained to detect rodents.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
DEAN, Mrs Rachael Kathleen
For services to governance and the community
Mrs Rachael Dean is a business executive who has contributed her skills across multiple not-for-profit and community sectors for more than 30 years.
Mrs Dean was appointed to the Southland Area Health Board from 1989 to 1991, and later chaired the Patients' Satisfaction Committee. As a first-time Invercargill City Councillor in 1992, she chaired the Rating Review Committee, successfully managing a three-year rating change project. She was appointed to the Advisory Committee of the Waikato Heath Board from 2005 to 2011. She joined Rural Women New Zealand (RWNZ) in 2005 and worked as Regional Development Officer for the Waikato Taranaki region. In 2015 she was elected to the National Board and the role of National Finance Chair until November 2018. She brought considerable accounting and financial expertise to the Board during a period of organisational change. She was instrumental in enabling RWNZ to recover a substantial amount of debt. From 2007 to 2011 she was a board member of Diving New Zealand and a Trustee of Sport Waikato from 2011 to 2018. She was a Board member and Deputy Chair of the Waikato Chamber of Commerce from 2013 to 2015. In 2018 Mrs Dean was selected for the Waikato 125 project, celebrating 125 Waikato women who have been instrumental in leading and driving change for women.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
DOBBIE, Ms Allison Muriel
For services to library and information management and the arts
Ms Allison Dobbie is respected across New Zealand and internationally as a leader in the library, information, and wider community sectors.
Ms Dobbie has served as a librarian in a number of places including Christchurch, Dunedin, Parliament, and led Auckland Libraries, the largest library network in Australasia. She has worked to encourage diverse audiences to use libraries, and the professional development and connections between Australasian librarians and libraries. She led the development and adoption of the first registration scheme for Library and Information professionals in New Zealand, and has had an active role in the work of the Library and Information Association of New Zealand Aotearoa since 1975. She has also served in broader arts roles, including as a councillor of the Queen Elizabeth II Arts Council of New Zealand in 1993, a member of the advisory committee for Te Ara, the online encyclopaedia of New Zealand, and a convenor of the Strategic Direction Working Group for the National Digital Forum. Internationally she was a Strategic Advisor to the Global Libraries programme operated by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Ms Dobbie headed a leadership development programme for library leaders in Oceania and convened a Pacific Libraries Summit in 2018 under the United Nations 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
DOWLAND, Mrs Jan Elizabeth
For services to people with intellectual disabilities
Mrs Jan Dowland has worked tirelessly to improve the lives of New Zealanders with intellectual disabilities.
Mrs Dowland is one of 13 IHC New Zealand Life Members, having made a significant contribution to the organisation and the people it supports. As Chief Executive from 1997 to 2002 she led IHC through a restructure of its governance structure, improvements to its management systems, and the establishment of a residential rehabilitation service for people with intellectual disabilities who came through the Justice system. More recently she was instrumental in the establishment of IHC’s Member Council. She was also a Trustee and Chair of the Wellington Community Trust and volunteered with a number of community organisations including Well-Link and Platform. Mrs Dowland was involved in establishing the New Zealand Disability Support Network.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
ELDER, Dr Hinemoa
For services to psychiatry and Māori
Dr Hinemoa Elder is a child and adolescent psychiatrist who has strongly advocated for greater awareness of Māori cultural needs in the health sector.
Dr Elder works in both public and private practice, specialising in youth forensic psychiatry and neuropsychiatric assessment and treatment for Māori with traumatic brain injuries. To extend the work of her doctorate, she received the Health Research Council of New Zealand Eru Pomare Post-Doctoral Fellowship in 2014. She is also a Deputy Psychiatrist Member on the Mental Health Review Tribunal. She is a Fellow of the Royal Australia and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists, where she was a member of Te Kaunihera o te Hauora Hinengaro Māori from 2004 to 2012. She was a Professor of Indigenous Mental Health Research at Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiārangi from 2016 to 2019. She was involved in the development of mental health services in New Zealand as part of the expert advisory group of Blueprint II. She has been the Māori strategic advisor for Brain Research New Zealand since 2016. Dr Elder has published research on indigenous approaches to working with Māori children.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
FA'AMOE, Mr Tunumafono Avaula Colenso (Ava)
For services to the Pacific community and health
Mr Ava Fa’amoe has provided leadership in the Pacific disability community for over 20 years.
Mr Fa’amoe suffered from a rare eye condition in his early adolescence and lost his sight at the age of 20. He went on to complete a degree in Counselling and established the Pacific Information Advocacy and Support Services Trust (PIASS) with a group of disabled Pacific people, while still in his twenties. Under his leadership PIASS formed a collaboration with another Pacific non-governmental organisation, the Malologa Trust (Pacific Mental Health), to form Vaka Tautua in 2004. Vaka Tautua is a health and social service provider for Pacific people, providing services in the areas of disability support, older people day programmes, mental health, financial literacy, domestic violence, and community finance loans and enterprise. He has remained involved with Vaka Tautua, serving as Chairman since 2014. He was an elected member of the Otara-Papatoetoe Local Board. He previously served as Chair of the Otara Community Board and is currently a board member of the Otara Law Centre. He is a founding member of the recently-launched Tofa Mamao, the Pacific Disability Collective. Mr Fa’amoe’s intention for the Collective is to provide leadership training and governance skills to the next generation of young Pacific people living with disabilities.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
FITZPATRICK, Ms Marie Jane
For services to the community
Ms Nicole Murray and Ms Marie Fitzpatrick founded the charity Good Bitches Baking (GBB) in late 2014, a network of people who aim to support those in their communities who are having a tough time.
