The Queen’s Service Medal:
AITKEN, Mr Gary Mathew, JP
For services to Fire and Emergency New Zealand and the community
Mr Gary Aitken joined the Opunake Volunteer Fire Brigade in 1966 and later joined the Warkworth Brigade in 1970, where he rose through the ranks to become Chief Fire Officer in 1999.
Mr Aitken was Brigade Secretary at Warkworth from 1975 until 1991. He was elected to the committee of the Auckland Suburban Fire Brigades Sub Association in 1986 and was elected Junior Vice President in 1989, later progressing to President in 1991. He was Chairman of the United Fire Brigades Association (UFBA) National Competition Panel from 1999 to 2005, during which time he was involved in fine-tuning and critiquing national standards and rules for the modernisation of waterway events and represented New Zealand through the UFBA in Australia. He joined the Junior Chamber of Commerce in Opunake and was involved in a number of community projects and fundraising until 1980, including the construction of a children’s playground. He was Treasurer of the local St John Ambulance Association and the Opunake Rugby Football Club for three years. Mr Aitken was Club Captain of the Warkworth Tennis Club and served on the committee of the Warkworth Pony Club, where he was involved in the development of new pony grounds and club rooms and the setting up of arenas for local Agricultural and Pastoral Association Shows.
The Queen’s Service Medal:
ALEXANDER, Mr Roger
For services to conservation and the community
Mr Roger Alexander purchased the swamp area on the edge of the village of Puketapu in 1978 and undertook 30 years of dedicated work to solve the drainage and flooding issues of the swamp to create Lake Puketapu.
The lake has seen local wildlife return to the area and helped attract tourists to Napier. For the past two years Mr Alexander has provided his lake area and land for the Taradale Rotary Club to hold their market day, which generates around $25,000 annually for the Club. He and his family donated 50 acres of their land on the fringe of Taradale to the town, which in cooperation with the Taradale Rotary Club has been turned into the Dolbell Reserve recreation area. He has been a committee member of the Hawke’s Bay Agricultural and Pastoral Show Society since 1982 and an expert judge of cattle. He has donated parcels of land to Puketapu School to accommodate school growth, planted trees on the grounds, granted use of the lake and his property for school functions, sports training and events. He served on the school committee for the 125th and 150th anniversary events and helped build the school’s community hall and swimming pool. Mr Alexander has held a number of roles as an Old Boy of Lindisfarne College.
The Queen’s Service Medal:
ANDERSON, Mrs Pare
For services to Māori language education
Mrs Pare Anderson has been involved for around 35 years in the development of Kohanga reo on the North Shore, Auckland.
With the support of the Māori community of Te Raki Paewhenua, Mrs Anderson was involved in establishing ‘Te Puawaitanga’, the bilingual unit based at Birkdale Primary School, to cater for tamariki about to turn five years of age. Her commitment to the Māori language has been a major factor in the development and growth of this bilingual unit. She is one of the few elders on the North Shore who is fluent in the Māori language and prepared to share their knowledge with fledgling reo speakers, and she has contributed to the sporting and artistic world of Māori to ensure that tikanga is not lost and others are able to learn from her. Mrs Anderson is a Life Member of the local Māori Women’s Welfare League Opuawananga, which she chaired for 10 years.
The Queen’s Service Medal:
ARANUI, Mr Tiwana Riwai
For services to Māori and education
Mr Tiwana Aranui has contributed within his local community in Napier and the broader Hawke’s Bay region.
Mr Aranui is a prominent member of the education community in Hawke’s Bay. He has held several positions across a range of organisations, including the Māori Advisory Board for the Napier City Council and the Te Kōhanga Reo National Trust. He is a kaumātua in Napier and has advocated for whanau, hapu and iwi as a kaiako and coach to the Hawke’s Bay District Health Board and Chair of the Pukemokimoki Marae since the 1990s. In his role as a kaiako he has supported many tamariki and their whanau to learn about their Māori culture. He has supported the Napier office of the Ministry of Education over the last decade and has led cultural and learning development for staff and students, including overnight stays at local marae. At the Maraenui Rugby and Sports Association committee, Mr Aranui has coached children from disadvantaged backgrounds.
The Queen’s Service Medal:
BARTLEY, Mr Robert William
For services to the community
Mr Robert Bartley is a Whanganui-based businessman who has contributed to a range of organisations in his local community.
Mr Bartley has been actively involved in sponsoring several community events in Whanganui. He has provided financial support for the Whanganui Sports and Business Awards and several fundraising events. He contributes to numerous community organisations, including the Whanganui Rugby Club, the Sarjeant Art Gallery, the Waimarie Paddle Steamer, the Whanganui Brass Band, the Splash Centre and the Whanganui Bike Park. He has financially supported a wide variety of sports and sportspeople across Whanganui Hockey, Cricket, Squash, Athletics and Motorsport. He helped establish INTRANZ, which provides young people in the Whanganui community with training and career pathways and has made significant contributions to local schools for technology development. He was recently awarded the Judith Timpany Award by the Whanganui business community which acknowledges significant contributions to the community by a local business person. Mr Bartley's financial support has also enabled young rugby players from Ireland, Fiji and Canada to visit and play rugby in Whanganui.
The Queen’s Service Medal:
BEETHAM, Mrs Joanna Margaret (Jo)
For services to the community and the arts
Mrs Jo Beetham has been involved in the Wairarapa community for more than 40 years in a variety of roles.
Mrs Beetham’s early contributions involved working with the disabled through Home of Compassion from 1978 to 1988 and setting up Riding for the Disabled, where she worked from 1972 to 1987. She was a victim support volunteer with the New Zealand Police from 2015 to 2017 and carried out home visits to elderly people with the Accredited Visiting Service between 2009 and 2011. She has been Chair of the Friends of Aratoi Museum of Art and History from 2011 to 2015. She took on the role during an unstable period for Friends of Aratoi and led a restructure of the organisation and re-established a professional relationship with the Aratoi Board and staff. She and her husband have staged Opera in the Woolshed concerts on their farm as part of the Kokomai programme and she initiated the Scarecrow Festival with the farming community throughout South Wairarapa. She has been a Trustee of the Wairarapa Arts Festival Trust for three years and Chair since 2018. As a Trustee Mrs Beetham organised two mural artist workshops for at-risk children and two permanent art works for public spaces in Masterton.
The Queen’s Service Medal:
BEGG, Mrs Adrienne Elizabeth
For services to sport and the community
Mrs Adrienne Begg has been involved with her local Kirwee community through a range of roles with sports and community organisations since the 1960s.
Mrs Begg was Secretary of the Courtenay Agricultural and Pastoral Association from 1982 to 2014, served as President in 2015 and remains a committee member. She was a member of the Kirwee Reserve Board from 1962 to 2007. She has been caretaker of the Kirwee Community Hall since 1960 and Secretary since 2001. She was actively involved in the raising of $400,000 to upgrade the hall. She has been Secretary/Treasurer of St George’s Anglican Church in Kirwee since 2009 and is Vestry representative to Malvern Anglican Parish. She was Secretary/Treasurer of the Kirwee Hockey Club from 1964 to 1998 and served as President of Malvern Hockey. She coached primary and senior teams, was a selector for Malvern Hockey, and a New Zealand B Grade Umpire for national tournaments. She has held a range of roles with the Kirwee Tennis Club since the 1960s, including Club Captain, coach, and representative player. She was a foundation member of Malvern Squash in 1974 and was President from 1985 to 1986. Mrs Begg organised midweek ladies squash and served on the Canterbury Squash Committee.
The Queen’s Service Medal:
BERNASCONI, Mrs Maree Helen
For services to netball
Mrs Maree Bernasconi has supported the sporting community at a local and regional level in the Franklin district.
Mrs Bernasconi has held many governance and administrative roles with the Pukekohe Netball Centre Executive over a number of years, including as an Executive Member from 1995 to 2004 and as Executive President from 1998 to 2002. She continues to serve as Office Administrator for the club, a role she has held since 2004. She was an Elected Board Member for Netball Counties Manukau from 2005 to 2014. In the 1990s, she volunteered as a coach co-ordinator for both the Pukekohe Netball Centre and Counties Netball Union. She has played a key role in raising money and securing sponsorship for local sports organisations, contributing sound financial skills. She has raised funds to rebuild the Pukekohe Netball complex in 2001, extend and resurface the courts, and build a canopy cover over four of the courts. Her involvement has played an integral part in raising more than $6 million for the community. She has assisted many other sporting organisations in the Pukekohe community with funding and grant applications. Mrs Bernasconi has also established and implemented coaching clinics in Pukekohe and runs a summer social netball league.
The Queen’s Service Medal:
BICKNELL, Mr Andrew Paul
For services to music
Mr Andrew Bicknell has run the Wellington Bluegrass Society since establishing it in 1990.
Over the last 28 years Mr Bicknell has established an internationally recognised venue and following for performers to showcase their music. He has organised at least two concerts every month featuring local, national and international performers. Whilst having bluegrass as a base, his stage has extended to a wide range of high calibre performers of music genres. He has coordinated all bookings and negotiations with artists and service providers alike, then for each show has handled all bookings and ticketing himself. All profits for every show have been given to the performers concerned, to recognise each with the maximum return possible. On top of this, he also writes and sends regular newsletters, creates the graphic design needs for every aspect of the Society, creates website content, organises workshops and music camps for the teaching of instruments and voice, has helped connect those who need tuition or instrument repairs, and has been a point of contact for those wanting information or assistance with the music. Mr Bicknell has encouraged many others to take up instruments, develop their voices, form bands and helped to give them the chance to perform.
The Queen’s Service Medal:
BODELL, Mr Eric William
For services to broadcasting
Mr Eric Bodell is responsible for the establishment and success of the community radio station Radio Woodville, which celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2018.
Mr Bodell has volunteered in the Woodville community for more than 25 years and is synonymous with Radio Woodville. A local business owner, he formed the Woodville Radio Society in June 1998 and used his technical knowledge of television and radio broadcasting to guide people as the transmission station was built. He found a suitable site, obtained the broadcasting licence, raised funds to purchase equipment, and wired the studio equipment to broadcast. He then recruited and trained volunteer announcers. Radio Woodville broadcasts updates on local water and fire restrictions, plays easy-listening music, writes and plays advertisements for local businesses, gives school students live radio experience, and has resulted in volunteers going on to careers in radio. He remains the Station Manager and Chair of the Radio Woodville Society and continues to innovate, leading a project to purchase and outfit a radio caravan for outside broadcasts and Civil Defence roles, and taking the station online via internet streaming. Mr Bodell has also helped three further radio stations become established at Dannevirke, Eketahuna and Ashhurst.
The Queen’s Service Medal:
BRYCE-CHAPMAN, Ms Janferié, JP
For services to seniors
Ms Janferié Bryce-Chapman has worked as the Executive Officer of Age Concern North Shore since 1990 and has been involved in a wide range of initiatives and organisations that provide support to older people.
