To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
ANDERSON, Ms Lynette Kaye (Lynn)
For services to the zoological industry and conservation
Ms Lynn Anderson has been Chief Executive of Orana Wildlife Park for 25 years.
Ms Anderson brought the park from financial difficulty in the 1990s and turned it into a globally recognised zoo that makes significant contributions to conservation and offers educational experiences for visitors. Under her leadership, the Park has become one of Canterbury’s most iconic regional attractions as New Zealand’s only open range zoo. The zoo won the Champion Canterbury Business Award in 2006. She has held governance roles within the zoological industry, including as New Zealand Representative on the Zoo and Aquarium Association Australasia (ZAA) Board from 2005 to 2011. She has been a member of the ZAA New Zealand (formerly New Zealand Conservation Management Group (NZCMaG)) management committee for 21 years, serving periods as Chairperson and Treasurer. While chairperson of NZCMaG, she drove the merger between the Group and ZAA, which has benefitted conservation efforts by providing professional genetic management of zoo-based breeding programmes in New Zealand. She was an elected Board member of the Canterbury Employer’s Chamber of Commerce Board for seven years. Ms Anderson received the Zoo and Aquarium Association Australasia Professional Excellence Award in 2012, and the ZAA NZ Individual Award in 2008 for her contribution to conservation.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
APPLEYARD, Mr David John (Dave)
For services to education
Mr Dave Appleyard has been involved with education for 41 years and was Principal of Rata Street School in Naenae from 2002 to 2020, challenging the view that a school’s decile is a proxy for quality.
Mr Appleyard has overseen growth in the school’s roll and positive reviews from the Education Review Office. He has carefully selected charitable partnerships to match actual needs in the school. He was a key driver of improving internet access at the school and in Naenae homes, working with the TAKA Trust to obtain laptops and broadband for his pupils, and secure free wi-fi for educational use at the school through the Equitable Digital Access Project. He has overseen the early adoption of a flipped classroom approach to drive learning through the strengths and areas of growth of the children. He co-led the Naenae and Stokes Valley Kahui Ako – Community of Learning and initiated a Gifted Kids Programme one day a week (now Mindplus). He represented Wellington’s schools in low socio-economic areas on the Ministry of Education’s sector advisory group to replace the decile funding system. Mr Appleyard co-led a research project investigating literacy skills drop-off over holiday breaks and means of prevention, sharing the research with other educators nationally.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
ARCHIBALD, Mr Ryan Jeffrey
For services to hockey
Mr Ryan Archibald has been involved with hockey at local, regional, national and international levels as a player, coach and administrator.
Mr Archibald is the current Chair and has been on the Board of the New Zealand Hockey Players Association since 2014. He has supported Hockey New Zealand and players through a period of review between 2018 and 2020. He has been a Board member of Auckland Hockey since 2017 and chaired a working group to further the skill development and understanding of hockey across all levels of play in Auckland. He was a representative for Auckland Hockey Association from 1997 to 2015. He is the second highest capped New Zealand men’s hockey player with 327 matches, scoring 51 goals, and was Captain from 2005 to 2009. He represented New Zealand at the Beijing, London and Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games. He has competed in three World Cups and three Commonwealth Games, including winning a silver medal. He has been a World Player of the Year finalist and was named Player of the Year for Somerville Hockey Club for 11 years. Mr Archibald has been a coach and player mentor with Somerville Hockey Club since 2001.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
ARNOTT, Ms Jane Ross
For services to Pacific communities and conservation advocacy
Ms Jane Arnott founded New Zealand’s first cross-cultural consultancy representing Pacific Island communities and has championed corporate sponsorship of endangered species.
Ms Arnott began working as a cross cultural communications and marketing consultant in 1991, working with companies, government departments, councils and the health sector to raise awareness of the importance of communicating and establishing relationships with Pacific peoples using their native languages. Her work led to Auckland Council and South Auckland Health undertaking their first branded campaigns in Tongan, Samoan, Niuean and Cook Island Māori. As Executive Director of the New Zealand National Parks and Conservation Trust, she introduced corporate sponsorship to endangered species, through the creation of black-tie gala events and branded campaigns such as Dawn Chorus, Mitre 10 Takahē Rescue, Weta Workshop’s giant weta sponsorship and Laying Down the Gauntlet with Sir Richard Taylor, the combined Air New Zealand and Foodstuff South Island’s Save our Species, and Kathmandu’s ‘We Need Your Spots’ gecko survey. As co-founder of the New Zealand Native Species Foundation, Ms Arnott continued her work for endangered Takahē, working with Moorcroft UK on a limited edition Takahē plate, promoted internationally in support of the conservation work in New Zealand.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
ARORA, Sergeant Gurpreet Singh
For services to the New Zealand Police and ethnic communities
Sergeant Gurpreet Arora has had more than 15 years' frontline and ethnic services experience with the New Zealand Police and is currently employed with Counties Manukau District Police.
Sergeant Arora was appointed to the posts of Ethnic Services Liaison and Coordinator within Counties Manukau, where he became a significant point of contact to the South Asian community. He initiated ‘Operation Dukan,’ a project in 2008/2009 educating retailers to adopt simple methods to improve their safety, which was expanded across two other Auckland Police districts. He has been involved in setting up and expanding Gandhi Nivas in Auckland, a perpetrator-oriented project to reduce family harm, and is currently working as Family Harm Partnership Liaison Officer for Gandhi Nivas. He has worked closely with Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Sikh and other groups within South Asian communities to ensure their proper representation in the District and Area South Asian Advisory Boards of Counties Manukau Police. He initiated the practice of observing religious and cultural occasions of significance at the Manukau Police Station, including Ramadan Iftar, Eid festivities, and Diwali. He has worked on a New to New Zealand initiative for international students. Sergeant Arora has utilised ethnic media channels and community partnerships to promote personal and public safety messages and neighbourhood crime prevention programmes.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
BENGE, Mr Richard Douglas
For services to arts accessibility
Mr Richard Benge has been Executive Director of Arts Access Aotearoa (AAA) since 2010, a not-for-profit organisation that works to facilitate inclusive access to the arts and culture for all people, irrespective of disability, age, ethnicity or circumstance.
Early in his career Mr Benge was a high school teacher and worked for Arts Access Victoria as an artist-in-resident in psychiatric hospitals. Under his leadership, AAA has worked with the disability, mental health and Deaf communities and the professional arts sector to improve access for Deaf and disabled audiences. AAA also provided a national advisory and advocacy service about access to the arts, though an information centre, and working with the Department of Corrections on its art programmes and activities. He has advocated for art as a means to support vulnerable communities and for strategic investment in the arts to strength individual and collective health. Mr Benge has overseen the annual Arts Access Awards put emphasis on acknowledging groups and individuals who facilitate access to the arts.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
BERGIN, Ms Danielle Rachelle, JP
For services to the community, particularly the homeless
Ms Danielle Bergin is the Founder and Manager of the Island Child Charitable Trust New Zealand.