GBB’s volunteers deliver home baking to organisations working with people in tough situations, such as families with children in hospital, those using food banks and soup kitchens, residents and their loved ones in hospice, and women and children fleeing family violence. Established with just 15 people in Wellington, GBB has since grown to become a national registered charity with more than 20 chapters around the country and more than 2,000 active volunteers. In order to achieve that, Ms Murray and Ms Fitzpatrick developed and delivered a robust operational system to ensure baking is delivered daily throughout the year to thousands of recipients, and they continue to actively fundraise to ensure the system remains sustainable. Recently Ms Murray established a Prison Bake initiative for GBB, successfully completing a nine-week pilot encouraging compassion and teaching baking to inmates at a Wellington prison, delivering their baking to Women’s Refuge and the Children’s Hospital.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
GARDINER, Ms Susan Leigh (Sue)
For services to the arts
Ms Sue Gardiner is an art patron and advocate for the arts focusing on the visual arts through community engagement, philanthropy, fundraising, arts governance and promoting art through art tours and writing for art publications.
Ms Gardiner is a Trustee of the Chartwell Trust, a New Zealand charitable philanthropic Trust started by her father in 1974, which supports the visual arts and knowledge about the creative process. She is co-Director of the Chartwell Collection, a major public art collection held on long-term loan at the Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tamaki. For more than 25 years, she has volunteered her time to various arts organisations in Auckland including Eden Arts and Artspace Aotearoa as a Board Member, and a Trustee of the Auckland Art Gallery Foundation. She is a board member of the University of Auckland's Creative Thinking Project, aiming to deepen understanding of the importance of creative thinking. Since 2007, she has joined a panel of experts annually selecting New Zealand and International artists for the McCahon House Residency in Auckland. In 2017, Ms Gardiner was co-director of the 'Save Our Gallery' campaign, which aimed to restore and protect the public funding of the Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tamaki.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
GORDON, Dr Briar Elizabeth Roycroft
For services to the law and the State
Dr Briar Gordon has contributed to the field of environmental law and has held several positions in the public sector.
Dr Gordon has worked with the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment, the Crown Law Office, and the Parliamentary Counsel Office. She has developed significant expertise in environmental law and Treaty of Waitangi law. She has served as an adjunct lecturer in law at Victoria University of Wellington, an author for Brookers Resource Management since 1991, and a specialist contributing author on Treaty of Waitangi matters. She has given important service to Treaty of Waitangi claims settlement legislation since 1994 and has led the development of standard clauses to streamline and provide consistency among the settlements of various iwi. She has made several presentations at international conferences. Dr Gordon has been at the forefront of enabling certain New Zealand legislation to be translated into te reo Māori and has helped to develop novel forms of redress, such as the vesting of legal personality in Te Urewera in 2014 and the Whanganui River in 2017.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
GORDON, Mr Laurence Roy
For services to wildlife conservation
Mr Laurence Gordon pioneered predator control in the Northland area, helping to reintroduce and protect a variety of native birds and trees.
Mr Gordon initiated the kōkako recovery project in the Mangatutu Ecological Area, Northern Pureora, setting up and managing a 1,000-hectare bait station network to control rats, which has seen an increase in North Island Kōkako from seven pairs in 1995 to 185 pairs in 2016. His predator control has also seen an increase in many other native birds including kākā, kākāriki, kererū, rifleman, kārearea, and North Island robin. He also set up the first large-scale predator control programme on the Russell Pensinula allowing for the reintroduction of North Island weka, and a successful predator control programme at Purerua Peninsula, saving decimated pōhutukawa and protecting North Island brown kiwi. Mataka Station now boasts the highest recorded call counts of kiwi in New Zealand, and one of the largest kiwi population on a single property. Mr Gordon was previously a Trustee of the New Zealand Native Forest Restoration Trust from 1990 to 1992.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
HIRINI, Mrs Sarah
For services to rugby
Mrs Sarah Hirini is the current Captain of the Black Ferns Sevens and has been a leading figure in the recognition of women’s rugby in New Zealand.
Mrs Hirini has led the Black Ferns Sevens team to victory at the Rugby World Cup Sevens in 2013 and 2018, a silver medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics, and gold at the 2018 Commonwealth Games. Her leadership both on and off the field is reflected in the team’s successes and she has brought a strong work ethic, leadership and commitment to her appearances for the Black Ferns and the Black Ferns Sevens. Mrs Hirini was recognised as the Women’s Player of the Year at the 2017 New Zealand Rugby Awards and the Best Female Athlete in Oceania at the Association of National Olympic Committees in Prague in 2017.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
JAMES, Mrs Faye Claire
For services to the New Zealand Cancer Society
Mrs Faye James co-ordinated fundraising for the Cancer Society for over 25 years and introduced the charity event ‘Relay for Life’ to New Zealand.
Mrs James had worked for the Cancer Society since the pilot of Daffodil Day in 1990 until her retirement in 2018. She has played a key role in the development of Daffodil Day, through the organisation of fundraising efforts including the distribution of volunteers and collections. She introduced a range of merchandise to help with fundraising, including the Daffodil Bear, and played a lead role in their annual design. She introduced the successful fundraising event ‘Relay for Life’ to New Zealand by hosting it in Palmerston North in 2001, and has assisted its establishment in other regions. ‘Relay for Life’ is now held in 18 different cities and communities throughout New Zealand. She served in an advisory role on a number of committees with the Cancer Society at a local, regional and national level. Mrs James’ co-ordination efforts has raised more than five million dollars for equipment, research, education, and support services in the Manawatu region.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
JOHNSON, Ms Stephanie Patricia
For services to literature
Ms Stephanie Johnson is an award-winning author of novels, short stories and plays and she has contributed to the development of New Zealand literature.