As Executive Officer, Ms Bryce-Chapman manages 12 staff and more than 250 volunteers. She is responsible for managing an Accredited Visitors Service, an Elder Abuse Response service, and a Health Promotion programme on behalf of seven Northern Age Concern organisations. For more than 30 years she has been a key player in community work on the North Shore with 25 different community governance committees. Her roles have included serving as Chair of the Health Promotion Forum of New Zealand, President of the North Shore branch of National Council of Women, and Treasurer of New Zealand Association of Gerontology. Ms Bryce-Chapman was part of a community-led response encouraging Auckland Council to implement the Positive Ageing Strategy. These efforts resulted in the opening of the Positive Ageing Centre in Takapuna in 2007, which continues to provide a hub for social and learning activities for Chinese, Korean and other seniors groups.
The Queen’s Service Medal:
BUCKLEY, Mr Roy James
For services to the craft of woodturning
Mr Roy Buckley has been involved in woodturning for 35 years.
Mr Buckley helped found the West Auckland Woodturners Guild in 1983 and has served as President. He organised meetings and night classes at Green Bay High School until a club room became available. These classes led to the establishment of four other clubs around Auckland. He started Saturday engineering days where he showed how to manufacture new tools and chucks to simplify woodturning. He constructed and maintained 24 lathes at his own expense, which he has taken around schools to promote woodturning, as well as giving seminars and demonstrations around Auckland. He is currently a member of Franklin Woodturners and runs a programme for Year 10 students at Waiuku College, as well as at Waipipi and Awhitu Schools. He has been a judge at Kawerau National Woodskills Festival for 16 years and Chief Judge for 10 of those years. He helped establish the biannual competition at Waitara and judged the inaugural year. He was recognised by the National Association of Woodturners in 1993 for his efforts in promoting woodturning in schools. Within the wider community Mr Buckley has been a caring caller for St John for 17 years and a member and President of the Matakawau Boat Club committee.
The Queen’s Service Medal:
BYGRAVE, Mrs Christine Carol
For services to the community
Mrs Christine Bygrave has been involved at a senior level with a number of organisations within the Mangawhai/Hakaru community for many years.
Mrs Bygrave has been involved with the Mangawhai Historical Society from its early days, when a new museum was conceived. She was involved with fundraising, commissioning, and completing the new museum, which opened in 2014. She was instrumental in establishing a fund to add regular sponsorship and return on endowments to the museum’s operational budget. She continues as an active volunteer and Chair of the Board. She is also a trustee of a Pioneer Village project situated next to the museum. She has been an active member of the Mangawhai Golf Club for 30 years and served in a number of committee roles. She was the first female President from 2003 to 2004 and led the celebrations for the club’s silver jubilee. She has played the organ for services at the Kaiwaka St Paul’s Church for many years and leads the Mangawhai Singers who present concerts as fundraisers for various community causes. She helped to establish the Hakaru Pony Club, and Pony Club events are held at a venue on her farm. Mrs Bygrave was the Chairperson of the Otamatea High School Board of Trustees from 1983 to 1988.
The Queen’s Service Medal:
CAMERON, Mr Fraser Logan
For services to the community and theatre
Mr Fraser Cameron has been involved with numerous local and community organisations in Ōpōtiki since the 1960s.
Mr Cameron has been actively involved with the Ōpōtiki and Districts 10,000 Club, which has promoted Ōpōtiki and the surrounding district since 1960. He served his first term as President from 1974 to 1976, held a second term in the 1990s, and remains on the committee today. He joined the Ōpōtiki Chamber of Commerce in 1964 to encourage growth in Ōpōtiki businesses and community. He chaired the Nukutere Scout committee. He was a founding member of the Ōpōtiki De Luxe Theatre Community Trust in 1979 and has been involved in several capacities, including providing maintenance and lighting for the theatre, and serving as treasurer, secretary and president of the Trust. He is also a trustee of the Ōpōtiki Drama and Education Charitable Trust, which owns and operates lighting and sound equipment on behalf of the community. He was president of the Ōpōtiki Rotary Club from 1985 to 1986 and 2005 to 2006, and club treasurer from 2016 to 2018. Mr Cameron is a member of the Returned and Services Association and for the last 30 years he has provided the sound system used for the Ōpōtiki Anzac Day parades and Armistice Day services.
The Queen’s Service Medal:
CELLIERS, Mrs Diane Marcelle (Di)
For services to the community
Mrs Di Celliers is responsible for creating the charity Community Fruit Harvesting, a not-for-profit organisation that gives fruit and preserves to charities, schools, food banks, community groups, and families in need.
Mrs Celliers had the idea for the charity when working on building a community garden in 2011. She discovered a large number of neighbourhood fruit trees that had fruit being wasted, and looked for ways to make use of that fruit for those in need, such as making jams and preserves. The idea spread quickly, with a range of Auckland-area families and organisations getting involved. Further groups have since been established around the country. Community Fruit Harvesting now has more than 400 volunteers, including 80 preserve makers making more than 7,000 jars annually, and won the New Zealand Community of the Year category in the 2016 Kiwibank New Zealander of the Year awards. Mrs Celliers’ charity aims to share excess, prevent waste, and help others with the proceeds. Her enthusiasm for her charitable work has drawn in a wide range of volunteers, she has used media and social media to gain support and visibility for the work, and Mrs Celliers has worked hard to connect the groups who can benefit from the surplus fruit with those who produce it.
The Queen’s Service Medal:
CHARLES, Mrs Dorothy May (Dot)
For services to the community
Mrs Dot Charles has volunteered her time to support her local Murchison community in numerous capacities and has been involved in a variety of fundraising initiatives over several decades.
In the 1960s Mrs Charles was a member on the fundraising committee of the local play centre and was a driving force in raising money for the Murchison Search and Rescue and Emergency Fund. She has organised the Murchison Health Equipment Fund to buy a defibrillator and an X-Ray machine and these efforts have led to improved health outcomes in the local community. She has played a key role since 1990 in building and maintaining the Matakitaki Willowgrove Walkway, a feature that is popular with locals and visitors. She liaised with the Department of Corrections between 2008 and 2015 to find placements for offenders carrying out community-based sentences. Mrs Charles has spent several years organising the annual Christmas parade in Murchison and she has played organ music for the inpatients at the hospital for many years.
The Queen’s Service Medal:
CHRISTIE, Mrs Shirley Lorraine, JP
For services to the community
Ms Shirley Christie has served the Whanganui community as a social worker and Justice of the Peace for more than 20 years.
Mrs Christie was an active Justice of the Peace from 1989 until transitioning to ‘JP Retired’ status in 2017. She served on the Executive of the Whanganui and District Justices of the Peace Association for 13 years, during which she also tutored JP ministerial duties, travelling to Taihape and other District Townships. She sat on the Whanganui District Court bench as a Judicial JP for 20 years and was appointed visiting JP to Whanganui and District Prisons. She served on the Local Executive and as President of Birthright Whanganui, and as Vice President of Birthright New Zealand. She is a Life Member of Birthright Whanganui and the Whanganui Justices of the Peace Association. She was a social worker in the Drug and Alcohol assessment unit at the Whanganui Hospital for 15 years and an executive member of the Alcohol and Drug Education Committee. Mrs Christie was also on the formation committee for Wanganui’s first Women’s Refuge and was Chairperson for the Whanganui Medical Foundation.
The Queen’s Service Medal:
COWLEY, Mr Garth William
For services to Fire and Emergency New Zealand and the community
Mr Garth Cowley was employed with Fire and Emergency New Zealand from 1976 until his retirement in 2017.
During this time Mr Cowley contributed to the welfare and safety of other firefighters in Auckland, carrying out many voluntary tasks that were over and above his normal duties. Notably this included running the Auckland Metropolitan Fire Brigade Welfare Society. He would make hospital and home visits, mow lawns, tidy sections, and run errands to support sick and injured firefighters. He also serves as a trainer, guide and volunteer for Achilles New Zealand and the Royal New Zealand Foundation for the Blind, helping athletes with a wide range of physical, intellectual and sensory disabilities to participate in local, national, and international running events, such as the New York Marathon. He also provides support with driving, garden maintenance and fundraising for the Blind Foundation. Mr Cowley organised, coached and refereed a rugby league team of inmates from Auckland’s Paremoremo Prison, enabling them to participate in a meaningful sporting activity.
The Queen’s Service Medal:
COX, Mr Peter Antony
For services to sport, particularly hockey
Mr Peter Cox has contributed to sporting communities in Canterbury over a number of decades.
Throughout his career, he has advised on boards for private sector companies, state owned enterprises, and other public entities. He has dedicated his expertise as a professional director to promoting and developing hockey in the Canterbury region. He was a founding trustee and board member of the New Zealand Academy of Sport – South Island in 1999 until it merged into the Crown entity High Performance Sport New Zealand in 2011, where he continued to serve as a board member until 2015. After the Christchurch earthquakes, he undertook a number of volunteer positions to support the hockey community. He is a trustee and treasurer of the Canterbury Artificial Surfaces Trust that leads the reconstruction of hockey facilities throughout Christchurch. He is also a trustee-designate for the Nga Puna Wai Sports Hub Trust, a new fifty-three million dollar sports facility sponsored by the City Council. Mr Cox has contributed to New Zealand’s military history with two books on New Zealand’s involvement in the Middle East during World War II, “Good Luck to all the Lads” (2008) and “Desert War – the Battle of Sidi Rezegh” (2015).
The Queen’s Service Medal:
CRANEFIELD, Mr Mervyn John
For services to Scouting and the community
Mr Mervyn Cranefield has volunteered in the Otago and wider New Zealand community for 68 years.
Mr Cranefield has had a key role in supporting the Scouting movement, serving as Otago Area Training Leader, the Otago Area Treasurer and Secretary, and Honorary Commissioner. He was awarded Life Membership of Scouting New Zealand in 2013. He was a member of the National Training Team on courses held at Tatum Park, Levin from 1967 to 1984. His training helped to develop young individuals into effective cub and scout leaders. He has spent decades training and monitoring generations of Scout leaders and has helped to modernise methods by developing new activities. He assisted with extending Scouting opportunities for Otago youth by helping establish the first three cub packs in Alexandra in 1956. Since 1982 he has provided voluntary auditing services to many Otago community groups. He contributed to conservation through the Yellow Eyed Penguin Trust by volunteering as Treasurer from 1990 to 2000. In this position he introduced financial and accounting systems. He has supported the development and sustainability of the Performing Arts in Dunedin by providing guidance as a voluntary Treasurer, board member and President of the Dunedin Sinfonia. Mr Cranefield has similarly assisted a number of other voluntary organisations.
The Queen’s Service Medal:
DICKSON, Mrs Carol Anne
For services to the community
Mrs Carol Dickson was a coordinator for 22 years for Neighbourhood Support with Papakura District Council, and the Auckland Council, until her retirement in 2015.
Mrs Dickson created a large network of residents, and supported them with tools and networking skills to support their communities, and the local Police. She was the foundation Secretary of Neighbourhood Support New Zealand Inc., and served in this volunteer role for eight years. She also established the Papakura Community Crimewatch Patrol to build a safer Papakura community. She is a Volunteer Trustee to the national organisation Community Patrols of New Zealand, where she holds the role of Secretary. In 2017 she was awarded a certificate of service for 15 years of dedicated service with the Community Patrols of New Zealand. She is also a Justice of the Peace, and regularly attends JP clinic days in Pukekohe. Mrs Dickson has also been involved in local badminton clubs, both as a player and as Secretary, President, and organiser.