Ms Bergin, while running an op shop in Panmure, noticed homeless people sleeping outside her shop and in cars and allowed them to sleep in her shop as needed. Following this she bought a property in Point England in 2005 and established the Island Child Charitable Trust as a homeless shelter, developing this into one of the most successful in the country. Her ability to network in the community has seen her re-house families sometimes within days and not the usual twelve-week minimum period. She has developed a relationship with Sistema, who have donated products such as lunch boxes and drink bottles for children staying at the shelter. Island Child has since grown from one house to four houses and 13 tiny houses on one site, providing for 18 families or up to 54 people each night. Ms Bergin has also helped support a remote hospital and villages in Vanuatu, sourcing donations of medical goods from around the country and working with the New Zealand Air Force to transport goods.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
BINNING, Mr Murray Frank
For services to Fire and Emergency New Zealand
Mr Murray Binning has made significant contributions as an Executive Officer with the New Zealand Fire Service / Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ) for more than 40 years.
Mr Binning joined the Auckland Metropolitan Fire Brigade in 1970 and subsequently held a variety of leadership roles in Auckland including Divisional Officer, Chief Fire Safety Officer, Assistant Regional Commander, and Area Manager Support Services. He was Area Commander of Tauranga from 2012 to 2018 and has since been Waitemata Area Commander. He was involved with the Waitakere Licensing Trust, supporting applications across the district to see volunteer fire brigades better equipped. He was a Branch Councillor of the Institute of Fire Engineers (IFE) from 1999 and served as President in 2003. He played a key role in increasing membership and joining the IFE with Fire Protection Association to form FireNZ, which continues today. He played a key role in establishing the Auckland Urban Search and Rescue team in 2002, holding the roles of Deputy Team Leader and then Team Leader until 2017. He was deployed as Team Leader to assist following the 2010/2011 Christchurch earthquakes and to Fiji following 2016’s Cyclone Winston. Mr Binning became Vice President of the Auckland Fire Brigade’s Museum and Historical Society in 2010 and has been Patron since 2015.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
BLAIR, Mr Adam Ngawati
For services to rugby league
Mr Adam Blair is the second person to play 50 rugby league tests for New Zealand and is the New Zealander with the most NRL appearances in the Australian Premiership with 331.
Mr Blair made his debut for New Zealand in 2006 and was a key player in New Zealand’s first ever World Cup victory in 2008 against Australia. He was named New Zealand Rugby League International Player of the Year in 2009. He was a front-row starter for the Kiwis in all Four Nations matches in 2014. He was co-Captain in 2015 of the Kiwis squad that toured England, played in the 2017 Anzac Test, and was named Captain of the Kiwis’ 2017 World Cup squad. He skippered the Māori All Stars against the Indigenous All Stars in 2019 and co-captained their victory in 2020. He then played in every game for the Warriors 2020 season before retiring from playing. His career has been recognised by the Northland Secondary Schools Rugby League Tournament playing for the Adam Blair trophy. He is an ambassador for Diabetes New Zealand and has supported a range of Warriors community programmes, with a special interest in wellbeing and mindfulness, particularly for young Māori. Mr Blair is involved with the Rugby League Players’ Association.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
BOWERS, Ms Cynthia Margaret
For services to the community and local government
Ms Cynthia Bowers has been involved with Hastings Landmark Trust since 1999, advocating for landscape, history, architecture and public art to enhance Hastings District’s image.
Between 2012 and 2018, Ms Bowers was involved with Horse of the Year (HOY) in Hawke’s Bay, the largest annual national equestrian event. During her time as Chair, she was instrumental in addressing challenges faced by the HOY Board, leading changes to gain hosting rights for the HOY show in Hastings until 2027, improvements to governance, and to run a successful and financially sustainable event. She was elected to the Hastings District Council in 1995 and was Deputy Mayor from 2001 to 2016, during which time she was a member of various committees and boards for local matters. She was a driver for the development of Roys Hill, raising funds and personally helping plant 2,500 native shrubs to redevelop a dump site into a recreation area. She was on the Board of Arts Inc. Heretaunga (formerly Creative Hastings) from 2000 to 2018, including time as Chair and Treasurer, helping to develop Arts Inc to provide high quality arts experiences in the community. Ms Bowers was involved with the redevelopment of Hawke’s Bay Opera House from 2009 to 2016.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
BURT, Mrs Dorothy Joy
For services to digital learning
Mrs Dorothy Burt co-established the Manaiakalani programme in 2006, which is Treaty of Waitangi-based and involves schools, teachers, students, whānau and their community in a partnership enhanced by technology.
Established to accelerate academic progress and deliver digital learning outcomes in low socioeconomic communities, Manaiakalani now has an outreach programme with more than 100 schools across Aotearoa. Since inception Mrs Burt has led the Manaiakalani education programme for schools in Auckland and the twelve outreach communities around Aotearoa. Research on Manaiakalani by the Woolf Fisher Research Centre has shown significant improvement in student achievement, particularly in writing. She established the Manaiakalani Innovative Teacher Academy in 2013, which has allowed groups of teachers in successive years to extend the possibilities of students through innovative solutions. She co-established the Digital Teacher Academy in 2014, an effective induction pilot for new teachers, and has since scaled this approach to a Digital Fluency Intensive programme offered to all Manaiakalani teachers. She has led a team training thousands of teachers in effective pedagogy for digital learning. This supported a seamless transition to online learning for Manaiakalani schools during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. She is widely known for her work in digital learning and has presented to many conferences nationally and internationally. Mrs Burt’s teaching career spans primary, intermediate and secondary schools.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
COONEY, Mrs Catherine Frances, JP
For services to health and the community
Mrs Catherine Cooney was Chief Executive of the Lakes District Health Board from 2001 to 2012, overseeing redevelopment of the Rotorua and Taupō hospitals and was Director of Nursing and Midwifery from 1994 to 2000.