Ms Johnson has won numerous awards in recognition of her publications and in 2003 she won the Deutz medal in the Montana New Zealand Book Awards for ‘The Shag Incident’. In 1999 she founded the Auckland Writers Festival and co-directed it through the first ten years of its existence. The Festival has since expanded to become a major cultural event in New Zealand that celebrates a wide range of literature and that attracts around 74,000 domestic visitors annually, as well as visiting authors and fans from overseas. She has been invited to attend numerous international festivals and has a key role in promoting New Zealand’s literature on the world stage. She has written 20 books and her works are recognised for their dry irony and humour, as well as strong themes of biculturalism. Mrs Johnson is active in the community and has taught in tertiary institutions, on adult education programmes, for prisoners in Auckland Prison in 2001 and 2002, and has judged literary competitions.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
KELLY, Mrs Janet Joye
For services to education
Mrs Janet Kelly has had an extensive career in the governance of New Zealand schools for almost 40 years.
Mrs Kelly has worked as a school trustee, National President of the New Zealand School Trustees Association (NZSTA) from 1996 to 1998, and as a Ministerial appointee on the Boards of Special Education Services and the New Zealand Teachers’ Council. The NZSTA has appointed her five times as National Project Manager of Triennial School Trustee elections. Since 2000, she has supported many schools in varying levels of statutory appointments and has worked as a Commissioner and Specialist Adviser. She has undertaken reviews and consultations on the performance of various schools from Taranaki to Invercargill as well as representing New Zealand internationally for the Ministry of Education’s Education Research Office. In 2011 Mrs Kelly was appointed by the Ministry of Education to be the Rai Valley Area School Commissioner and in this position she significantly improved connections between the School and local community.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
LOADER, Mrs Yvonne Margaret
For services to the sport of gliding
Mrs Yvonne Loader is heavily involved with the New Zealand gliding community and has instructed for the Omarama and Canterbury Gliding Clubs.
Mrs Loader holds a number of national gliding records for altitude, distance, and speed, and set a world record in 1988 for greatest height gain by a glider that stands today. She has flown several hundred hours towing gliders as a volunteer tow pilot, has towed for the Canterbury Gliding Club at national and international gliding competitions, and for Youth Glide Development camps at Omarama. She served as Secretary of the Canterbury Club from 2000 to 2014, and as Secretary of the Omarama Club from 2008 to 2014, and was made a Life Member of Youth Glide New Zealand in 2014. For all three organisations she has spent many hours applying for funding, with thousands of dollars raised that has gone towards safety equipment such as parachutes and emergency location beacons. She has helped raise funds for significant projects for the Canterbury Club, such as a new hangar, underground power lines, and converting an old classroom into a training and operations base. Mrs Loader was the President of the New Zealand Association of Women in Aviation from 1986 to 1988, and has introduced many young women to aviation, particularly gliding.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
LOCK, Mrs Allyson Sarah
For services to people with rare health disorders
Mrs Allyson Lock was diagnosed with the fatal neuromuscular pompe disease in 2010 and has since dedicated herself to supporting the wider community of patients with rare disorders.
Mrs Lock is the President of the New Zealand Pompe Network, a registered charity that supports Pompe patients and their families. Her work as President has involved providing practical and often financial support to other members, and building the Network’s national presence. Over a number of years, she has tirelessly advocated for access to enzyme replacement therapy in New Zealand. This has included efforts to facilitate engagement with government agencies and the wider community on the issue, for example by coordinating an awareness campaign during the 2017 general election. In 2018 she was approached to assist the setting up of a patient support organisation for sufferers of gaucher disease in Australia to learn from her expertise with the New Zealand Pompe Network. She has served on the Board of Amicus Therapeutics for five years as a patient advisory member. In February 2019, Mrs Lock received the Patient Advocacy and Support Award from the New Zealand Organisation for Rare Disorders to recognise her longstanding commitment to supporting the rare disorder community.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
MALCOLM, Ms Robyn Jane
For services to television and theatre
Ms Robyn Malcolm has had an extensive acting career spanning three decades across more than 50 theatre plays and multiple television and film roles.
Ms Malcolm won her first award for Theatre's Best Newcomer in Wellington in 1989 and has since won 26 further awards nationally and in Australia. She is well known nationally as Cheryl West in six seasons of ‘Outrageous Fortune’, for her self-created show ‘Agent Anna’, and a five year role on ‘Shortland Street’. Her television credits include roles on ‘Top of the Lake’, ‘Rake’, ‘The Code’, ‘Upper Middle Bogan’ among others. Her film and short film credits include ‘The Lord of the Rings’ trilogy, ‘The Hopes and Dream of Gazza Snell’, and most recently the United States feature film ‘Hostiles’. She was a founding member of The New Zealand Actors Company, with whom she toured a number of plays nationally. More recently she has performed Mary Stuart in the Auckland Theatre Production of the same name, in Brecht’s ‘The Good Soul of Szechuan’, and Beckett’s one woman piece ‘Happy Days’. She represented New Zealand at the Globe Theatre in London in 2003, portraying Hamlet. Ms Malcolm is an accomplished public speaker and has contributed her skills as a performer to advocate for various political, environmental and social issues in New Zealand over the years.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
MILLER, Dr Jacqueline Diane (Jackie Blue)
For services to women and the State
Dr Jackie Blue is a strong advocate for advancing women's participation in society, in particular through fairness in the workplace.