The Queen’s Service Medal:
DOBSON, Mrs Bronwyn Tracey (Bonnie)
For services to Fire and Emergency New Zealand and the community
Mrs Bonnie Dobson has been a volunteer operational support senior firefighter with the Matata Volunteer Fire Brigade since 1998.
Mrs Dobson had previously been involved with administration and secretarial work for the Brigade for 17 years before becoming an official member of the Brigade. She played a key role in the Matata Brigade becoming a Medical First Responder Brigade in 2004, having been involved in fundraising for a specific vehicle and equipment. She completed a pre-hospital emergency care course in 2006 and in 2009 joined St John Whakatane as a Volunteer First Responder Ambulance Officer. She later qualified as an Emergency Medical Technician and has been employed as an Ambulance Officer since 2014. Immediately following the 2005 Matata Floods she played a significant role in the establishment of a recording system to account for every person in the township and where they were evacuated to. She helped organise the collection of donated gear and food to supply and feed the neighbouring brigades that assisted Matata over a three week period. Mrs Dobson has been a member and Treasurer of the Board of Trustees of Matata Primary School, has worked for many years with the Matata Village Volunteer Book Exchange, and fundraised for new clubrooms for the Matata Rugby and Sports Club.
The Queen’s Service Medal:
FAWCETT, Mr Edward Colban (Eddie)
For services to the sport of woodchopping
Mr Eddie Fawcett has played a key role in developing the sport of woodchopping.
Originally a sawdoctor, Mr Fawcett established his company Tuatahi Racing Axes & Saws Ltd., manufacturing axes and saws for woodchopping competitors throughout New Zealand, and 30 other countries, including the United States Army for use in their survival schools. His products have advanced the sport and he ensures they are continually developed to the highest standard. Within the local community he established the Masterton Axemen’s Club and has organised many events and competitions, including some with international competitors. He formed the New Zealand Juniors, which develops and promotes Junior woodchopping throughout New Zealand and contributes to the future of the sport. He has coached and trained young axemen not only in the Wairarapa community, but throughout New Zealand, several of whom have become members of the New Zealand Juniors Under 21 Woodchopping Team, competing both nationally and overseas. Mr Fawcett continues to support Junior woodchopping today throughout New Zealand and internationally.
The Queen’s Service Medal:
HAULANGI, Ms Fala
For services to the Pacific community and workers' rights
Ms Fala Haulangi has been a long-standing advocate for workers' rights, Pacific peoples, women and the Tuvaluan community in New Zealand.
Ms Haulangi has been a union organiser and Komiti Pasifika member with the Service and Food Workers Union (now E tū) since 2001, participating in high profile campaigns as a union representative including Living Wage, Equal Pay, migrant workers' rights, and climate change. She has served on boards and advisory groups that contribute to worker rights, Pacific wellbeing and Pacific women’s rights, including as a Tuvalu representative on the Auckland City Council Pasifika Advisory Board in 2006 and the Community Reference Group for the Ministry of Pacific Island Affairs in 2008. She served on the Police Pacific Advisory Group for the Auckland District. She currently represents E tū and the Pacific voice in the Temporary Migrant Workers Exploitation Community Group with the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment. She has recently been a Board member of the Migrant Action Trust in Auckland. She has profiled Pacific women as co-convenor of the Pacific Women’s Watch (New Zealand) Inc., a group that monitors, reviews and reports on the status of women in the Asia-Pacific region. Ms Haulangi is a weekly radio announcer for the Tuvaluan radio programme on Radio531PI.
The Queen’s Service Medal:
HOGGARD, Mr Leonard Russell (Russ)
For services to athletics
Mr Russ Hoggard has been an athletics coach for young New Zealanders for more than 60 years.
Mr Hoggard began to coach athletics in 1958 and carried out the majority of his work on a voluntary basis until funding became available for a modest retainer when he retired from his work as a salesman. He has coached thousands of athletes from community and club level, to secondary school national competitions, and to national and international success. He runs a specialised development programme year round to ensure that athletes maintain and build upon their fitness throughout the year. His coaching skills have been used in different contexts and he regularly adapts training sessions to include athletes from sports such as cricket, rugby, and hockey. He has worked in sport in the South Auckland and Waitakere regions. Mr Hoggard, at 89-years old, continues to coach a large squad of development teenagers and works regularly at the Millennium Centre.
The Queen’s Service Medal:
HORLOR, Mrs Valmai Joyce
For services to the community
Mrs Valmai Horlor has served the Linwood community in Christchurch.
Mrs Horlor volunteered as treasurer of the Linwood Avenue Community Corner Trust from 1998 to 2018, where she was responsible for staff employment, programme funding and accounts. In addition, she has been a foster parent to numerous children over many years through Catholic Social Services, Child Youth and Family, St John of God, and Methodist Children’s Home. She has volunteered as a prisoner support person for Pathway Trust from 2006 to 2018. She has also volunteered as national treasurer of the Methodist Women’s Fellowship from 2006 to 2008 and from 2016 to 2018, and has formerly been treasurer for the Linwood Avenue Union Church. She was treasurer of the Girls and Boys Brigade in Linwood from 1974 to 2008. Mrs Horlor has been recognised by various organisations for her community service.
The Queen’s Service Medal:
HOWELL, Mrs Anne Lorraine
For services to the community and education
Mrs Anne Howell has been involved in the education community in the Anchorage Park School area in Pakuranga, Auckland, since 1981.
Mrs Howell was a member of the Anchorage Park Kindergarten Committee, and foundation member and Secretary of the Anchorage Park School Board of Trustees. She has served on the Board continuously since 1989, and has been the Board Chairperson since 2006. Her support and advocacy was instrumental in the retention of the Anchorage Park Community Centre on the grounds of the School. This Community Centre continues to thrive today and offers a much needed facility and support for the local community. Her key responsibilities on the Board have included management of the School’s property projects and school security. She is the first point of contact for the security monitoring service, for community users of the school pool in the weekends and over the summer holiday break, and for users of the school hall after hours. She also served on the Pakuranga Intermediate School Board of Trustees from 1992 to 1998 and on the Edgewater College Board from 1998 to 2004. Mrs Howell has been the Chairperson of the Farm Cove Scout Group since 2016.
The Queen’s Service Medal:
JACK, Mr Neville Thomas
For services to the community
Mr Neville Jack has held several leadership positions in community organisations within Hamilton.
Mr Jack has been a Board member of Tamahere Eventide Home and Village since 1994 and Chair since 1998. During his tenure the Village has increased its value significantly and he has volunteered his time to assist in the planning and design of the new dementia wing and hospital, as well as overseeing the development of affordable rental units for older people on limited income. He is also a trustee and Board member of the Tidd Foundation Inc., a charitable Trust with assets of $14 million that provides support to 41 New Zealand charities. He has also held numerous positions within the Hamilton East Methodist Parish and he supervised the demolition of the old church and the construction and design of a new church, which has won three awards for its architecture. Mr Jack has been a member and President of East Hamilton Lions Club, where he supported community projects and fundraising efforts.
The Queen’s Service Medal:
KERSHAW, Mr Sydney Tamou
For services to Māori performing arts and the community
Mr Sydney Kershaw is a Kaumatua of Ngati Ruanui who has set up and supported many kapa haka and toi whakaari groups with the aim of keeping Māori traditions alive.
Mr Kershaw is a founding member of the Patea Māori Club and tutor of the Club’s Taranaki Ki Te Tonga Taikura group. He has formed Kapa Haka and performing arts groups in the places he has resided, from South Taranaki to Bay of Islands, and in 2018 was awarded a Tohu Motuhake for his long service to Te Matatini Kapa Haka Festival. He is a Justice of the Peace and assisted in establishing the South Taranaki Police Advisory Board, acting as a conduit and helping change the way Police deal with Māori victims and offenders, and provided tikanga advice and support to New Zealand Police. Mr Kershaw is a voluntary Minita-a-Iwi for the Methodist Church, travelling between New Plymouth and Wellington to administer karakia and weekly church services, and provides regular pastoral care to patients at both Hawera and Taranaki Base Hospitals.
The Queen’s Service Medal:
KOLK, Ms Joyce-Rewa (Joyce)
For services to conservation
Ms Joyce Kolk is a keen driver of conservation efforts in Southland and for the past 12 years she has run roadside clean-ups as well as organising four major clean-ups in Fiordland and the west coast of Stewart Island.
Ms Kolk plays a key role in procuring stores, pre-cooking meals and catering for volunteers during clean-up operations. She has arranged sponsored beanies, gloves, knives, sacks and fadges from various companies, as well as high visibility sponsored t-shirts for volunteers. She organises transports logistics with Southland companies for transporting volunteers to clean-up locations and for the rubbish collected during clean-ups. She also secures funding and donations from businesses in the Fiordland and Southland areas for the clean-up operations. The success of these operations has attracted volunteers from around the country to participate. The 2018 beach clean-up from East Ruggedy to Doughboy on Stewart Island collected 16.5 tonnes of rubbish and was featured in the final episode of the television programme ‘Ocean Bounty’. She is heavily involved with running mustelid traps down the Wairuahiri River in Southern Fiordland, as well as a trap line on the Hump Ridge Track to Port Craig. Ms Kolk is a Trustee of the Southern Coastal Charitable Trust and was an administrator of the South West New Zealand Endangered Species Charitable Trust for 12 years.
The Queen’s Service Medal:
LEE, Mr Bak Fong (Peter)
For services to horticulture and the community
Mr Peter Lee is a former commercial vegetable grower and is recognised as an industry leader in innovation, particularly the development of superior seed and plant production.
From 1980 to 2006 Mr Lee was a director of the North Otago Growers Co-op. He was President of the North Otago Vegetable and Potato Growers Association for six years, and was made a Life Member in 2007. When he was appointed to the Vegfed Fresh Vegetable Sector he was the first Chinese grower to represent a district association at the national level. He has been the President and Secretary of the Oamaru Branch of the New Zealand Chinese Association for more than 30 years. He has assisted many members of the Chinese community with translation and support, and has been responsible for organising cultural events such as the August Moon and Chinese New Year Festivals. In 1988 he participated in a community service project, the Chinese garden in the Oamaru gardens, which was formally opened in 1995. He was a member of the Totara School Parent Teacher Association from 1975 to 1990, and was instrumental in obtaining a free school bus and fundraising for the school's first computers. Mr Lee was previously a Trustee of the Waitaki Health Board.
The Queen’s Service Medal:
MACTAVISH, Mr Dugald Ian Dunlop
For services to conservation and the environment
Mr Dugald MacTavish, a trained geohydrologist and water engineer, has volunteered his time and expertise to support conservation and sustainability organisations in New Zealand over several decades.