Since 2016, Mrs Cooney has chaired InterRAI New Zealand Governance Board and Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology Board. She has facilitated the national workforce planning for the Kaiāwhina care and support workforce since 2012. From 2006 to 2010, she was Chairperson of the National Health Workforce Group and Lead Chief Executive for the Māori Health portfolio. She served as a Director on the Board of Quality Health New Zealand, is a member of the Health Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal, a Foundation Fellow and Censor of College of Nurses Aotearoa, a Fellow and National Council Treasurer of the Australasian College of Health Service Management – Aotearoa, and co-Chair of Healthy Families Rotorua. An elder of the Rotorua District Presbyterian Church, she chairs the Community Facing Ministries Committee and served as Trustee for the Rotorua Hospital Chaplaincy Trust for 15 years. She volunteered as midwife and community development nurse for Volunteer Service Abroad in Kiribati from 1980 to 1984 and a public health nurse in Hokianga from 1985 to 1991. Mrs Cooney is a past President of the Rotorua and Districts JP Association.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
COUCH-LEWIS, Ms Yvette Louise
For services to conservation and Māori
Ms Yvette Couch-Lewis is Chairperson for the Governance Board of the Lyttleton/Whakaraupō Whaka Ora Healthy Harbour Catchment Management Plan, which was produced under her leadership in 2018.
This plan is a significant collaboration between Te Hapū o Ngati Wheke, Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu with Tangata Tiaki, Environment Canterbury, the Christchurch City Council, and the Lyttelton Port Company. Ms Couch-Lewis has been involved with the Department of Conservation’s recovery group for Kākāriki karaka/orange-fronted parakeet since 2008 and the governance group since inception in 2018. She has been involved DOC’s governance group for Hoiho/yellow-eyed penguins since 2014. She was appointed as a member of the Waste Advisory Board between 2016 and 2019. In 2019, she was appointed to the role of Tangata Tiaki/Kaitiaki for Mataitia by the Ministry for Primary Industries. In 2020 she was appointed as one of the newly created ''Tumu Taiao" roles aimed at supporting better Council decision-making outcomes for mana whenua and for Environment Canterbury. She has been a Ngāi Tahu representative on the Te Waihora Co-Governance Group since 2007. She has championed employment opportunities for hapū in conservation and a joint management approach between DOC and Ngāti Wheke for Ripapa and Otamahua/Quail Island in Whakaraupō/Lyttelton Harbour. Ms Couch-Lewis has led riparian planting projects including the Omaru Stream project at Whakaraupō.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
DENHOLM, Mrs Nicola Jane (Nikki)
For services to humanitarian advocacy and photography
Mrs Nikki Denholm is director, health professional, humanitarian, photographer and co-founder of Exposure International, a communication company with a focus on social justice issues.
Mrs Denholm has worked in more than 40 countries addressing social issues including the global refugee crisis, maternal health in Somalia, child sex trafficking, child imprisonment, and the HIV/AIDS epidemic. She founded the New Zealand FGM (Female Genital Mutilation) Education Programme and the African Refugee HIV/AIDS Programme, assisting refugees living with HIV/ AIDS. She has authored national FGM guidelines, was appointed an FGM technical advisor to the World Health Organisation, and successfully lobbied for FGM legislation change in New Zealand. She undertook the Mothers of Bosaso photographic project in Somalia, raising $175,000 in New Zealand for Somali hospitals during the 2010 famine. She has worked extensively in prisons, publishing ‘Freedom’, a photographic book documenting the lives of inmates across 17 countries. She has campaigned for Tearfund and World Vision and is a Board member of LIFT International, a New Zealand-based counter sex trafficking organisation in Thailand. Mrs Denholm co-founded and is Director of ‘The Light Project’, New Zealand’s leading service addressing the impacts of pornography on youth and equipping youth professionals and communities.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
DERBASHI, Mr Mustafa Ismail
For services to migrant and refugee communities
Mr Mustafa Derbashi has helped Middle Eastern and Muslim migrants and refugees integrate into New Zealand life.
Mr Derbashi has organised cultural nights, festivals, school holiday development programmes for children, and led youth camps and sports trips. He has provided interpreting support to those engaging with various agencies from Police to local government. He has worked with refugees in Dunedin, particularly Syrian men through an integration programme he designed called Men Integration Project. Through this programme he has aimed to reduce family violence in the refugee community, improve spoken English, provide guidance on New Zealand parenting and general culture, and help men find employment. He has worked as an unpaid teacher aide in the ESOL programme in schools, working with students with behavioural issues, coaching football, and helping teachers better understand Middle Eastern cultures. He voluntarily coached Kiwi Kids football from 2002 to 2007 and in 2014/2015. He has emceed at the New Zealand Eid Day, the biggest celebration for Muslims in Auckland with more than 15,000 attendees. He interpreted for various events following the 2019 Christchurch mosque attacks, including the Forsyth Barr Stadium vigil and the sentencing. Mr Derbashi has been a member of the Executive Committee of the Brockville Amenity and Community Improvement Society and the Brockville Primary School Board of Trustees.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
DODDS, Mrs Margaret Ann
For services to special education
Mrs Margaret Dodds has been an active and dedicated member of Special Education New Zealand, having been Team Leader of Special Education in several high schools and Principal of Waitaha Special School from 2008 to 2018.
As Principal of Waitaha, Mrs Dodds was jointly responsible with the Principal of Lemonwood Grove in establishing the new Lemonwood Grove full primary and Waitaha special education schools’ side-by-side. She played a key role in relocating Waitaha to a new purpose-built facility in Rolleston in 2018 with four satellite provisions across four other mainstream schools. She ensured her students had an everyday school experience, introducing new curriculum, school dances, camps and inter-school sports, and created an innovative sensory-motor therapy room designed to meet students’ sensory needs, enhance self-regulation and develop motor functions. She ensured that students’ best interests were the core of all decisions, and had an open-door policy for staff and whānau, ensuring they received the support, resources and information available to help their students achieve. After retiring in 2018, Mrs Dodds was called upon by the Ministry of Education on two occasions due to her leadership skills to cover primary school principal roles at short notice.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
DOWNES, Dr Graeme Alexander
For services to music and music education
Dr Graeme Downes is a rock musician and founding member of ‘The Verlaines’ and a former senior lecturer at the University of Otago.
Dr Downes established The Verlaines in 1981 and has been performing and recording under that name for 40 years. He is the songwriter, vocalist and producer for the band. The Verlaines have released 11 albums and two EPs over this period. The band played in New Zealand, Australia and the United States, with some shows in the United Kingdom. The group has become an integral part of the ‘Dunedin Sound’ and he has orchestrated three concerts of works by these bands, including the Chills, Clean and Straightjacket Fits under the ‘Tally Ho’ banner. Outside of the band, he has lectured in the Department of Music developing New Zealand’s first rock music degree, before becoming Head of Department of Music in 2012. With a PhD on the music of Mahler, he has provided pre-concert lectures for the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra and Southern Sinfonia/DSO and has contributed to music programmes on Radio New Zealand. He provides musicologist support in the area of copyright disputes. Dr Downes has served as a songwriter ambassador for the Australasian Performing Right Association and the Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners Society, supporting music creators.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
ELLERY, Mr Miles Denis
For services to youth, education and the community
Mr Miles Ellery has worked with at risk young people with psychological, behavioural, emotional and learning difficulties.