Dr Blue was New Zealand's first Breast Physician and she was elected President of the Australasian Society of Breast Physicians in 2001. She was a Member of Parliament from 2005 to 2013. As an MP, she chaired three cross-party Parliamentary Committees with a focus on human rights and women's rights in the Pacific Islands. From June 2013 to October 2018, she served as the Equal Employment Opportunities Commissioner at the Human Rights Commission. Her work as Commissioner included highlighting pay discrepancies between women and men in professional sport, and the interests of minority groups in gender equality including Māori, Pacific, disabled, transgender and non-binary women. She campaigned for pay equity for women and fair pay for carers, chairing the Caring Counts Coalition which advocated implementing the recommendations of the Caring Counts Inquiry in 2012. In her role as Human Rights Commissioner for women’s rights, Dr Blue presented on violence against women in New Zealand at the United Nation's Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women in 2018.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
MORGAN, Ms Rose Mary Hine Wairangi (Hinewirangi)
For services to victim support
Ms Hinewirangi Morgan is an artist, poet and activist who is committed to supporting victims of sexual abuse.
Ms Morgan has worked as a counsellor in sexual abuse, drug abuse, and violence in Hamilton. Since 1984 she has volunteered as a founding director of the Māori Women’s Centre, which assists victims of domestic violence. She is also dedicated to assisting prison inmates. She is the Director of Te Whanau Te Rau Aroha Ltd that runs inmate programmes teaching literacy, numeracy, te reo and history at Te Ao Marama-Waikeria prison, a role she has held since 2006. She uses traditional Māori parenting and healing to help male perpetrators of sexual abuse. She is also the Executive Director for the non-profit Nga Mata Whanau Trust, a board member of the International Indian Treaty Council, and a steering committee member for Australia and Aotearoa in Nuclear Free Independent Pacific. She has developed women’s programmes for the Asian Cultural Forum on Development. She is actively involved with Ka Ata Mai, a women’s collective that teaches Māori philosophies as part of the Te Kotahi research team at the University of Waikato, specialising in Māori flute making and healing. Ms Morgan writes poetry, short stories, novels, plays, waiata, and children’s books.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
MOSEN, Mr Jonathan William
For services to the blind community
Mr Jonathan Mosen is a member of and advocate for the blind community.
Mr Mosen has held numerous voluntary positions that have allowed him to advocate for New Zealand’s blind population. He has been Chairman of the Royal New Zealand Foundation of the Blind and President of the Association of Blind Citizens New Zealand. As Chairman he advocated for amendments to the Juries Act 1981 to clarify that there should be no blanket ban on blind people serving on any jury. In 2003 he began working for Pulse Data as the Blindness Product Marketing Manager, and managed the development of BrailleNote mPower, a device that has helped the blind succeed in education and employment. He has also participated in and managed several blindness-specific internet radio projects on a voluntary basis. He produces several podcasts and these have played a crucial role in informing the general public about issues facing New Zealand’s blind community. His company, Out of Sight Ltd, offers product management advice, training, and eBooks and audio tutorials to assist blind people with accessing and using modern technologies. Mr Mosen was recently appointed as Chief Executive of Workbridge Inc.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
MURRAY, Ms Nicole Dione
For services to the community
Ms Nicole Murray and Ms Marie Fitzpatrick founded the charity Good Bitches Baking (GBB) in late 2014, a network of people who aim to support those in their communities who are having a tough time.
GBB’s volunteers deliver home baking to organisations working with people in tough situations, such as families with children in hospital, those using food banks and soup kitchens, residents and their loved ones in hospice, and women and children fleeing family violence. Established with just 15 people in Wellington, GBB has since grown to become a national registered charity with more than 20 chapters around the country and more than 2,000 active volunteers. In order to achieve that, Ms Murray and Ms Fitzpatrick developed and delivered a robust operational system to ensure baking is delivered daily throughout the year to thousands of recipients, and they continue to actively fundraise to ensure the system remains sustainable. Recently Ms Murray established a Prison Bake initiative for GBB, successfully completing a nine-week pilot encouraging compassion and teaching baking to inmates at a Wellington prison, delivering their baking to Women’s Refuge and the Children’s Hospital.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
NAIR, Ms Shila
For services to ethnic communities and women
Ms Shila Nair migrated to New Zealand 17 years ago and, for the majority of that time has dedicated her time to support vulnerable women, children and youth within ethnic migrant and refugee communities.
Ms Nair began working for Shakti at its women’s centre and has been pivotal in its growth from a local ethnic community organisation in Auckland to a national umbrella organisation, Shakti Community Council Inc., with specialist refuges and centres in Auckland, Tauranga, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin servicing more than 9,000 women annually. She completed a Masters Degree in Counselling and is currently registered with the New Zealand Association of Counsellors, Primary Health Organisations, and ACC to support the mentally unwell including survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault. Her focus has been on supporting Asian, African and Middle Eastern women and she has been a leading advocate for legislation against forced and under-age marriage in New Zealand. She has been on various consultation committees including the New Zealand Family Violence Taskforce, the Reference Group to the Social Development Minister developing the Vulnerable Children’s Act, and more recently the Safe and Effective Justice Programme Advisory Group, working towards reforming the country’s criminal justice system. Ms Nair has been recognised for her community work by agencies including Multicultural New Zealand.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
PHILLIPS, Mr Neville Ernest
For services to youth
Mr Neville Phillips has made a significant contribution in the field of New Zealand youth justice and the rehabilitation of serious young offenders.