In 1998, Mr MacTavish started the Dunedin branch of Oxfam Water-for-Survival, a New Zealand charity that fundraises for water-supply and sanitation in developing countries. In 2003, he helped form Waitaki First Society to oppose Project Aqua, and in 2005, the Lower Waitaki River Management Society, providing hydrological expertise and evidence at hearings on behalf of the Society. From 2006 to 2007, he initiated Sustainable Dunedin City and the Hampden Community Energy Societies, both of which focus on enhancing community resilience. Under his chairmanship, the Hampden society operates Hampden Waste Transfer Station, raising funds for local projects from a recycling shop, one being the purchase of an electric car for shared community use. In 2013, he helped establish the Wise Response Society, a coalition of academics and other NGOs that advocates planning for approaching natural resource limits, like fossil energy, carbon dioxide, freshwater and the socio-economic implications. As national secretary, Mr MacTavish has dedicated many hours to building the Society's national network, organising regional seminars and workshops and helping prepare its submissions to Councils, the Environment Court and to Parliament.
The Queen’s Service Medal:
MALUA, Mrs Sagaa
For services to the Tuvaluan community
Mrs Sagaa Malua has served the Tuvaluan community in Auckland and in Tuvalu for more than 30 years, often on an unpaid basis, across not-for-profit organisations, committee memberships, through academic research projects, and previously as a secondary teacher.
Mrs Malua was a Treasurer of the Tuvalu Auckland Community Trust from 2004 to 2012 and has continued as Secretary of the Trust since 2012, where she co-ordinated programmes designed to improve the wellbeing of the Tuvalu community. She has undertaken and participated in research projects on the Tuvalu community with the University of Auckland and supported programmes focused on education and social services outcomes to benefit families, their communities and Pacific students. Such programmes include the Achieving Through Pacific Languages Project from 2013 to 2016, Ranui PowerUp since 2016, which assists Ranui Pasifika students' academic achievement, as well as a Financial Capability and Literacy Programme for young people and families. Her work has frequently involved building relationships between the Tuvalu community and government agencies. From 2008 to 2015, she served as a member of the Minister of Pacific Island Affairs Advisory Council and a member of the Ministry of Education Northern Region Pasifika Advisory Group. Mrs Malua co-ordinates the annual Tuvalu Language Week and Tuvalu Independence Day for the Tuvalu Auckland Community Trust.
The Queen’s Service Medal:
MARJORIBANKS, Mr Christopher Bailey (Chris), JP
For services to youth and the community
Mr Chris Marjoribanks has contributed to his local community of Kawerau for several decades.
Mr Marjoribanks has supported several initiatives within the Kawerau community that provide support to the vulnerable. In 2011, following a spike in teenage suicides in Kawerau, he led the implementation of strategies to identify and support at risk young people who were experiencing poor mental health and suicide ideation. This included the establishment of a core clinical group that provided support to at risk youth and adults. He has helped co-ordinate a collaborative response to address methamphetamine use and related community issues. This included sourcing funding from the Bay of Plenty District Health Board for addiction services and support initiatives. He has held several leadership positions in community organisations and is current Chair of Mataatua Sports Trust and Trustee of Rautahi Community Marae and Maruhaeremuri Hapu Trust. Mr Marjoribanks is also a Trustee of multiple Māori land trusts, a second term Kawerau District Councillor, and a Justice of the Peace.
The Queen’s Service Medal:
MARTIN, Ms Deborah Jane (Debs)
For services to conservation
Ms Debs Martin has held several roles at Forest and Bird and has led a number of environmental campaigns focused on conservation efforts.
Ms Martin has served as Forest and Bird’s Regional Manager for the Top of the South Island since 2004, a position that has extended her responsibilities both locally and nationally. She led the Society’s successful campaign and appeal to the Environment Court opposing the construction of a dam on the Mokihinui River, now in Kahurangi National Park. She campaigned for the protection of the Denniston Plateau from coal mining, and is presently leading Forest and Bird’s campaign to prevent further mining on conservation land. Regionally she supports local Forest and Bird branch members with their projects and commitments, and runs the project to save long-tailed bats at Pelorus Bridge Scenic Reserve in Marlborough. Since 2015 she has volunteered as the Chair and Director of the Nelson Organic Co-op, a community-owned organic food co-operative and shop. Ms Martin is Forest and Bird’s representative on a number of working groups led by Tasman District Council and Nelson City Council, such as Native Habitats Tasman and the Nelson Biodiversity Forum.
The Queen’s Service Medal:
MASON, Mr Alastair Gordon
For services to philanthropy and the community
Mr Alastair Mason has contributed personally and through various business interests to a range of community and sports organisations in the Warkworth and North Rodney area for many years.
Mr Mason helped the Jane Gifford Restoration Trust with the rebuild of the Historic scow used around the Warkworth area 100 years ago. He assisted with the Rebuild of the Warkworth Town wharf where the ‘Jane Gifford’ is now berthed and used as a tourist attraction sailing up and down the Mahurangi River. He instigated and financed a programme to supply Automated External Defibrillator (AED) units in conjunction with St John to local sporting and community organisations. He was a major financial contributor to the construction of the new Warkworth / Wellsford Hospice house. He has assisted many local sports and community clubs both financially and with material and equipment. He has a special interest in helping promote and fund local youth initiatives such as Spring Board, Bluelight, Scouts, Kowhai Coast Youth, and a number of others. Mr Mason has been committee member of various sporting, community and business organisations over the years.
The Queen’s Service Medal:
MATAITI, Mrs Tina
For services to the Pacific community and health
Mrs Tina Mataiti is an advocate for the wellbeing of Pacific people with disabilities and older Pacific people, in the South Auckland region.
Mrs Mataiti is the main carer for her husband, who suffered a spinal injury and has been wheelchair-bound since 1998. Her personal experience with disabilities has driven her to advocate for vulnerable members of the community, particularly older Pacific people and those with disabilities. She has developed Older Peoples Day Programmes, allowing older people to participate in daily activities, including weaving and other arts and crafts. In her professional life, she provides disability information and support for Vaka Tautua, a health and social service provider for Pacific people, particularly older people, those with disabilities and those needing support with mental health. She was influential in the development of the Pacific Financial Literacy Programme, which has won several national awards. Mrs Mataiti is also a member of the Workbridge Community Council, representing Pacific and Disability, assisting those with a disability, injury or illness into employment.
The Queen’s Service Medal:
MCLEAY, Mr Roderick Andrew
For services to music and education
Mr Roderick McLeay volunteered as conductor of the Auckland Youth Symphonic Band (AYSB) from 1977 until his retirement in 2018, and has taught brass and woodwind instruments as an extra-curricular activity at various primary and intermediate schools from 1966 until the present day.
Mr McLeay conducted first the Recorder Group and later the Concert Band at the Auckland Primary Principals' Association (APPA) Music Festival for forty-three years. He was also involved as a teacher, choir trainer, conductor and administrator with a number of other activities such as school assemblies, operetta productions and ANZAC services. Because of limited school resources, he supplied instruments for children and organised an annual Music Camp for Bruce McLaren Intermediate School students. After his retirement, he continued his involvement with children's music at the APPA Music Course and Music Festival, and with the AYSB. Mr McLeay has also been involved as a performer and musical director of musical theatre productions in Auckland.
The Queen’s Service Medal:
MILNE, Ms Julia Margaret
For services to the community
Ms Julia Milne is the Founder of the Common Unity Project Aotearoa, a community based urban development project established in 2012.
Under Ms Milne`s leadership, the project has grown into 14 different community enterprises that address community issues and challenges, with more than 300 people involved. The project began by working closely with Epuni School to establish a micro farm ensuring local children and families could be fed. There are now 11 micro farms across the Hutt Valley, including Rimutaka Prison where she tutors weekly. The project has delivered more than nine tonnes of produce back to an off grid kitchen that was built in 2018, with hundreds of meals now made available each week to schools and the community. Ms Milne was awarded the Sustainability Champion Award 2014, the Transforming Food Award 2017 from the Sustainable Business Network, the New Zealand Gardener magazine Wellington Gardener of the Year 2011, and a Kiwibank Local Hero Award in 2012.
The Queen’s Service Medal:
MORTENSEN, Mrs Josephine Hinehou, JP
For services to Māori and the arts
Mrs Josephine Mortensen taught art for 35 years at Ōpōtiki College until her retirement in 2002.
Mrs Mortensen has an extensive history of involvement with many aspects of iwi Māori affairs across the Ōpōtiki district, and is a constant campaigner for Māori history, art, language, health and education. She is currently a trustee of Ōpōtiki Community Health Trust, Hiwarau Trust, Kutarere Marae, Whakatōhea Māori Trust Board, and treasurer of the Whakatōhea Research and Archives Trust, which has a permanent display at the Ōpōtiki Museum. She is a Life Member of the Māori Women’s Welfare League and Matatini New Zealand, and was a Te Mana Matauranga member of the Waiariki Institute of Technology for 15 years. She has been a Justice of the Peace for 34 years. Mrs Mortensen was President of Grey Power Ōpōtiki from 2016 to 2019 and the Charter President of Quota International Ōpōtiki branch.
The Queen’s Service Medal:
NORRIE, Mr Martyn John
For services to the community
Mr Martyn Norrie has had a successful career in the insurance sector and has helped to support numerous not-for-profit organisations.
Mr Norrie was CEO of Cunningham Lindsey New Zealand for 15 years helped to negotiate complex complaints as Chairman following the Christchurch earthquakes. He has volunteered his time to assist not-for-profit organisations. In 1989 he helped found Parachute Music, a charitable music organisation that hosted an annual festival until 2014. He has served on the board of Carey Baptist College for 20 years and personally mentored the College’s leadership staff. He is currently the Chair of the Sports Chaplaincy New Zealand board and is a key driver behind their goal of offering free pastoral care to New Zealand sportspeople. He has provided leadership advice to the organisation’s CEOs. Since 2014, he has been on the board of Arrow Leadership, a group that provides leadership and training to church leaders throughout New Zealand, and has used his leadership skills to improve the organisation’s board structure and operation. In 2013 Mr Norrie received the insurance industry’s Lifetime Achievement award in recognition of his contributions.
The Queen’s Service Medal:
O'BRIEN, Mr Gary Joseph
For services to youth and the community
Mr Gary O’Brien is a former social worker who has been the guidance counsellor at Horowhenua College in Levin since 1999 and has been an active participant in a number of local sporting and cultural community groups since the mid-1980s.
At the College Mr O’Brien has overseen Stage Challenge performances for many years. He helped develop and manages the CYN Concert (Celebrating Youth NUA), an annual music and dance event for the local primary schools and two local colleges. Through fundraising he has enabled many youths to participate in activities that they would not normally have had the opportunity to experience. He has been involved with the Levin Soccer Club and Levin Old Boys Cricket Clubs since 1984, as a player, manager, and coach. He was also club president of the Levin Soccer Club from 2002 to 2009. He is well regarded as a hands-on person and recently took on a voluntary leadership role in the completion of an all-purpose indoor facility at Donnelly Park, Levin. He has held various roles within the Levin Performing Arts Society over the last 30 years, including production director, stage manager, and catering manager. Mr O’Brien has been a Eucharistic Minister and musician for Saint Joseph’s Catholic Church since 1984.
The Queen’s Service Medal:
ORBELL, Ms Kathryn Jane
For services to music
Ms Kathryn Orbell has been a driving force in music education in the Waikato for the past 20 years.