Mr Ellery was Director of Edward Seager School at Sunnyside Hospital from 1979 to 1995, overseeing positive results from students able to be successfully reintegrated into regular high school, or into employment, after completing programmes at Edward Seagar. He has provided leadership to several professional bodies, including as Secretary at regional and national levels for New Zealand Association for Research in Education, New Zealand Psychological Society, and New Zealand Association of Counsellors. He was Chairman of Resource Teachers: Learning and Behaviour (RTLB) Shirley Cluster management committee for six years. He was Head of Guidance at Shirley Boys High School in Christchurch for 15 years. He initiated and had a significant leadership role in implementing the nationwide Lions Quest Life Skills education programmes for adolescents and their families. He was Secretary of Quest Skills for Adolescence Board from 1986 to 1994 and chaired the New Zealand and Pacific Lions Leadership and Development programme from 1990 to 1996. He has been a Lions District Governor, as well as Christchurch Host Lions Club past President and Secretary since 1990. Mr Ellery led several successful Lions fundraisers and has held roles with Scouts, YMCA and church youth groups.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
FAITOTONU, Mr Siale Katoa Latu Pasa, JP
For services to Pacific education
Mr Siale Faitotonu has supported Pacific children and young people in education in Christchurch for more than 30 years, outside of his regular employment at the University of Canterbury (UC).
Mr Faitotonu established Fe’ungamalie Language Nest at Rowley School in 1995, playing a key role in transitioning children and families of Fe’ungamalie to merge with Tongan Kaha’u Ola Early Childhood Centre in 2005, ensuring this centre could continue when facing difficulties. He was Licensee for Kaha’u Ola until 2009. He initiated a new pan-Pacific ECE to serve West Christchurch following earthquake displacement of Pasifika families, which opened in 2017. He established a Tongan language homework programme through Kahoa Tauleva Christchurch Trust in 2004. He facilitated resources including education students from UC and second-hand computers for the programme’s homework centres, helping establish a computer skills programme for students and parents. He translates education material into Tongan and developed resources for non-Pasifika teachers working in ECE nationally. As no Christchurch school could support NCEA Lea Faka-Tonga Levels 1 through 3, he established a programme for Tongan language students across 19 schools to be tutored through afterschool classes. Mr Faitotonu is involved with a Pacific Education Leadership course and the Minister of Education’s Pacific Advisory Board for Educational Renewal of Christchurch following the earthquakes.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
FARRELL, Mrs Kathleen Margaret
For services to netball
Mrs Kathleen Farrell has had a voluntary association with netball in the Waikato region since the 1950s as an administrator, player, umpire, coach and manager.
Mrs Farrell led the establishment of the Verdettes Netball Club in 1970 and the inaugural midweek netball competition. She coached for a significant period, which included her Club team winning the National Club Championship in 1982 and the Waikato under-21 team winning the National Age Grade championship in 1988, after which she co-established the Waikato Coaches Association. Since the early 1970s, she has fulfilled many roles within the Waikato Netball Association on both the Management and Executive Committees. She was Vice President of the Netball Waikato Region from 1980 to 1999 and President of Hamilton City Netball Centre from 1999 to 2006, continuing as a Board member until 2019. With a background in accounting, she was Finance Convenor for the Netball Waikato Region Board, responsible for administering the 20 Centres in the region. She has been instrumental in running the club competitions at Minogue Park Netball Complex and has been a key member in organising national events hosted in Hamilton. Mrs Farrell was involved with the working group managing the transition process from the disestablishment of the Region into Centres and Zones.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
FARRY-WILLIAMS, Mrs Margaret Marie
For services to the fashion industry and charitable fundraising
Mrs Margaret Farry-Williams was founder and owner of Vanity Walk Modelling School and Agency, Dunedin from 1965 to 2006.
Vanity Walk was originally established for young women looking to become models, which however grew in popularity with both men and women as it offered courses designed to build confidence and self-esteem. Some became professional models, but all who attended received the same dedicated attention and emerged confident and self-reliant, the ultimate intention of Mrs Farry-Williams. She accepted underprivileged children and young adults into courses at no charge, enabling them to gain a sense of purpose and self-worth by teaching them essential life skills. She developed further courses ‘New You’ and ‘Fashion on a Budget’, designed for more mature men and women. Vanity Walk became synonymous with the fashion industry in Otago, Southland and beyond. Several of her models forged successful national and international careers, while others worked locally. She raised substantial funds via fashion shows for various charities including Women’s Refuge, Zonta, the Cancer Society and Save the Children. In 1986, Mrs Farry-Williams produced the ‘Parade in Aid’ event at Dunedin Town Hall, combining a fashion show, ball and an art and antique auction, with all contributions provided free of charge and all proceeds going to Save the Children Fund.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
FLETCHER, Dr Michael John
For services to social and public policy
Dr Michael Fletcher has extensive experience as an economic and social policy advisor, researcher and manager working across numerous New Zealand government agencies and as an academic.
Dr Fletcher is a Senior Research Fellow at the Institute for Governance and Policy Studies at Victoria University of Wellington and is the New Zealand Correspondent for the Max Planck Institute for Social Law and Social Policy in Munich. He has held a number of senior roles in the public service, including Group Manager, Policy and Research in the New Zealand Families Commission and Chief Labour Market Adviser in the Department of Labour, and earlier was economic research officer for the New Zealand Federation of Labour. He was a senior lecturer and senior research officer at Auckland University of Technology for seven years, teaching and publishing in the areas of social policy, public policy and employment relations. Dr Fletcher was the independent Special Advisor to the Welfare Expert Advisory Group from 2018 to 2019, contributing to the development of the Whakamana Tāngata report on the future of New Zealand’s welfare system.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
FRATER, Dr Janet Seymour
For services as a General Practitioner
Dr Janet Frater has served for 40 years as a general practitioner and is regarded as a leader and model of excellence in her field.