Mr Phillips is the founder and CEO of START Taranaki, a youth programme that offers support to serious young offenders. He founded START Taranaki in 2003 and it has developed into a comprehensive community-based intervention programme. It is one of the few programmes in New Zealand that is committed to working with high-end youth offenders and a succession of Youth Court Judges throughout New Zealand have referred serious young offenders to his programme. The START Taranaki programme has three phases, ranging from a three-week Isolation Phase in the bush with outdoors activities to a 12-week Transition Phase wherein START continues to mentor and support the young men when they return to their communities. Mr Phillips has provided the young men with important opportunities that teach them the value of skills such as conflict resolution and honest communication, personal responsibility, and maximising potential.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
PIRIE, Mr Ewen Robert
For services to clay target shooting
Mr Ewen Pirie has been a long-time administrator in the sport of clay target shooting.
Mr Pirie was appointed the sole South Island Referees Examiner by the New Zealand Clay Target Association in the early 1980s. He has been an Executive member of the New Zealand Clay Target Association, most recently from 2013 to 2016, and has served as Vice President and as President from 2000 to 2006. During his term as President the World Down the Line (DTL) Championships were held in New Zealand in 2002. He was involved in forming the International Clay Target Shooting Federation (ICTSF) and establishing a set of international rules for the hosting of this event. ICTSF World Championships are now hosted by member countries every two years. He was President of the ICTSF from 2008 to 2011. He has been President of the New Zealand Shooting Federation (NZSF) since 2012, having previously been New Zealand Clay Target delegate and Vice President. He first took on the role of President from 2006 to 2010 during a period of turmoil for NZSF and led a restructure that has restored the organisation to a healthy position. Mr Pirie became President of the Oceania Shooting Federation in 2017.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
PITMAN, Ms Pango Mary-Anne (Mereana)
For services to Māori and family violence prevention
Ms Mereana Pitman has been a prominent campaigner on Māori issues for 25 years.
Since 1998, Ms Pitman has worked as a trainer and facilitator at DOVE Hawkes Bay, a family-violence prevention organisation. Her anti-violence advocacy has extended beyond her paid work. She has been the National Māori Chairperson of Women’s Refuge and contributed to the development of Mauri Ora, a violence prevention framework, by participating in the ministerial Māori taskforce on family violence. She is a co-ordinator of the Ngati Kahungunu Violence-free Iwi Strategy, a project supported by Te Puni Kokiri based in the Hawkes Bay. She has authored and co-authored a number of publications that address family violence and parenting from a kaupapa Māori research perspective. Ms Pitman has frequently spoken publicly about issues affecting Māori children and young people, including as a keynote speaker at Massey University of Auckland’s ‘Social Movements, Resistance and Social Change’ conference in 2017.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
POLASCHEK, Professor Devon Leigh Logan
For services to criminal psychology
Professor Devon Polaschek is a forensic clinical psychologist who has studied the psychology of violent offenders for more than 25 years, specifically targeting the high-risk category comprising five percent of offenders but who account for up to 50 percent of all crime in New Zealand.
Professor Polaschek was a researcher and professor of criminal psychology at Victoria University of Wellington for 23 years. She conducted research at the Rimutaka Prison Special Treatment Unit Rehabilitation Programme (STURP) from 1999 until 2017. Through this research she has sought to devise and evaluate new methods of rehabilitating and reintegrating these high-risk men into society and reducing their risk of reoffending. The STURP at Rimutaka prison is considered world-leading and has been shown to reduce the risk of prisoners being reconvicted by as much as 37 percent. She has produced more than 120 books, book chapters, research articles and government reports, many of which have been cited in the international academic literature. A former Fulbright scholar, Professor Polaschek currently directs the newly formed New Zealand Institute for Security and Crime Science at the University of Waikato.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
RAHMAN, Ms Anjum
For services to ethnic communities and women
Ms Anjum Rahman is a political and human rights activist who has worked tirelessly to support ethnic women in New Zealand and raise awareness of human rights issues affecting them.
Ms Rahman serves as a board member on a wide range of not-for-profit organisations. She is a founding member of Shama, the Hamilton Ethnic Women Centre that provides support services for ethnic women, where she has served as a Trustee since 2002. She is also a founding and governing board member of the Islamic Women’s Council of New Zealand, established in 1990. Her work has also focused on sexual violence where she was a founding member of the Hamilton Campaign of Consent and a member of the Accident Compensation Corporation Expert Reference Group in 2017. She has been an active member of the Waikato Interfaith Council for more than a decade and a Trustee of the Ethnic New Zealand Trust. She is a member of the Ethnic Police Group with New Zealand Police. She is a Trustee of the Waikato Community Broadcasting Charitable Trust. Ms Rahman is a qualified Human Rights Commission facilitator, and travels around New Zealand to speak on issues affecting Muslim women and to promote diversity and inclusion.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
RUSSELL, Mr John Spencer
For services to education
Mr John Russell has been involved with education for 43 years, 29 of which have been spent as a secondary school principal across the Wellington region at Mana, Kapiti and Naenae Colleges.
For the last 11 years of his teaching career, Mr Russell was the principal at Naenae College, an ethnically diverse decile three school where 60 percent of students are Māori and Pasifika and 10 percent are from refugee backgrounds. When he arrived at Naenae College in 2007, the school was experiencing significant financial debt, complex educational and social challenges and a declining roll. He successfully turned the college around, dramatically reducing suspension rates and improving student retention and achievement. He pioneered a community-based initiative 'Restorative Pathway', which involved a restorative justice approach to support and listen to students and their families. He has represented the Greater Wellington region on the New Zealand Secondary Principals Council and served on a number of Ministry of Education working parties and advisory groups, sharing his vast knowledge and experience in school leadership. Mr Russell retired as a principal in 2017 but continues to work full time as a Leadership Advisor for new principals and school leaders.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
SHAW, Ms Naomi Kathleen
For services to softball
Ms Naomi Shaw has contributed to the New Zealand women’s softball sporting community.