In 1991 Ms Orbell was a founding member of Opus, the first professional Waikato/Bay of Plenty orchestra and was principal flautist until 2006. She has been the Waikato District Contest Organiser for Chamber Music New Zealand since 2003, organising the local rounds of the NZCT Chamber Music Contest for secondary school students and actively promoting the contest. This long standing, annual event is the highlight of the secondary schools’ classical musical year and the role involves a significant amount of work. For the last 12 years she has run an annual Flute Festival attended by flutists from across New Zealand. Each event features an International Guest Artist brought into the country, to teach a weekend of masterclasses, technique sessions and pedagogical lectures and recitals. Ms Orbell is also a founding member of the ensemble Waikato Baroque, a past member of both the Hamilton Civic and Anglican Cathedral choirs, and is an itinerant flute teacher in Waikato Schools.
The Queen’s Service Medal:
ORWIN, Mrs Marjorie Elizabeth
For services to the community
Mrs Marjorie Orwin has served the Linwood community in Christchurch as Chair of Linwood Avenue Community Corner Trust for more than twenty years.
Mrs Orwin was the founding Chairperson of Linwood Avenue Community Corner Trust in 1998 and has remained in this voluntary role until the present. The Trust supports the lower socioeconomic community of Linwood through education and life skills programmes, recreational activities, counselling services, a food bank and the services of a Community Family worker. In this role she has also overseen the securing of a contract with Pegasus Health for community health services enabling the local community to access health and social services through two social workers. She has also volunteered as an assistant with the 36th Christchurch Girls Brigade Company since 2000. Mrs Orwin's work was recognised by the Christchurch City Council in 2000 and Volunteer Canterbury in 2018.
The Queen’s Service Medal:
PELLOW, Mrs Lynette (Lyn)
For services to netball
Mrs Lyn Pellow has been involved with Auckland netball for 29 years across all aspects of the game.
Mrs Pellow began her involvement with Auckland Netball in 1989 as a part-time administrator. Since her retirement in 2005 she has maintained her involvement as a volunteer and continues to serve on the Games, Judiciary and Representative Committees. In 2011 she was a member of the Centennial Committee responsible for organising events to celebrate the achievement of 100 years of Auckland Netball. She has also been a regular representative for the Auckland region at the annual Netball New Zealand Council meetings. She assists with the grading of more than 900 teams at the commencement of each season and provides support for regrading as the competitions progress. She has used her experience as a judicial chair in Judiciary Hearings and she ensures that the formal complaints procedures are followed diligently. She also assists with tournament season by compiling the draws and providing volunteer support on the day. In 2012 Mrs Pellow was awarded Life Membership of the Auckland Netball Centre in recognition of her contributions.
The Queen’s Service Medal:
PERRY, Ms Lois Lee
For services to art and governance
Ms Lois Perry has actively promoted education and engagement of local communities with art in Pakuranga and the wider Auckland region for more than 40 years.
Ms Perry began her career as an art teacher at Pakuranga College where she was the Head of the Art Department for 11 years and her civic roles since have focused on art education. In 1975, she assisted the Pakuranga Arts Society with the establishment of the Pakuranga Arts Centre, New Zealand’s first purpose-built contemporary arts centre. She volunteered as the Society’s Founding President from 1981 to 1985, as a committee member from 1985 to 2002, and then in leadership and governance roles until 2017. Since its establishment in 2000, she has played a pivotal role in the development of Te Tuhi Centre for the Arts, a contemporary arts space in Pakuranga with an education facility and dedicated exhibition space. She was Chair of the Centre from 2002 to 2007, and remained as a Trustee of Te Tuhi’s governing Trusts, the Contemporary Art Foundation and the Te Tuhi Contemporary Art Trust. In 2004 Ms Perry established the ART TODAY programme at Te Tuhi, which continues to teach contemporary art to adult students to the present day.
The Queen’s Service Medal:
PIPES, Mrs Hilda Lorraine Mary
For services to the community
Mrs Hilda Pipes has led a craft group at St Mary’s Church, Northcote, for three hours on a Wednesday since 1980.
The group has participants of all ages and is valued for providing community and friendship. Many members knit woollen clothing for the neonatal unit at Auckland City Hospital. Items are also provided to groups including De Paul House, St Vincent De Paul, and Pregnancy Help. Mrs Pipes has ensured the success of the group for almost 40 years. She procures resources, and provides guidance and technical support with the crafts taught, including knitting, embroidery, and sewing. New members are made to feel welcome, and the group also supports conversational English for new immigrants.
The Queen’s Service Medal:
PRESTON-THOMAS, Mrs Dawn Frances (Danni), JP
For services to counselling and victim support
Mrs Danni Preston-Thomas has provided thirty-four years of volunteer service to vulnerable members of the Auckland community, including individuals with mental health concerns and victims of crime.
A qualified counsellor with the New Zealand Association of Counsellors, Mrs Preston-Thomas worked as a manager of Orewa Victim Support for the Rodney Police district from 1993 to 2003. Since 1983, she volunteered with the Auckland branch of Lifeline, New Zealand’s main provider of twenty-four hour helpline services, as a telephone and face-to-face counsellor. She was also a supervision group leader, assisting with the selection and training of new counsellors, and sat on a number of committees with the organisation. She is the longest serving accredited Restorative Justice facilitator with the Waitakere Restorative Justice Community Trust, volunteering in this role since 2004 when she was one of the first facilitators to undergo training. She now has a specialist endorsement from the Ministry of Justice to work on family violence cases, and leads family violence referrals. As a facilitator, she has run hundreds of restorative justice conferences, prepared court reports, and trained other volunteers. Mrs Preston-Thomas served on the Trust’s board for seven years and was a member of the Ministry of Justice Expert Panel for Domestic Violence.
The Queen’s Service Medal:
PRICE, Mr Lyndsay Neill (Neill), QFSM, JP
For services to the community
Mr Neill Price was elected to the Kaiapoi Borough Council in 1986 and following amalgamation was a Councillor with the Waimakariri District Council until 1998.
Mr Price instigated the purchase of the iconic Kaiapoi schooner MV Tuhoe in 2003 in conjunction with Mainpower and established the MV Tuhoe Kaiapoi Rivertown Trust to manage ownership. He has been a Trustee and Secretary, as well as crewing the ship to provide commentary. In 2015 the MV Tuhoe was wrecked on the Waimakariri River Bar and the Trust redesignated as the Kaiapoi Maritime Heritage Trust, where he remains a Trustee and Secretary. The Trust recently released the book ‘Taking the Bar’, a history of the Port of Kaiapoi. He has been a Board member and Chairman of Te Tohaka O Tuhaitara Trust, working to develop the Tuhaitara Coastal Reserve and walkway. He was elected President of the Kaiapoi RSA in 2012 when it was close to folding. He worked tirelessly to increase membership and to obtain support from Veteran’s Affairs, which included obtaining mobility scooters for ageing members. He had coordinated a range of local events for World War One centenary commemorations. Mr Price has been President of the Canterbury Justice of the Peace Association and Patron of the Kaiapoi Brass Band.
HONOURS
Queen’s Fire Service Medal, New Year 1986
The Queen’s Service Medal:
RACKLEY, Mr Lyndsay Arthur
For services to broadcasting
Mr Lyndsay Rackley has had a long involvement in the radio broadcasting industry since the early 1960s.
Mr Rackley began by joining the Otago Radio Association and working as a volunteer announcer on Radio Dunedin (previously 4XD). He began his professional career with Dunedin station 4XO, which was the first commercial radio station in the South Island commencing in November 1971. For decades he has continued to work closely with the Otago Radio Association and for the past 34 years has arranged for the volunteer announcers to provide their programmes during the Association’s timeslots on Radio Dunedin. He continued to work as an afternoon announcer until 2015. Mr Rackley has been voluntary Secretary of the Otago Radio Association since 1985 and voluntary announcer since 2015.
The Queen’s Service Medal:
RATIMA, Mrs Evelyn Nukumai-te-Mangai
For services to Māori and the community
Mrs Evelyn Ratima has worked to support and transform her community of Whakatu in Hawke’s Bay.
Mrs Ratima established Whakatu’s ‘Christmas in the Park’ in 2002, along with her husband Des Ratima. This community event was a response to an increase in domestic violence and suicide following the closure of the Whakatu freezing works. This has become an annual event, attended by 500 to 600 whānau. She is a trustee and treasurer of Tangoio Marae, and an active member of Te Tira Toitū te Whenua, the Hastings District Plan Cultural Values Subcommittee, and of the Hastings District Council Māori Joint Committee. She is a tutor at Whakatu’s Kōhanga Reo and supported its redevelopment. She has been a supporter of many community projects ranging from economic development plans to local festivals. Mrs Ratima is a tireless supporter and promoter of her culture and language.
The Queen’s Service Medal:
REDMOND, Mr Philip Ivan
For services to the community
Mr Philip Redmond was Honorary Solicitor over more than 30 years for a range of organisations and societies, which included Kaiapoi Budget Advisory Service, Kaiapoi Railway Station Trust, Kaiapoi RSA, Kaiapoi Promotion Association, and various sports clubs.
Mr Redmond was involved with the formation of the MV Tuhoe Kaiapoi Rivertown Trust to manage ownership of the iconic MV Tuhoe schooner, which was later wrecked in 2015 and the Trust redesignated as the Kaiapoi Maritime Heritage Trust. He has been Chairman of the Trust since 2005 and led the publication of two books ‘Tuhoe Tales’ and ‘Taking the Bar’ on the history of the Port of Kaiapoi. He is the longest serving Board member of Big Brothers Big Sisters of North Canterbury. He has been Chairman of the Rotary Charitable Trust of Rangiora since 2014. He is a Life Member and Patron of Coastguard North Canterbury. He was a foundation Board member of Waimakariri Youth Initiatives Trust for 10 years. He was President of Canterbury Sunday Soccer League in 1980 and helped establish its first national tournament. Mr Redmond was a Kaiapoi Borough Councillor from 1980 to 1985 and is a current member of the Kaiapoi Tuahiwi Community Board of the Waimakariri District Council.
The Queen’s Service Medal:
REID, Mr Graeme William
For services to mental health support
Mr Graeme Reid has drawn on his personal experiences with mental health issues and contributed to improving access to mental health care services in the community.
Beginning in 1983, Mr Reid explored social issues within the local community with the Spreydon Baptist Church and set up a community drop-in centre for people that felt marginalised and unable to access mental health facilities. He has established significant and enduring support services in Canterbury for those struggling with poor mental health. In 1991 he established the Tuesday Night Fellowship, a Christian group that provides a wide range of support to the vulnerable within the community, and in 1998 he created the Stepping Stone Trust, which is now the largest NGO mental health service in Canterbury and provides residential services, community support work, and adult emergency houses. Mr Reid established the Caroline Reid Family Support Trust in 2003 to provide programmes and care for hundreds of children in families experiencing mental illnesses.
The Queen’s Service Medal:
REID, Ms Kathryn Lesley (Kate)
For services to palliative care
Mrs Kate Reid has contributed her services to palliative care and oncology nursing since the 1980s.