For more than 25 years, Dr Frater trained registrars in general practice for the Royal New Zealand College of General Practice. From 2000 to 2015 she advised the New Zealand Medical Council on general practice issues, particularly in relation to the management of complaints about malpractice and ethics. She is an advocate for the health and wellbeing of doctors, having written articles on doctor self-care, which has contributed to this being an area prioritised in general practitioner training. She has been a career-long advocate for women’s health, particularly for those who have suffered trauma and abuse. Dr Frater was awarded Distinguished Fellow of the Royal New Zealand College of General Practice in 2010 and was named Procare GP of the Year in 2005.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
FRAZER, Mrs Lala Athene, QSM
For services to conservation
Mrs Lala Frazer is recognised for her services to conservation and the community and since her retirement in 2007 has continued her involvement with Save the Otago Peninsula (STOP) and taken on responsibility for two major projects under the STOP banner over the past 14 years.
Mrs Frazer took responsibility for the operational management of the Department of Conservation Every Scientific Reserve and currently has oversight over weekly working bees, coordinating resources and volunteers and organising pest control. She inaugurated the campaign for the purchase by the Dunedin City Council in 2008 of a 328-hectare block now managed by the Hereweka Harbour Cone Trust for landscape, cultural, recreational and ecological purposes. She was inaugural Chair of the Trust from 2015 to 2016 and has been responsible for organising year-round working bees for the planting of indigenous trees in the Smith’s Creek catchment. She has been a hands-on volunteer with these projects, involving herself in clearing, planting and maintenance. She edited and coordinated the publication of ‘Otago Peninsula Birds – A Pocket Guide’ in 2014. As a founding Trustee, she has continued with the Yellow-eyed Penguin Trust (YEPT), particularly in the area of habitat. Mrs Frazer was named Wildlife Hero of the Dunedin Wildlife Festival in 2020.
HONOURS
Queen’s Service Medal for Public Services, New Year 2004
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
HANDA, Mr Sameer
For services to business and New Zealand-India relations
Mr Sameer Handa is a businessperson who has promoted bilateral trade between India and New Zealand for more than 15 years.
Mr Handa became Chair of the India New Zealand Business Council in 2018, having been a Board member since 2013. He is a Board member and Deputy Chair as of 2018 of New Zealand Asian Leaders. He has been part of multiple Ministerial Trade delegations to India, Thailand, Philipines and Sri Lanka since 2010. He is Managing Director of Glowbal NZ ltd, importing innovative products to New Zealand and, for 19 years, was CEO and Director of Patton Ltd from 1998 to 2017, a large corporate in the cold chain industry covering New Zealand, Australia, Thailand and India. He has been a Board member of Bank of India (New Zealand) Ltd since 2013 and heads the Audit and Risk Committee. He uses his business and management experience to mentor young entrepreneurs and guide those wishing to engage in trade between India and New Zealand. Mr Handa is involved with charitable causes as a member of the Refrigerant Recovery Board for 14 years and more recently as a Trustee of the Auckland Health Foundation.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
HAQUE, Mr Iqbal Manzoor (Bali)
For services to education governance
Mr Bali Haque has been involved with education for more than 40 years and been Principal of three secondary schools and of the National College of the Cook Islands.
Mr Haque has been a key contributor to a number of Ministry of Education advisory policy groups and has actively supported and mentored beginning and experienced principals. He was on the national executive of the Post Primary Teachers Association and was also President of the Secondary Principals Association of New Zealand. He was Deputy Chief Executive of the New Zealand Qualifications Authority from 2006 to 2011, during which he led major NCEA reforms and worked internationally with the Qualifications authorities of Ireland, India and Thailand. Over the past two years, he has led an independent Minister of Education-appointed taskforce to review the governance, management and administration of the New Zealand compulsory schooling system. He is a member of the Board of Ako Mātātupu – Teach First New Zealand, which focuses on addressing inequities in the education system, especially those facing Māori and Pacific communities. He is a Board member of the Toi Foundation. Mr Haque has written two books ‘Changing our Secondary Schools’ and ‘New Zealand Secondary Schools and Your Child: A Guide for Parents’.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
HART, Mr Bruce Henry
For services to education
Mr Bruce Hart was the Principal of Heretaunga College from 2003 to 2019 and has led innovative developments across all areas of education.
The senior curriculum reform that Mr Hart led at the College in 2017 and 2018 was identified in the Education Gazette as showing good practice, due to its innovative approach and followed the creation of modern learning environments throughout the school. He played a major role in the establishment of the College’s Hospitality School, making it the only high school in the country to offer the New Zealand Certificate in Basic Cookery Level 3. He helped to develop the Upper Hutt Schools Cluster into a collaboration of schools implementing improvements in teaching, a precursor to the national development of Communities of Learning – Kahui Ako in 2015. He represented the Secondary Schools Principal’s Council on several advisory groups from 2016 to 2019. He was active in the Greater Wellington Secondary Schools Principal’s Association and was Chairperson of the Upper Hutt Principal’s Association. Mr Hart currently works as a Learning Support Impact Coach for Upper Hutt schools, which is focused on improving the way schools and community groups work together to get better outcomes for children who need additional support for their learning.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
HELPS, Mr Francis William
For services to wildlife conservation
Mr Francis Helps and his wife Shireen have undertaken more than 40 years of conservation work to protect and enhance the biodiversity values of 32 hectares of their property at Pohatu Flea Bay, adjacent to the Pohatu Marine Reserve.
Mr and Mrs Helps’ work has protected a significant population of kororā (blue penguins) and they have been involved with protection and monitoring of the few remaining hioho (yellow eyed penguin) on Banks Peninsula. Noting the declining populations of penguins from predation, through many years of trapping, making nest boxes, monitoring and rehabilitation the Helps have since stabilised the penguin colony at Pohatu. Pohatu now has 1,260 breeding pairs, the single largest little penguin population on mainland Aotearoa. A section of the Banks Walking Track is situated on their property, giving walkers an opportunity to view the penguins on guided tours as part of the Helps’ Pohatu Penguins business. Pohatu Penguins now offers penguin and nature tours, kayaking and accommodation, directly providing revenue to continue their conservation and education work. They educate tourists, school children and individuals about penguins, marine life, vegetation and lizards. The Helps have donated Red Beach Forest and Tutakakahikura scenic reserves to the Crown and have five covenants with QEII National Trust and Banks Peninsular Conservation Trust.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
HELPS, Mrs Shireen May
For services to wildlife conservation
Mrs Shireen Helps and her husband Francis have undertaken more than 40 years of conservation work to protect and enhance the biodiversity values of 32 hectares of their property at Pohatu Flea Bay, adjacent to the Pohatu Marine Reserve.