Ms Shaw played for the New Zealand Women’s Softball Team from 1978 to 1986 and is the only female captain to win a World Championship medal, achieving this in Taiwan in 1982. She began her coaching career in the 1980s and was Assistant Coach at three World Championships in 1991 (Juniors), 1994 (Seniors) and 1998 (Seniors). She was Head Coach at a further three World Championships in 1995 (Juniors), 2012 (Seniors) and 2014 (Seniors). She was Head Coach of the New Zealand White Sox from 2010 to 2014, during which time they achieved 8th in world ranking, the highest ranking held since 2002. She has coached the Junior White Sox Team and led the Hutt Valley Women's National League Team to five successive titles and the Hutt Valley U19 and U18 Team to three successive titles. She has volunteered her time to play for, administer and coach the local Saints Softball Club in the Hutt Valley for more than 55 years. Ms Shaw was inducted into the New Zealand Sport Hall of Fame in 1999, the New Zealand Softball Hall of Fame in 2001, and the International Softball Federation Hall of Fame in 2010.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
SMITH, Mr Evan Trevor
For services to the community
Mr Evan Trevor Smith has held a number of leadership roles to support various communities and recovery events following the 2010 and 2011 Christchurch earthquakes.
Mr Smith was a founding member of Canterbury Communities’ Earthquake Recovery Network (CanCERN), an umbrella organisation of Christchurch residents’ groups. As Engagement Manager for CanCERN, he formulated rules and processes for CanCERN to be solutions-focused, organised networks to get information to and from the community, and created the Community Engagement Charter, which was endorsed by a wide variety of organisations and established a set of principles for the rebuilding of Christchurch. He helped establish and coordinate the River of Flowers memorial events since 2012. He co-founded the lobby group Wider Earthquake Communities’ Action Network (WeCan). He also co-founded Avon-Ōtākaro Network (AvON) in 2011, which advocates for the Ōtākaro Avon River Corridor (residential red zone) to be turned into a city-to-sea multipurpose river park with maximum possible restoration of native habitat. Mr Smith is also a key member of Eastern Vision a group of community leaders who facilitate community involvement in the regeneration of the eastern flatland suburbs.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
SMITH, Professor Karen Alison
For services to education and volunteering
Professor Karen Smith is a Professor at the School of Management at Victoria University of Wellington and is an expert in the study of volunteering.
Professor Smith has published widely and contributed to international research projects that have advanced the understanding of volunteering. She is an internationally-recognised researcher on event volunteering, including a project sponsored by the International Olympic Committee. Her research has focused on how volunteering practices vary within New Zealand, as opposed to simply promoting mainstream international methods. She recently completed a six-year term on the Board of Volunteering New Zealand, including terms as both Chair and Vice-Chair. In 2013 she received a Victoria University Teaching Excellence Award. In 2012 Professor Smith created a unique extra-curricular professional development module within the University’s MBA programme that has enabled students to work on projects with more than 50 not-for-profit organisations.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
STEWART, Ms Celia Ann
For services to music education
Mrs Celia Stewart has contributed to music education in the Canterbury region and nationally for more than 40 years.
Mrs Stewart assumed a paid position as Music Director of the Christchurch School of Music in 2012. Under her leadership, the School of Music has recovered from significant financial difficulties after the 2011 Christchurch earthquakes and now provides music lessons, ensembles and concerts to hundreds of people each year. She has also helped to maintain the Christchurch Big Band Festival and is particularly active in raising the necessary funding. She continues to serve on the Music Education Canterbury executive and is the co-music director of more than 1,200 students who compete in the Strum, Strike and Blow festival. She was Chair of the Music Education New Zealand Aotearoa board from 2013 to 2015. She is recognised for the resources that she has written for the Ministry of Education and the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra. She has often run workshops and has supported schools in their music programmes on a voluntary basis. Mrs Stewart is also involved in her community as a trustee of The Muse and Secretary of the Christchurch Jazz Foundation Trust.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
SURTEES, Mrs Linda Dawn
For services to children and the State
Ms Linda Surtees has supported vulnerable children and their caregivers throughout New Zealand.
Ms Surtees is an advocate for caregivers and care providers. As CEO of Fostering Kids New Zealand, she has developed a robust and transparent support service that has become a close stakeholder for Oranga Tamariki. Under her guidance, the organisation has increased its membership of caregivers from 2,400 in 2012 to more than 5,000 presently. She is active in developing targeted support and specialised training for caregivers across the sector. Since 2012, her efforts have led Oranga Tamariki and Fostering Kids New Zealand to increase National Caregiver Training Programmes and develop the support network for those seeking assistance. She was a member of the Ministerial Reference Group in 2013 that established the Extraordinary Care Package for children in Permanent or Whanau Care and continues today as Chair of the Extraordinary Care Fund Panel. In 2016 she contributed her knowledge to the Expert Advisory Panel modernising Child, Youth and Family and was part of a cross-sector group of practitioners with expertise in working with children and families. Ms Surtees has also been involved in developing the new National Care Standards and in running joint information-sharing sessions for caregivers nationwide.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
TIPI, Mrs Laine Leata (Toeolesulusulu Laine Leata Tipi), JP
For services to Pacific communities and education
Toeolesulusulu Laine Tipi has been a leader in promoting early childhood education for Pacific families in West Auckland.