Mrs Reid has held numerous positions within organisations that aim to improve the quality of palliative care in New Zealand. She is a Life Member and Chair of the Cancer Society of New Zealand’s Canterbury-West Coast Division. During her time at the Cancer Society, she has been an active member of the Executive of the Board of the local Division and a member of the Medical and Scientific Grants Committee. Her expertise has been sought in a variety of capacities and in 2016 she was appointed to a National Evaluation Advisory Group to distribute Ministry of Health innovation funding to new hospice palliative care services. She has provided governance and support for other community organisations. She is a former President of Hospice New Zealand and has served on the Christ’s College Board of Governors. Mrs Reid is currently a Senior Lecturer in Palliative Care at the University of Canterbury.
The Queen’s Service Medal:
RUTHERFORD, Mr Michael George
For services to philanthropy and the community
Mr Michael Rutherford is a local businessman who has contributed philanthropically to the community of Oxford.
When Mr Rutherford’s supermarket was closed due to the 2010 Christchurch earthquake, he organised a temporary supermarket in the community centre to support his staff and locals who would otherwise need to travel more than 30 kilometres to the nearest supermarket in Rangiora. He ran this venture at a loss until a new supermarket was constructed. He set up CCTV cameras around his business at his own cost and shares this resource to assist the Police with community safety. His supermarket supplies free fresh fruit to local preschools on a weekly basis. He donates goods for church fundraising events and food banks, and to support the Oxford Fire Brigade and Golf Clubs with fundraising. He has been a volunteer firefighter with the Oxford Fire Brigade since 2012. He provides financial support to the Oxford Community Trust. He has supported Oxford Area School to send students overseas and to develop a performing arts and a mathematics programme. Mr Rutherford has been a Board member of Ringwood Retirement Village since 2009.
The Queen’s Service Medal:
SANSOM, Mr Ernest Patrick
For services to the community and engineering
Mr Ernest Sansom has had a distinguished career as a consulting engineer and businessman.
Mr Sansom was responsible for the installation of moveable median barriers on the Auckland Harbour Bridge increasing road safety. In recognition he received a Fellowship of the Institute of Professional Engineers in New Zealand and Honorary Life Membership of the Association of Consulting Engineers. Since the early 1990s he has volunteered his skills and expertise in governance and strategic thinking to Auckland’s St Andrews Village retirement community and the Dingwall Trust for Children. When he was appointed as a Trustee to St Andrews in 1995 no maintenance funds were available. Between 1999 and 2004 he worked tirelessly to help raise funds to rebuild and redesign St Andrews into a new 150 bedroom care facility. In 2005 he was appointed Chair and oversaw expansion of operations to include 116 individual homes. By that time there were 200 staff and 400 residents. He retired in September 2016 leaving a sound financial structure and remains involved with St Andrews on an ad hoc basis. The Dingwall Trust for Children in Papatoetoe provides care and protection for children at risk. During his association with the Trust’s Board, Mr Sansom has led the development of maintenance upgrading of the Trust’s property assets.
The Queen’s Service Medal:
SEARLE, Mrs Ann-Marie
For services to badminton and the community
Mrs Ann-Marie Searle has contributed to the Southland community for more than 50 years.
Mrs Searle has been active in Plunket and Playcentre, becoming Secretary for her local Playcentre and parent-help. She has been a Sunday School Teacher at her local Presbyterian Church where she occasionally judged and taught craft sewing and dressmaking, and voluntarily assisted other families with food, housework and dressmaking or knitting. She has coached at the Oteramika Badminton Association and was Club Captain. She organised a number of tournaments in the Gorge Road Community Hall before becoming President. She received a Sports Administration Award and was made an Honorary Member of the Club. She coached award winning junior teams for the Southland Badminton Association for 12 years, served on the association’s committee and attained awards for her own badminton playing. From 2003 to 2008 Mrs Searle took over the leadership of ‘Table 4 Eight’, a voluntary organisation introducing people to one another who are in lonely environments.
The Queen’s Service Medal:
SIAOSI, Mr Mupopo (Tiava'asu'e Levapolo Seupule Mupopo Siaosi Tiava'asu'e), JP
For services to health and the Pacific community
Matua Tiava'asu'e Levapolo Seupule Mupopo Siaosi Tiava'asu'e is a respected leader in Pacific communities and has played a major leadership role in spearheading Pasifika governance within the mental health and addiction sector.
Mr Siaosi is the Pacific Lead Matua of the Matua Advisory Council for Waitemata and Auckland District Health Boards, Lead Matua since 2003 for Takanga A Fohe, Waitemata’s Pacific Mental Health and Addictions Services, and for Le Va, a charitable organisation which supports the mental and physical wellbeing of Pasifika families and communities. He facilitated the Samoan fono workshop at Lincoln Green, Henderson in 2003, which developed the key competencies framework for the mental health and addictions workforce when working with Samoan consumers and their families. He is a Justice of the Peace, tutors the Samoa PolyFestival Group at Kelston Girls High, and serves his community as a lay preacher and elder of the Glen Eden Methodist Church. Mr Siaosi also serves his church in leadership roles, and is the Chairperson of the Lay Preacher of Auckland Association and Chair of Samoan Faifea’au (Church Ministers).
The Queen’s Service Medal:
SLOMAN, Mr Martin
For services to mental health
Mr Martin Sloman has a Kapiti counselling business but devotes much of his time to voluntary mental health work.
After immigrating to New Zealand in 2009, Mr Sloman was employed as the Mental Health Co-Ordinator for Compass Health in Kapiti. While working in this role, he became concerned with the number of male suicides and how few men were seeking support. In 2010 he co-founded the Whirlwind Trust, a men’s mental health charity which aims to enable men to positively embrace their mental health through sharing stories. The confidential forum currently has around 300 members, and has a public face that reaches thousands more. Mr Sloman has advised the Kapiti Health Advocacy Group on men’s mental health issues, including the need for increased counselling sessions and a Mental Health Crisis Team to be located in Kapiti.
The Queen’s Service Medal:
SMITH, Ms Christine Puarata
For services to Māori art
Ms Christine Smith is an expert weaver who has taught others weaving practices on a voluntary basis for more than 17 years.
Ms Smith has led the korowai group Whiri Aroha at Papakura Marae in Auckland since 2002, teaching students how to weave contemporary korowai using traditional Māori methods and modern materials. The classes are offered at a very low cost and have seen hundreds of students of all ages attend. She teaches in a volunteer role. She is an expert in the art of whatu (weaving), whiri (plaiting), tāniko (finger weaving) and māwhitiwhiti (crossover stitching). The Whiri Aroha group provide small korowai to families who have lost a child at birth at Middlemore Hospital. Her classes have seen an increase in the number of weavers in the local community, and she has used her expertise to spread awareness of korowai weaving in New Zealand, also spending time in Western Australia teaching local Māori weaving practices. Ms Smith’s sharing of her knowledge on weaving korowai has assisted with preserving the craft.
The Queen’s Service Medal:
SMITH, Mrs Edith Carolyn
For services to conservation
Mrs Edith Smith has been associated with conservation projects and environmental organisations over many years.
Mrs Smith has been an active member of the Royal Forest and Bird Protection Society Ashburton Branch since 1983 holding positions as either Secretary or Chair for most of those years. Her contribution has extended to advocacy, submission writing, and organising conservation projects to protect the biodiversity in the mid Canterbury region. She is the Chair of the Ashburton Community Conservation Trust formed to administer the 11.5 hectare Harris Scientific Reserve, a dryland vegetation restoration project on Ashburton District Council land. This involved negotiations with the Council, co-writing a management plan and, since its inception, managing the planting programme and maintenance of more than 10,000 native plants. She contributed her knowledge of biodiversity, braided rivers and waterways at a governance level through her membership of Environment Canterbury's Mayoral Forum steering group, which developed the Canterbury Water Management Strategy. Mrs Smith was also the founder and coordinator of the Ashburton Breast Cancer Support Group.
The Queen’s Service Medal:
SOPOAGA, Reverend Tui Fakafotu
For services to the Tokelauan community
Reverend Elder Tui Sopoaga is a leader among the Tokelauan community in the Wellington region who has advocated for the community’s development over many years, in particular the promotion of the Tokelau language.
Reverend Sopoaga has been the Minister for the Congregational Church of Tokelau in Porirua since 1989. With his congregation, he then founded and built the Pahina o Tokelau Church and Pahina Community Hall in Porirua. He is a founding member of the Tokelau Bible Translation Committee established in 1990. Since 1991, he has been Chairperson of the Committee, overseeing the publication of four gospels and the New Testament to date. He has been Chairman of the Tokelauan Congregational Christian Church in Tokelau, New Zealand and Australia. He has also been the Chairman of the Tokelau Wellington Leadership Group since 2010. This Group has published resources in the Tokelau language for children that are available free of charge. He plays a key role in the Fakaofo Tokelau Community Group, extending his pastoral care responsibilities to facilitating workshops on suicide prevention and domestic violence. Reverend Sopoaga plays a leadership role in the annual Tokelau Language Week that coordinates events throughout New Zealand as part of a long-term plan with the Ministry of Pacific Peoples to preserve the Tokelau language.
The Queen’s Service Medal:
STEVENSON, Mr Grant Bruce
For services to the arts
Mr Grant Stevenson has been involved in a range of community projects and organisations within and beyond Wellington.
Mr Stevenson is a strong supporter of the arts and has created and organised numerous events that have benefited the local community. He has worked with communities in Levin and Foxton to devise programmes to stimulate local job creation as well as contributing to Wellington’s reputation as the creative capital of New Zealand by organising many cultural events, including the ‘Capital 150’ celebration. In 1996 he organised the sponsorship and marketing of the World Floral Art Show that attracted more than 32,000 visitors in four days. He also managed the opening of the Zealandia Sanctuary’s visitor and information centre. He has presented outdoor concerts for the Regional Orchestra at Government House and in 2018 helped co-ordinate a series of commemoration events marking the 50th anniversary of the Wahine disaster. Mr Stevenson has supported various fundraising projects in the community, including the Hawkes Bay Opera House, the St James Theatre and the Gillies McIndoe Research Institute for its new cancer research laboratory.
The Queen’s Service Medal:
STOREY, Mrs Rae Elizabeth
For services to folk dancing and the arts
Mrs Rae Storey has taught Maypole and International Folk Dancing in the Auckland community for more than 40 years.
Mrs Storey founded the children's Meadowbank Maypole Dancers in 1978, and her efforts have seen the team take part in many cultural events in Auckland, including the Auckland International Cultural Festival and Queen's Birthday Celebrations. In 1982 she also founded La Bourrée, a women's ensemble that performs French regional dances. La Bourrée has also taught international folk dance in primary and intermediate schools throughout the region, and for 25 years held two large annual festivals where up to 800 children performed dances together. These dances came from a teaching resource produced and published by Mrs Storey, which she has recently broadened to better serve multicultural life in New Zealand's schools. She has been a pioneer locally in adult folkloric dancing. At a national level Mrs Storey gathered New Zealand's folk dance teachers together in 1995 for a training course and to establish the national organisation, Folk Dance New Zealand.