Mr and Mrs Helps’ work has protected a significant population of kororā (blue penguins) and they have been involved with protection and monitoring of the few remaining hioho (yellow eyed penguin) on Banks Peninsula. Noting the declining populations of penguins from predation, through many years of trapping, making nest boxes, monitoring and rehabilitation the Helps have since stabilised the penguin colony at Pohatu. Pohatu now has 1,260 breeding pairs, the single largest little penguin population on mainland Aotearoa. A section of the Banks Walking Track is situated on their property, giving walkers an opportunity to view the penguins on guided tours as part of the Helps’ Pohatu Penguins business. Pohatu Penguins now offers penguin and nature tours, kayaking and accommodation, directly providing revenue to continue their conservation and education work. They educate tourists, school children and individuals about penguins, marine life, vegetation and lizards. The Helps have donated Red Beach Forest and Tutakakahikura scenic reserves to the Crown and have five covenants with QEII National Trust and Banks Peninsular Conservation Trust.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
HOLDSWORTH, Mr Michael David
For services to Special Olympics
Mr Michael Holdsworth has represented New Zealand at multiple Special Olympics and since 2010 has been a Global Messenger for the Special Olympics Athlete Leadership Programme.
Mr Holdsworth has been a dedicated member of Special Olympics Wellington since the early 1980s when it formed, whether competing, mentoring, officiating, assisting with the running of an event, fundraising, or attending functions. He has represented Special Olympics Wellington in numerous local, regional and national tournaments. He has represented New Zealand in alpine skiing and swimming at multiple International Special Olympics Events, winning several medals. His path to the 2017 World Winter Games was the subject of an Attitude TV documentary. As a Global Messenger he represents Special Olympics New Zealand at various local and international events such as leading the Flame Run for the National Summer Games, giving speeches at fundraisers or attending the Wellington Community Awards. Locally, Mr Holdsworth has been involved with the Scout movement and has been a Kea Leader at the Khandallah Scout Group for more than 20 years.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
HOPKINS, Mrs Margaret Anne
For services to conservation and the community
Mrs Margaret Hopkins has been active in conservation and local government on Rakiura Stewart Island.
Mrs Hopkins was a member of Stewart Island County Council from 1978 to 1990 and Chairperson of Stewart Island Community Board in the 1990s. She was member of the Southland Conservation Board from 1990 to 1999 and was appointed to the New Zealand Conservation Authority from 1999 to 2002, helping develop Rakiura National Park. She is Chair of Rakiura Heritage Centre Trust. Most recently she has been involved with construction of Stewart Island’s $3.8 million Heritage Centre opened in 2020, playing a key role in driving the concept, planning and building of the Centre, liaising with contractors and fundraising. She was a volunteer with Halfmoon Bay Museum. She was member of Stewart Island Rakiura Community Environment Trust and has been Chair. She played a leading role in establishing the Ulva Island Marine Reserve and Paterson Inlet Mataitai. She was an active member of the Stewart Island Promotion Association and a member of the Stewart Island Community Centre Trust for 20 years, during the building and planning of the Community Centre. Mrs Hopkins has been involved with Leadership Academy, established to develop the leadership potential of Stewart Island residents.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
HORNE, Mr Peter Ronald
For services to bowls and Paralympic sport
Mr Peter Horne has been heavily involved with lawn bowls, para sport and disability sport in New Zealand.
Mr Horne is a gold-medal winning Paralympian and founder and President of New Zealand Disabled Lawn Bowls. He won gold in the Men’s Singles LB3 and bronze in the Men’s Pairs LB2 at the 1988 Seoul Paralympic Games, as well as a bronze medal at the 1996 Paralympic Games. He was selector, coach, manager and player for the New Zealand team at the 1993 Adelaide World Disabled Bowls. He has won several club and centre titles against the able bodied, alongside 10 World Disabled Bowls tournament wins. He was instrumental in the successful hosting of the International Bowls for the 2015 Disabled World Championships and organised and ran the 2018 Disabled National Bowls Tournament, raising more than $20,000 to fund the event. He visits local schools to speak about his disabilities, has coached hundreds of people over the years and works hard to provide opportunities for everyone to participate in sport. Mr Horne is an active member of the Naenae Bowling club, the Hutt Valley Sports Committee and serves on the Committee’s judging panel for the Hutt Valley Sports Awards.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
JACKSON, Mrs Sally Anne, JP
For services to special education
Mrs Sally Jackson has been active in the disability sector for 52 years and a leader in the education system for 40 years.
Mrs Jackson pioneered work on learning design for children with autism, including an assessment class at Naenae School in Wellington, to determine the supports needed to enable children with additional learning needs to be included in classes with their peers. From 1996 to 2002, she was project manager for implementation of the ‘Special Education 2000’ policy, which aimed to create a fully inclusive education system in Aotearoa by the year 2000. She was inaugural Board of Trustees Deputy Chairperson at Upper Hutt College, where she was instrumental in disestablishing segregation of students with additional needs in favour of inclusive practices. In her Ministry of Education senior manager roles, she has led a number of initiatives including the establishment of Resource Teachers for students with learning and behaviour challenges, the national communication service, interpreter support and a Deaf education strategy for Aotearoa, and a Specialist Teacher Qualification among other projects. Recently as Chief Advisor Learning Support, she has led the Ministry’s engagement with the disability sector. Mrs Jackson initiated the development of the First Signs programme for deaf children to develop early language through supporting families with New Zealand Sign Language in the home.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
KERR, Mrs Shirley Diane
For services to mycology
Mrs Shirley Kerr has been involved with mycology since 1999 and has been recognised by professionals nationally and internationally for her contributions to knowledge in this field.
Mrs Kerr has a background in education, teaching at several secondary schools between 1973 and 2017, specialising in biology. She has been a driving force for mycological exploration and education in the Bay of Plenty area. She has built a database of species on her website Kaimai Bush and in 2019 published ‘A Field Guide to New Zealand Fungi’, which has been highly acclaimed nationally and internationally for its accessibility. She has found at least five previously undescribed species and recorded in excess of 600 different species. She served on the council of the Fungal Network of New Zealand (FUNNZ) for 15 years, was Treasurer from 2009 to 2011, and played a key role in organising four annual New Zealand Fungi Forays. The Fungal Forays attract scientists from New Zealand and overseas. Mrs Kerr’s voluntary education efforts in mycology have included running workshops for upskilling in macro photography for botanical work, fostering children’s interest at national forays, organising field trips, public speaking engagements, and providing samples of Landcare New Zealand’s Herbarium or for overseas examination.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
KISLER, Ms Mary Louise
For services to art history and curation
Ms Mary Kisler is a highly qualified art historian who was employed as the MacKelvie Curator and Senior Curator International Art at the Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tamaki from the late 1990s until her retirement in 2020.