In the 1990s, Mrs Tipi worked as a liaison for Pacific parents and secondary schools in the Auckland region. Recognising the need to foster the use of Pacific languages in urban environments, she established the licensed Samoan language preschool Leataata Tupulaga O le Pasifika in 2002 to teach young children the Samoan language. In 2007, the school’s licence expanded to fifty children, officially opened by the Right Honourable Helen Clark. The school now offers classes for adults on a wide range of life skills including literacy and numeracy. She has established an education homework hub for graduates of the preschool. She has served on a number of local school Boards of Trustees, including Massey High School from 1996 to 2003. Since 2008, she has been a Justice of the Peace and the Samoan Representative for the Waitakere City Council. She is the chair for the Samoan Teacher’s Association Waitemata and Waitakere City for Early Childhood Education. Mrs Tipi has made significant contributions in establishing the Early Childhood Sector with the Ministry of Education’s Community of Learners.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
TOFIA, Mrs Janice Ann
For services to education
Mrs Janice Tofia has worked to improve education outcomes for Māori and Pacific students in the Dunedin region.
Mrs Tofia has worked in a number of different capacities in the education sector as a teacher, principal, and advisor for the Ministry of Education. From 1989 until the mid-1990s she was appointed as a reviewer for the Education Review Office. She was then Principal of Forbury School in South Dunedin, a decile two school, from 1997 to 2011. Under her management, she actively supported underprivileged children and their families, and improved the performance of the school. The school roll doubled during her time as principal. She introduced initiatives to support the wellbeing of students, including the parents and community preparing healthy school lunches for the students with support from local businesses and organisations, and incorporating te reo Māori in her classrooms. Her support would frequently extend beyond that expected of a principal, offering personal support to students. Since 2012 she has been a facilitator in culturally responsive practice with the Otago University Education Support Service. This role has involved training teachers to create culturally responsive classroom environments and help schools better engage with Māori and Pacific students. Mrs Tofia has volunteered as treasurer at Knox Church in Dunedin for seven years.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
TURNER, Mrs Beverley
For services to women, particularly Pacific women
Mrs Beverley Turner has volunteered her time for many years to advocate for women's rights.
Mrs Turner has been a key player in a number of women’s organisations which have engaged with Pacific Island communities, working to establish and maintain networks through Pacific Graduate Women’s Network, Pacific Women's Watch (PWW[NZ]), and UNIFEM New Zealand (now UN Women New Zealand). She was the President of UNIFEM New Zealand from 2003 to 2006 and Auckland Chairperson for three years prior. As President her main focus was working with New Zealand Aid to fund programmes to empower women in the Marshall Islands. In 2005 she was a key driver for introducing the White Ribbon campaign to New Zealand to End Violence Against Women. As a member of Graduate Women New Zealand, she was key to the establishment of the Pacific Graduate Women's Network. She has acted as co-ordinator and mentor since its inception and was instrumental in setting up a rotating system for meetings between Pacific countries every two years. She has organised workshops for PWW[NZ] and edited reports to submit for five-yearly UN reviews. In 2010 Mrs Turner was appointed International Secretary of PWW[NZ] and has represented the organisation at the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women in New York for the past eight years.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
WADDLE, Mr Bryan Alexander
For services as a sports broadcaster
Mr Bryan Waddle has been broadcaster for radio and television, a reporter and sports commentator since 1975, predominantly covering cricket.
Mr Waddle has commentated more than 250 Test matches and more than 400 One-day Internationals, and has commentated and reported from all Test playing countries. His longevity has marked him as the pre-eminent cricket commentator in New Zealand history. He has covered several sporting codes at the 1984 and 1988 Olympics Games and the 1982 and 1998 Commonwealth Games. He has covered the 1982 and 1986 Hockey World Cups in Mumbai and London respectively. Locally he is a Life Member of the Wellington Wanderers Cricket Club. He is Vice President of both the Wellington Collegians Cricket Club and Cricket Wellington. Mr Waddle is Vice President of the Old Boys University Rugby Club.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
WILLIAMS, Dr Benjamin
For services to theology and the community
Dr Benjamin Williams has been actively involved within his religious community for more than 40 years.
Dr Williams has held numerous leadership positions within church groups and organisations. He is a founding member of local AGAPE Bible Colleges and is currently the Chief Principal and Director, having established 12 Bible Colleges in New Zealand and abroad. He currently teaches theology, sociology and cross-cultural communication. Throughout his 40 years as a Pastor he has been involved in family counselling services, seminars and preaching. In 2007 he founded and is currently President of la Malamalama Bible School of Ministry. In 1990 he established the First Assemblies of God in the Tuvalu Islands. He has helped to direct several religious services, including the Tautua Samoa Cultural Services in Wellington, and has established churches throughout Wellington and Auckland. Dr Williams has undertaken training courses in social work and planning for children in care.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
WILLIAMS, Ms Nicola Jean
For services to arts governance
Ms Nicola Williams has been instrumental in securing funding for a significant redevelopment of the historic Sarjeant Gallery Te Whare o Rehua Whanganui, the largest cultural project undertaken in Whanganui in recent times.
A successful businesswoman with a background in finance and international business, Ms Williams has retained strong links with her hometown of Whanganui. She is an avid proponent of the arts and has been a supporter of the Sarjeant Gallery since 1994, taking over the unpaid position as Chairman of the Sarjeant Gallery Trust in 2014. The 100-year-old Sarjeant Gallery holds heritage status and has a nationally significant collection of New Zealand and European art work spanning 400 years of art history. Since her appointment she has worked tirelessly to help secure funding to restore and earthquake proof the Gallery and construct a new wing to preserve the Collection for future generations, which will help establish Whanganui as an arts destination. Her leadership, lobbying efforts at regional and national level, and her commitment to the project has helped secure more than $35 million in public and private funding. Ms Williams’ many hours of voluntary fundraising has also helped build the gallery's reputation, raise its profile and ensure its long-term viability.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
WILSON, Dr Andrea Maxine
For services to wildlife conservation
Dr Andrea Wilson has volunteered at the Nga Manu Nature Reserve as an Honorary Vet since 2001, with an instrumental role in the wildlife restoration and conservation work of the Nga Manu Trust.