The Queen’s Service Medal:
STYLES, Mr Bryan Edward
For services to the United Fire Brigades Association and the community
Mr Bryan Styles is Chief Fire Officer of the Carterton Volunteer Fire Brigade, of which he has been a member since 1980.
As a member of the United Fire Brigades Association Technical Panel from 2005 to 2010 Mr Styles was involved with overseeing the organisation of UFBA firefighter competitions. In 2013 he was elected Vice President and later President of the United Fire Brigades’ Association of New Zealand until 2014. In this role he has advocated for all 585 member brigades and fire forces, representing UFBA member interests on various New Zealand Fire Service committees and interest groups. He has been a Trustee of the UFBA Benevolent Fund, which provides financial assistance to firefighters and their families in times of financial stress. He was made a Life Member of the UFBA in 2014. Through the Carterton Fire Brigade he has supported the Gladstone and Carterton Rugby Football Clubs. Mr Styles has had a past career as a representative rugby player, representing Wairarapa Bush in more than 100 first class games and was selected for New Zealand Rugby Union Divisional teams.
The Queen’s Service Medal:
SWINBURN, Mrs Margaret Joan
For services to athletics
Mrs Margaret Swinburn has been associated with the Greymouth Athletic Club for 60 years.
Mrs Swinburn has given a significant amount of service to the Club as an athlete, official and administrator. She began as a competing athlete in 1959, was Club Captain in 1965, and made a Life Member in 1977. In addition to club competitions, she also officiates at inter-club and regional competitions. Her duties include starting the events, time-keeping and measuring and recording results. She is currently Patron and Secretary of the Club. She has liaised with local primary and secondary schools for 28 years to provide the Club’s grounds for their annual schools sports days. She has been the principal liaison person for the entirety of the West Coast Schools Athletics Championships where more than 3,000 children compete annually at the Greymouth Athletic Club’s facilities. She has spent many hours in schools as a volunteer Kiwisport co-ordinator promoting and delivering the Run, Jump, Throw programme, an entry-level programme for young children. Mrs Swinburn has also volunteered her time to the local West Coast community and in 1998 she was named West Coast Volunteer of the Year.
The Queen’s Service Medal:
TAPP, Mr Alan Charles
For services to Fire and Emergency New Zealand and the community
Mr Alan Tapp has been a volunteer firefighter for more than 46 years and was Chief Fire Officer of the Milton Volunteer Fire Brigade from 1997 to 2015.
Mr Tapp is highly regarded in his community through his volunteer contributions both as a firefighter, and in his many other community roles, including involvement with local clubs such as the Milton Lions Club, and the Toko Rugby Club. His rugby involvement has included coaching at club level, and selecting and managing at the Sub Union level. He has been awarded life membership of the Milton Volunteer Fire Brigade, the South Otago Sub Association, and the Otago Southland Provincial Fire Brigade Association. He has taken part as both competitor and coach in waterway and road crash competitions, and served on the Otago Southland Challenge Panel for eight years, with half of that as Chairperson. Mr Tapp has also contributed to the wellbeing and emergency preparedness of his community through his roles on the Clutha District Emergency Services Committee, the Milton Civil Defence Group, and Clutha District Search and Rescue.
The Queen’s Service Medal:
TAUETULE, Miss Rose Mary Mailee Kuluimotu
For services to women and the Niuean community
Ms Rose Tauetule has served her community for over twenty years in voluntary roles for the Niuean community, as a member of the Bridgebuilders Network for Presbyterian and associated church women in New Zealand and the wider Asia-Pacific region.
Ms Tauetule has held a range of roles with the Bridgebuilders Network, including leading the New Zealand delegation to the Bridgebuilders International Consultation in Cape Town in 2002. She was elected International Secretary from 2011 to 2014 before becoming National President of the New Zealand Bridgebuilders Trust in 2015. Locally Ms Tauetule has supported a number of initiatives through Bridgebuilders and the Niuean church and community, which have included workshops on peace in 2000 in Northland, Auckland, Waikato and Bay of Plenty, supporting restorative justice processes, and national circulation of educational leaflets nationwide on various subjects from post-natal depression to guidance for parents on children’s computer use.
The Queen’s Service Medal:
THOMAS, Mrs Elizabeth Barbara
For services to equestrian sports and the community
Mrs Elizabeth Thomas is a long-serving leader in the equestrian community in Canterbury.
Mrs Thomas is the founder and director of Kowhai Residential School of Riding Ltd, at View Hill, Oxford. This facility began in 1969 and currently has more than 80 horses, most of which are working horses used for riding lessons, or for taking clients, both local and international, on treks. Over its 50 year history, the Kowhai experience has benefited thousands of young people, adults and international students. She has not only helped riders achieve their own personal riding goals but has invited many young people struggling with family or social issues into her home, knowing the rehabilitative effect a connection with horses can provide. She has hosted hundreds of school groups as part of their education outside the classroom, the IHC Ashburton, and at risk remand groups and drug and alcohol rehabilitation groups. She is a Life Member of the View Hill Pony Club, and was the Club’s head coach from 1971 to 2013. Mrs Thomas has coached a New Zealand Pony Club Inter-Pacific team to Australia, was an examiner for 52 years for the New Zealand Pony Club Association, and a New Zealand Qualification Authority Work Place Assessor.
The Queen’s Service Medal:
TIMUTIMU, Ms Juanita Whitiaera (Whitiaira)
For services to criminal justice programmes and the community
Ms Whitiaira Timutimu has supported criminal justice causes in the Tairawhiti region.
Ms Timutimu is the Māori Responsiveness Advisor for the New Zealand Police and has supported work within the reintegration of former inmates into the community. She has helped to direct the formation of several criminal justice programmes such as the ATAWHAI Youth Mentoring Programme that involved an intense fitness training schedule. She has engaged positively with the wider community and the programme has involved volunteers from the New Zealand Police, Fire and Emergency Service, New Zealand Army, and the Māori Wardens. She has two other youth mentoring programmes Qmunity Youth which mentors LGBTQI+ youth and Tuakana Teina, which is mentoring for youth with a parent in prison. Ms Timutimu has organised Te Pae Oranga (Iwi Panels) and continues to make an impact on the successful rehabilitation of offenders.
The Queen’s Service Medal:
TIPENE, Mrs Martha Mahuri
For services to Māori
Mrs Martha Tipene is a Māori liaison and Life member of Victim Support, Kaikaranga, Kohanga Reo educator, and a former Māori warden.
Mrs Tipene began driving tamariki to and from Kohanga Reo, which led to more than 35 years as a voluntary kohanga educator and mentor to the next generation of educators. With her husband, she opened her home to those in need, providing a bed and support for as long as needed. She acted as kaumatua with Matua Whangai in Hawera, supporting young people and tangata whenua appearing before the Court and providing comments to the Judge. Mrs Tipene is a Kaikaranga at many tangi and events for Ngati Ruanui and South Taranaki District Council and mentors younger kaikaranga, and is always prepared to share her knowledge of tikanga Māori with others.
The Queen’s Service Medal:
TOBIN, Mr Kenneth Henry (Ken)
For services to pipe bands
Mr Ken Tobin has been actively involved in the pipe band community for 72 years.
Mr Tobin was Drum Major of the City of Hastings Pipe Band for 55 years until 2016. He has been on the Pipe Band Committee since 1955 and has competed in 39 National Contests including six with other bands. In 1980 he won the annual New Zealand Drum Majors Championship, which he had been instrumental in establishing in 1975, and has been an instructor at Drum Majors Seminars throughout New Zealand. He was a Centre Delegate seven times to the former Council of the Royal New Zealand Pipe Bands Association. In his roles as Drum Major, and for 40 years as Uniform Custodian, he has achieved success in Street March and Dress events at many contests throughout New Zealand and has won the Centre's annual Drum Majors Championship nine times. As Drum Major of both the City of Hastings Pipe Band and the Hastings Citizens' Brass Band, he has attended 18 ANZAC Dawn Services with the Brass Band and all ANZAC Day Services since 1952 with the Pipe Band. Mr Tobin has organised transport and accommodation for the Band's contest trips for 25 years and has been President of the Band since 2017.
The Queen’s Service Medal:
TUIELU, Mr Vaha
For services to the Tokelauan community
Mr Vaha Tuielu has actively supported the Tokelauan community in Rotorua since the 1960s.
Mr Tuielu has served as President of the Tokelauan Rotorua Community for 16 consecutive years. He speaks four languages, and with his commitment to keep the Tokelauan language alive, he voluntary ran Tokelauan language classes for several years, which also included delivering genealogy. He is a respected Elder at St John's Presbyterian Church in Rotorua where he continues after 50 years to lead monthly Tokelau language services. He is also the convenor for the Pacific Island people of St Johns and volunteered for three years as an outreach ministries leader at Rangipo prison. In this capacity, he has lead forum groups to translate the Tokelau Bible and dictionary. He has translated for and offered guidance to Te Lumanaki Pacific Service to better support Pacific families that have been involved with Oranga Tamariki. He was the Secretary of the TuTolu Youth Sports Committee. Mr Tuielu presents weekly on Sunday radio broadcasts for the Tokelauan news channel to share stories and significant events within the Tokelauan community.
The Queen’s Service Medal:
UNDERWOOD, Mrs Rachel Ada
For services to the community
Mrs Rachel Underwood has contributed her services to the Alexander Turnbull Library.
Mrs Underwood has served as President of the Friends of the Turnbull Library for more than 20 years. In this position she has represented the interests of users, donors and the general public. She has organised a monthly speaker’s programme at the National Library and has been a determined advocate for the Turnbull Library, guiding it through various challenges posed by changes in legislative and policy frameworks. She initiated and organised successful advocacy events that achieved changes to the National Library Act 2002. Her efforts have also led to the establishment of a research grant that has provided funding of more than $100,000 to assist 15 separate research projects since 2004. As a founding member and President of the Downstage Theatre Society, her leadership has overseen several fundraising events. She chaired the Wellington High School Board of Governors from 1984 to 1989. Mrs Underwood has been a volunteer coordinator with the Cancer Society’s annual Daffodil Day appeal and is actively involved in her local church.
The Queen’s Service Medal:
VA'A, Mr Allan Leonardie Francis
For services to youth and sport
Mr Allan Va’a has contributed his services as a youth and community worker in South Auckland for more than 30 years.
Mr Va’a has mentored young people through a range of club programmes, sports camps, employed work as a Social Worker, and voluntary community work. He was the Project Manager for 274 Youth and Community Trust from 2005 to 2009, following rising gang tensions in South Auckland. Through this position he hired quality youth workers, and organised street clubs and workshops to engage with Otara’s younger members. He continues to serve the community through Iosis Family Solutions Trust, working with young fathers in South Auckland. He has been a member of the Tangaroa College Board of Trustees for six years and has been the Chair for two years. He has made significant contributions to local rugby teams, coaching several teams and providing pastoral care counselling for almost 20 years. In 1999 Mr Va’a founded Tumau Ministries and in conjunction with his church involvement he also runs several sports camps each year.
The Queen’s Service Medal:
VAOVASA, Mrs Leutu
For services to the Tokelauan community
Mrs Leutu Vaovasa has contributed to the Tokelauan community in Wellington since the 1960s.