Ms Kisler was responsible for the International Collection ranging from the third century to 1960 and curated more than 43 exhibitions, some of which toured New Zealand. She published three books and contributed to many other catalogues and academic publications. She led a number of art history tour groups of New Zealanders to the United Kingdom, Italy and France, focusing on Renaissance and Baroque art, and latterly where Frances Hodgkins spent time painting, which coupled with her scholarly research resulted in the major exhibition ‘Frances Hodgkins – European Journeys’. She wrote the accompanying book ‘Finding Frances Hodgkins’. Her community outreach included monthly art interviews on Radio New Zealand between 2001 and 2020. With Auckland Art Gallery, she helped support art tuition for prison inmates undertaking School Certificate Art Classes at Paremoremo Prison to prepare for examination submissions, and led guided tours of Māori art at Auckland Art Gallery for prisoners preparing for life outside of prison. In the early 1970s Ms Kisler helped run drama courses for what is now Ranfurly Care Society and at Porirua hospital.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
LANGSBURY, Mr Hoani Sydney
For services to conservation
Mr Hoani Langsbury is a local conservation expert and iwi representative in the Otago region.
Mr Langsbury has volunteered as an advisor to the Department of Conservation’s (DOC) Ngāi Tahu Te Roopu Kaitiaki since 2001. He has been Chair of the Otago Peninsula Biodiversity Group since 2014. He is a founding trustee of the Predator Free Dunedin Charitable Trust and Wild Dunedin. He is a trustee and board member of the Yellow-Eyed Penguin Trust and Deputy Chair of the Dunedin City Council’s Environmental Strategy group. He volunteered as a member of DOC’s Species Recovery Groups for 12 years. He has been a Commissioner of Environment Canterbury since 2008 and has been a founding Trustee of Wild Dunedin Trust since 2016. He is past Chair and current Ecotourism Manager for the Otago Peninsula Trust, managing and overseeing the Royal Albatross Centre and Blue Penguins Pukekura. In this role he combines his extensive understanding of conservation with an interest in tourism and sustainability to represent the region to national and international audiences, including touring celebrities and on international media programmes. Within the wider community Mr Langsbury is Deputy Chair of the Otago Peninsula Community Board, a cultural advisor to St Hilda’s Collegiate School, a swim coach, and a registered athletics official.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
LANIGAN, Mrs Shirley Audrey
For services to nursing
Mrs Shirley Lanigan has worked as a nurse in the Hutt Valley for more than 60 years and continues to work on call as a sexual assault forensic nurse for the Hutt and Wellington areas.
Mrs Lanigan began her nursing career at Lower Hutt Hospital in 1960 and in April 1968 she set up a ward for survivors of the Wahine rescue. In 1982 she joined the Emergency Department, where she later became Nurse Manager then Nurse Coordinator until her retirement in 2013. She was instrumental in setting up the Short Stay Unit, with the commitment that the elderly and vulnerable should not be turned away in the middle of the night. She worked on night duty for 16 years. She worked for the New Zealand Police from 2002 to 2017 as a blood nurse on the mobile testing unit. In 2004 she began working as a sexual assault forensic nurse for the Hutt area, which combined with the Wellington area in 2010. She was one of four nurses to join this service and her commitment to the service decreased the need for vulnerable traumatised persons to travel to Wellington to receive medical and forensic care. Mrs Lanigan provides palliative and respite care in her community on a voluntary basis.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
LAURENT, Mr Kenneth Bernard (Ken)
For services to wildlife conservation
Mr Ken Laurent and his wife Sue have been actively involved in native bird conservation.
Mr Laurent has volunteered with Whakatane Kiwi Trust (WKT) since 2010 as an education guide, leading 'Kiwi Tracker' walks in Ohope Scenic Reserve. He has helped train new education guides and was Education Volunteer Team Leader until 2019. He assists his wife, a qualified kiwi practitioner, with kiwi monitoring and health check duties. He chairs the WKT Team Leaders group. The WKT began with eight monitored kiwi in 1996 and now has more than 350 in 2020. He has volunteered with the Manawahe Kokako Trust (MKT) since 1998 and is currently Operations Coordinator. MKT protects the habitat of surviving kokako on an area of 350 hectares of privately owned land. He co-ordinates all predator control operations and other operational activities including track clearing. He has helped Manawahe Kokako Trust (MKT) with annual census monitoring, nest monitoring and translocation of birds. He has been a Trustee for MKT since the late 1990s and is a member of the Executive Team. He was a Trustee of HALO Whakatāne unfenced sanctuary project from 2017 to 2019. Mr Laurent helped a volunteer team translocate 40 North Island robins to Ohope Scenic Reserve in 2014, sponsoring the cost of a transmitter to monitor the project.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
LAURENT, Mrs Susanne Maire (Sue)
For services to wildlife conservation
Mrs Sue Laurent and her husband Kenneth have been actively involved in native bird conservation.
Mrs Laurent has volunteered with the Whakatane Kiwi Trust (WKT) since 2010. She is Kiwi Monitoring Team Leader, responsible for overseeing the daily signal monitoring of kiwi and maintaining her team’s capability. She is a qualified kiwi practitioner and as a member of the Kiwi Management Team she is involved in conducting monthly checks for kiwi chicks and annual checks for adult male kiwi. She has helped train new members of the Kiwi Management Team and was a Trustee for WKT from 2014 to 2019. The WKT began with eight monitored kiwi in 1996 and now has more than 350 in 2020. She has volunteered with the Manawahe Kokako Trust (MKT) since 1998, which protects the habitat of surviving kokako on an area of 350 hectares of privately owned land. She has helped Manawahe Kokako Trust (MKT) with annual census monitoring, nest monitoring and translocation of birds. She is part of MKT's Executive Team involved in planning the Trust's annual programme, running biennial Open Days, and liaising with external organisations. Mrs Laurent helped a volunteer team translocate 40 North Island robins to Ohope Scenic Reserve in 2014, sponsoring the cost of a transmitter to monitor the project.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
LYONS, Mrs Colleen Janice
For services to netball and education
Mrs Colleen Lyons has since been involved in every aspect of netball since 1965, including playing, umpiring, coaching, managing, and governance.