The Trust’s objectives are to promote education, conservation and preservation of New Zealand native flora and fauna. Over this period, Dr Wilson has worked to develop the Nga Manu Trust’s native species recovery programmes by training volunteers and staff in animal handling, overseeing the health of resident birds, and developing facilities to support the Trust’s objectives. She has worked closely with organisations on behalf of the Trust including Victoria University of Wellington, the Massey University Veterinary School, and the Department of Conservation. She has worked with Victoria University and the Department of Conservation on a Tuatara Headstart Project for 18 years, which has received international recognition for its success. She has also collaborated closely as a practitioner and advisor with the Department of Conservation on its breed-for-release and recovery programmes for native birds. Her fieldwork throughout New Zealand has been extensive, including a recent trip to Mason Bay on Stewart Island to health screen Southern New Zealand Dotterel. Dr Wilson continues to provide veterinary services to the Trust despite retiring as a vet in 2016.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
WILSON, Mrs Margaret Alison
For services to women
Mrs Margaret Wilson has worked for many years to advance and recognise the achievements of women.
Mrs Wilson has been a long-standing member of the National Council of Women and is currently the Convenor for Family Affairs. She has served on the Council’s Auckland Branch Executive and was the Team Leader for the campaign to have the Auckland Suffrage Memorial recognised as an historic site. She has also held leadership roles on the Mothers’ Union of Aotearoa New Zealand and Polynesia, including as National President. She has supported the Māori Mothers’ Union branches in and north of Kaitaia, and the Christchurch branch after it was severely affected by the social upheaval caused by the Canterbury earthquakes. She is highly respected amongst Mothers’ Union members in England, Scotland, Canada, the West Indies, Vanuatu, Fiji and Tonga. As a member of St Andrew’s Anglican Church in Kohimarama, Auckland, she has worked in many capacities to support the clergy, the congregation and the community. Mrs Wilson has also been an active member of the St Heliers Bay Croquet Club and the New Zealand Handweavers Guild.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
WILSON, Mrs Sally Ann
For services to midwifery
Mrs Sally Wilson was one of three midwives who, following the closure of the Warkworth Maternity Hospital in 1992, advocated for a local birthing centre, leading to the establishment of a Community Trust who are the facility landlords and have a mandate to ensure a Maternity Facility remains in Warkworth.
The Trust purchased land and moved the former nurses’ home to the site in the 1990s. Mrs Wilson was a co-founder of Rodney Coast Midwives, which opened the Warkworth Birthing Centre in 2000. The Centre has provided maternity care to more than 10,000 women and families. Its fundamental policy is that care should be free, and women are able to stay as long as they need to. Most stay three to six nights, until they are ready to go home, while Ministry of Health funding is capped at two nights. The Centre has grown over the past 18 years from four beds to 13 beds and is recognised internationally as a leader in primary birth and postnatal care. She has held long-term roles on the Waitemata District Health Board Maternity Clinical Governance Committee and consulted on the birthing centre design for Waitakere Hospital. In 2018 Mrs Wilson and co-founder Sue Wynyard retired from providing lead maternity care but continue to be Directors of the Centre.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
WRIGHT, Ms Philippa Anne Evelyn
For services to the wool industry and sustainability
Ms Philippa Wright has actively promoted and campaigned for the use of wool as a sustainable resource for more than 40 years, making significant contributions to New Zealand’s wool industry.
Ms Wright is the CEO of Wright Wool, an independent wool broker based in Waipukurau, and is an active member of many organisations that promote wool as a valuable resource. She has served as the Chair of Campaign for Wool New Zealand, a global initiative that highlights wool as an eco-friendly and durable fibre. She is an executive member of Campaign for Wool’s global chapter and a trustee of the New Zealand chapter of the Campaign, New Zealand Trust. She is also a member of a number of associations including the New Zealand Wool Brokers Association, National Council of New Zealand Wool Interests, and International Wool Textile Organisation. She has frequently been a spokesperson for the wool industry in New Zealand and internationally. Dedicated to greater education about wool, Ms Wright has played an instrumental role in the Wool for Schools programme since 2015 that teaches year 7 and 8 students about wool.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
WYNYARD, Mrs Susan Jean (Sue)
For services to midwifery
Mrs Sue Wynyard was one of three midwives who, following the closure of the Warkworth Maternity Hospital in 1992, advocated for a local birthing centre leading to the establishment of the Warkworth Birthing Centre Community Trust.
The Trust purchased land and moved the former nurses’ home to the site in the 1990s. Mrs Wynyard was a co-founder of Rodney Coast Midwives, which opened the Warkworth Birthing Centre in 2000. The Centre has provided maternity care to more than 10,000 women. Its fundamental policy is that care should be free and women are able to stay as long as they need to. Most stay three to six nights, until they are ready to go home, while Ministry of Health funding is capped at two nights. The Centre now has two birthing rooms, an assessment room, 10 postnatal rooms, three public lounges and clinical office spaces, and is recognised internationally as a leader in primary birth care. She has held a long-term role on the Waitemata District Health Board Maternity Clinical Governance Committee, and has consulted on birthing centre design in Waitakere. In 2017 Mrs Wynyard and co-founder Sally Wilson retired from providing lead maternity care, but continue to be Directors of the Centre.