With other Tokelauans Mrs Vaovasa and her late husband set up a community of Fakaofo Kaiga to connect and care for, maintain links and support families back in Tokelau, which led to the establishment of the Fakaofo Society of Wellington. Over the years, she has opened up her family home for community meetings and to host scholarship students from Tokelau and Samoa in the 1980s. She was involved in the formation and establishment of the Atafu Tokelau Community Group Incorporated Society. In the 1980s the Society purchased land in Porirua and built Matauala Hall regularly used by the Atafu and Tokelau community. She was a foundation member of the Tiale Puapua Tokelau Women’s Group. She played a key role in helping establish and run the Tu Tolu Tokelau language nest in Porirua. As well as being volunteering her time to work with the children, she used her own vehicle to transport children to and from the pre-school as required. Mrs Vaovasa is a founding member of the Christ the King, Pacific Islands Presbyterian Church in Porirua and remains very active in church activities.
The Queen’s Service Medal:
VIVIAN, Mrs Gaylene Marie
For services to family support and health
Mrs Gaylene Vivian has been involved with the Manawatu-Horowhenua branch of the Sands Support Group, a non-profit network that provides support to families who have lost a baby, for more than 17 years.
Mrs Vivian has been a committee member of the Sands Group since 2001 and Secretary from 2002 until late 2018. She has been a support co-ordinator for the Group since 2004, helping more than 600 families through the loss of a baby over thousands of volunteered hours. She is responsible for the Sands Family Room at Palmerston North Hospital and organises memorial occasions, including Baby Loss and Awareness Week and Christmas memorial services at the Sands Memorial Garden. Since 2004 she has volunteered to train midwives and doctors on baby loss at Palmerston North Hospital. She is the Sands representative on the Palmerston North Hospital Working Party that looks into ways to better care for mothers in the event of a death of a baby. Mrs Vivian and her husband established a fundraising event in 2011 for the local Sands group called ‘Miles in Memory’, which is the group’s primary source of funding, has raised the profile of the group in the local community and was the regional winner of the Trustpower Community Award in 2018.
The Queen’s Service Medal:
WEEKS, Mr Nigel Edward
For services to music
Mr Nigel Weeks has worked with young people in music since 1994 and has been Head of Music at Manurewa High School, Kings College, MacLeans College, and currently Nayland College.
Mr Weeks has led bands and choirs to win numerous national awards and Australasian titles and toured them to a wide range of international festivals. He has led a number of music-based fundraising initiatives and performances to help fund international tours. He was selected by the Brass Band Association of New Zealand to audition and direct the National Youth Brass Band from 1998 to 2003 and the National Secondary Schools Band since 2002, the latter of which was established at his initiative. He is the current Director of the National Brass Band of New Zealand, which he conducted on a successful inaugural tour to China and South Korea in 2014. He was reappointed as Musical Director in 2017, following which he led them to second place at the World Music Contest in Kerkrade, Holland. He has been Director of the Howick School of Music. He became Musical Director of the Nelson City Brass Band in 2016 and has been Music Director of the Nelson Symphony Orchestra and Nelson Civic Choir since 2018. Mr Weeks conducted the Nelson Male Voice Choir in 2019.
The Queen’s Service Medal:
WHITE, Mrs Ida Willamina
For services to Māori art
Mrs Ida White has been a kaiāwhina (assistant) with expert weaver Ms Christine Smith at the Whiri Aroha korowai group at Papakura Marae since 2004.
This is a voluntary role where Mrs White supports and guides tauira (students) to learn to weave a contemporary korowai, using traditional Māori methods and modern materials. The classes are offered at very low cost and have seen hundreds of students of all ages attend. Her assistance with the classes has facilitated a surge in the numbers of people weaving in New Zealand. She has also spent time in Western Australia teaching local Māori weaving practices. Mrs White’s sharing of her knowledge on weaving korowai has assisted with preserving the craft.
The Queen’s Service Medal:
WIGHT, Mr David Findon
For services to the community
Mr David Wight has contributed to his local Opito Bay and Kuaotunu community in the Coromandel since 1973.
Mr Wight played a significant role in establishing key services to the local community, such as helping lead negotiations to create an electricity supply to Opito Bay in the 1970s. In 1976 he initiated the New Year’s Day event of beach activities and a fishing contest, which continue to this day. He served on the Ratepayers Association of Opito Bay for 20 years. As part of this role, he negotiated contracts with the local council for several amenities, including public toilets and more efficient rubbish collection. He is current Chair of the Kuaotunu Domain board area and has voluntarily looked after the foreshore and amenities. He has spent 38 years volunteering with the Kuaotunu Volunteer Fire Service, including 34 years as Chief Fire Officer, and was the Search and Rescue Coordinator in Opito Bay. Mr Wight has organised numerous fundraising activities within his community and in the 1990s he helped to raise funds for life-saving equipment to be provided at local beaches.
The Queen’s Service Medal:
WILSON, Mrs Sonia
For services to victim support and the community
Mrs Sonia Wilson has contributed more than 35 years of service to supporting children and families in Rotorua.
Mrs Wilson worked for a non-government agency between 1983 and 2009 to provide support to vulnerable families in Rotorua. During this time she held many roles, including kitchen hand, residential dormitory worker and health coordinator. She joined Oranga Tamariki in 2009 as a care and protection social worker, eventually becoming a supervisor and then manager of the Rotorua Youth Justice team. She is well-respected by the Police and Judiciary and has built a large network of community leaders to effect positive change for young people in her community. Throughout much of her career she has held a voluntary role with Victim Support and is currently their longest serving volunteer at 27 years. She has specialised in supporting those bereaved by suicide, sudden death and homicide, and working with families who have children who are victims of, or have witnessed, trauma or accidents. In 2004 Mrs Wilson was awarded the New Zealand Police Commissioner’s Commendation for her support work for victims in the Pourshad Arvand case.
The Queen’s Service Medal:
WINDSOR, Mr Grant Albert
For services to broadcasting and sport
Mr Grant Windsor has contributed voluntarily to sport and broadcasting in Canterbury and the West Coast.
Mr Windsor supported rugby in Canterbury as coach for the Sydenham Club in the 1960s, executive member of the club from 1973 to 1980, and member of the Canterbury Rugby Football Union Centennial Committee. From 1979 to 1990 he was a volunteer member of the Canterbury Rugby Union Promotions Committee. In 1978 he was employed as a part-time sports reporter for Radio New Zealand, and he subsequently used those skills in a wide range of voluntary community broadcasting roles. He was a rugby commentator on Canterbury Television from 2000. In 1987 he initiated the first radio coverage of Speights Coast to Coast races, which at the time was technically and physically challenging. He was a well-known sports broadcasting personality on North Canterbury’s community access radio Compass FM from 2011 to 2015. He was a volunteer radio announcer at Nostalgia Radio Ferrymead from the mid-1990s until the Canterbury earthquakes, and was station manager from 1996 to 1999. He has volunteered with Radio Lollipop, a radio station for children in hospital, since its inception in 2013. Since 2010 Mr Windsor has provided exercise classes with music for IHC and several rest homes in Canterbury and the West Coast.
The Queen’s Service Medal:
WINTERS, Mrs Susan Maureen (Sue)
For services to education
Mrs Sue Winters has contributed her services to the education sector since 1979.
Mrs Winters has had an extensive career in mathematics education and in school change leadership. She has supported the teaching of mathematics as Chair of the Bay of Plenty Mathematical Association and Secretary of the New Zealand Association of Mathematics Teachers. She has led collaboration and “future focused learning” across provincial and rural schools and kura through the Virtual Learning Network Community, Volcanics eLearning Community, and Rotorua’s Ngā Pūmanawa e Waru. She has helped to establish Wellness Centres at secondary schools, benefitting large numbers of students. She has played an instrumental role in expanding school netball opportunities. Mrs Winters continues to work alongside schools and kura, designing and implementing education innovation and inclusiveness.
The Queen’s Service Medal:
WOOD, Mrs Denise Mary Veronica
For services to the community
Mrs Denise Wood concluded her professional career as a nurse in the 1990s and has since focused on supporting community organisations in the Taranaki region through voluntary work.
Mrs Wood volunteers for the New Plymouth District Council, meeting and greeting visitors to the city and assisting visitors at the TSB Bowl of Brooklands and Showplace. She has volunteered for the New Zealand Red Cross since 2014, driving patients from New Plymouth to Palmerston North for breast screening appointments, assisting with the Red Cross annual garden party, packing and delivering Winter Care Packs for locals in winter, participating in area forums, and numerous other fundraising activities including helping to prune roses for the Red Cross Rose Day fundraiser. She is a member of the New Zealand Merchant Navy Association and since 2018 has promoted knowledge and understanding of the sacrifices made by seafaring nurses during World War 1. In 2017 she delivered an Armistice Day speech about local war nurse Eva Brooke, generating publicity about the service of these nurses. She has also undertaken work for the RSA, including as a volunteer receptionist from 2013 to 2018. She is a committee member for the University of the Third Age. Mrs Wood has provided volunteer support for the homeless, and refugees resettling in her local community.
The Queen’s Service Medal:
WOODWARD, Mr Peter John (Pete)
For services to the Coastguard
Mr Pete Woodward has been involved with a number of local organisations in Paraparaumu including the Kapiti Coastguard.
Mr Woodward is a senior member of the regular volunteer crew at the Kapiti Coastguard acting as Communications Officer with the responsibility for maintaining contact during emergencies. He is on call 24/7. He was appointed Fundraising Officer for Kapiti Coastguard in 2010 and has overseen the raising of more than $300,000 for operation and capital expenditure. He was one of the main instigators to promote the replacement of the local Coastguard Rescue Vessel, campaigning for more than four years to raise $200,000. The boat is now under construction and will provide assistance to recreational boat users and also offer support for the increasing tourist traffic to and from Kapiti Island Sanctuary. Over the years Mr Woodward has been recognised with a number of local coastguard awards, including a Certificate of Achievement from the New Zealand Search and Rescue Council for his dedication and fundraising for the Kapiti Coastguard.
Honorary Queen’s Service Medal
TAPU, Mr Perenise
For services to education and the Samoan community
Mr Perenise Tapu has been involved in researching, developing, and teaching Samoan language for 30 years.
Mr Tapu was Head of Department for Samoan Language at Penrose High School from 1998 to 2002 and presently at McAuley High School since 2003. He has been a tutor for Samoan adult learners at the Pacific Education Centre, Manukau Institute of Technology since 2014. He was one of the Developers of the 'Taiala o le Gagana Samoa' (Samoan Language Framework in New Zealand). He has been involved in organising debates and other activities for Samoan Language Week, and takes student group trips to Samoa every two years to further their Samoan experience. He was one of five winners of the National Excellence in Teaching Award in 2012. He was involved in the building and establishment of the Malaeola Auckland Samoan Catholic Centre, and was Project Facilitator of the Malaeola Family Violence Program. He has represented the Samoan Catholic community on the Pastoral Council of the Diocese of Auckland, and was instrumental in the formation of the Taimua Youth Movement for young Samoans. Mr Tapu is the principal speaker for the Samoan stage at the annual Secondary Schools Polynesian Cultural Festival.