Mrs Lyons gained her first umpiring qualification in 1972 and continues to umpire at a local, regional, and national level. She was honorary secretary of the Otago Netball Union/Association (now Dunedin Netball) from 1976 to 1989. She was a member of the Netball Otago Board in 2010 and 2011, and of the Dunedin Netball Board from 2013, including Chair in 2018. Since 2012 she has been a Trustee on the Board of the indoor sport and recreation Edgar Centre. She was appointed as a teacher at Queen’s High School from 1982 and as Head of Department from the mid-1980s. She was involved in the development of Careers and Transition education in New Zealand, led the introduction of transition programmes from school to work, and developed initiatives such as the national Certificate in Early Childhood. She was Assistant Principal at Queen’s High from 1997 until her retirement in 2008. She co-ordinated more than 30 netball teams every year, as well as coaching, managing, fundraising, supporting young umpires, and helping with every South Island Secondary School tournament. Mrs Lyons has been heavily involved with the Ex Girls Association since 1968, including time as Chair.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
MADDISON, Dr Peter Alexander
For services to conservation
Dr Peter Maddison was a member of the Royal Forest and Bird Society’s National Executive for 15 years, including four years as President.
Dr Maddison has been a member of the Society’s Waitakere Branch since 1985. He was a founding member and Trustee of Weedfree Waitakere and Eco Matters Trust. He chaired the Waitakere City Council’s Water and Environment Committee for five years and the Pacific Science Association Scientific Committee for nine years. He was a founding member and is scientific advisor to Project Parore, a pioneering catchment-wide ecological restoration project based in Katikati. He voluntarily conducts ecological surveys, called ‘BioBlitzes’, in Miranda, Katikati, and Whatipu, which have led to the discovery of several new bacteria and animal species. He aims to restore biodiversity over large areas in partnership with local communities and organisations and his nationally significant BioBlitzes have made progress towards this goal. In 1999 he identified the presence of the Painted Apple Moth species in New Zealand. This was reported to local and national authorities, leading to a $65 million eradication programme that averted a potential disaster for New Zealand’s horticulture industry. Dr Maddison is a Fellow of the Royal Entomological Society of London and a Distinguished Life Member of the Royal New Zealand Forest and Bird Society.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
MAVAEGA, Mr Posenai Samoa
For services to Pacific performing arts
Mr Posenai Mavaega and his wife Tanya Muagututi’a have been integral members of the award-winning arts company Pacific Underground for 28 years.
Pacific Underground is a community-based performing arts group, known for ground-breaking Pacific theatre and supporting emerging Pacific artists. Since the 1990s Mr Mavaega and Ms Muagututi’a have provided numerous performing arts platforms for the Christchurch Pacific community to tell their stories. From 2001 to 2010 they delivered ten Christchurch Pacific Arts festivals where local and international guests shared performance and exhibition spaces. For 20 years they volunteered at community events from Aranui to Parihaka, including major fundraising concerts for Samoa. They have attended three WOMEX international music expos and three Festivals of Pacific Arts (FESTPAC). They have worked in both Christchurch and Auckland across theatre and events with Court Theatre, Te Oro, Mangere Arts Centre, major events such as Pasifika, Diwali and Lantern Festivals, and national Winery and Concert tours. They have collaborated with more than 500 indigenous artists and have held Artists Residencies. Pacific Underground was recognised with a Lifetime Achievement award in Pacific Music in 2016. Ms Muagututi’a and Mr Mavaega are continuing creating and supporting emerging artists at YNOT, No.3 Roskill Theatre, Kia Mau Festival and Pacific Underground’s new online audio collection.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
MAVAEGA, Ms Tanya Soliali'i (Tanya Muagututi'a)
For services to Pacific performing arts
Ms Tanya Muagututi’a and her husband Posenai Mavaega have been integral members of the award-winning arts company Pacific Underground for 28 years.
Pacific Underground is a community-based performing arts group, known for ground-breaking Pacific theatre and supporting emerging Pacific artists. Since the 1990s Mr Mavaega and Ms Muagututi’a have provided numerous performing arts platforms for the Christchurch Pacific community to tell their stories. From 2001 to 2010 they delivered ten Christchurch Pacific Arts festivals where local and international guests shared performance and exhibition spaces. For 20 years they volunteered at community events from Aranui to Parihaka, including major fundraising concerts for Samoa. They have attended three WOMEX international music expos and three Festivals of Pacific Arts (FESTPAC). They have worked in both Christchurch and Auckland across theatre and events with Court Theatre, Te Oro, Mangere Arts Centre, major events such as Pasifika, Diwali and Lantern Festivals, and national Winery and Concert tours. They have collaborated with more than 500 indigenous artists and have held Artists Residencies. Pacific Underground was recognised with a Lifetime Achievement award in Pacific Music in 2016. Ms Muagututi’a and Mr Mavaega are continuing creating and supporting emerging artists at YNOT, No.3 Roskill Theatre, Kia Mau Festival and Pacific Underground’s new online audio collection.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
METI, Ms Phillis-Jean (Phillis)
For services to sport, particularly golf
Ms Phillis Meti has represented New Zealand at the World Championships of Long Drive Golf for seven years, winning three World Championships, and is currently the World Number One ranked female long driver.
In 2017 Ms Meti set the women’s world record of driving a golf ball the furthest in competition, with 371 metres, later breaking this record in 2019 with a drive of 377 metres. She won the Long Drive national titles in 2006, 2008, 2009, 2018 and 2019. She has been Golf Coordinator of the Auckland Cook Islands Sports Association since 2015 and organises the annual golf event. She has been a strong advocate for involving youth in sport, particularly girls, and has organised free junior golf clinics. She previously represented New Zealand in discus and shot put at the 2003 Oceania Games, 2003 Youth Olympic Games and the 2004 Commonwealth Youth Games, and the Waka Ama World Championships in 2004 and 2006. She represented the Cook Islands in the annual Pacific Challenge Cup netball tournament for eight years. She has been involved as an organiser, manager, coach, mentor and competitor at the annual waka ama regatta for the Auckland Cook Islands villages from 2000 to 2009, 2016 and 2017. Ms Meti has coached senior women’s crews for the National New Zealand regatta since 2016.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
MITCHELL, Mx Mani Bruce
For services to intersex advocacy and education
Mx Mani Mitchell has been a human rights advocate and educator for intersex people in New Zealand and played a significant role in establishing the Intersex Trust of Aotearoa New Zealand (ITANZ) in 1997.
The Intersex Trust was the first of its kind in the world and Mani has served as its CEO since inception. Mani has contributed to initiatives to include intersex conditions into the fields of sexual health medicine and mental health. Mani was the focus of the award-winning television documentary ‘Mani’s Story’ in 2003. Mani narrated the 2012 film ‘Intersexion’, which has won several awards at international film festivals and is used as an educational resource by the UN Commission for Human Rights. Mani represents New Zealand on the Australian National LGBTI Health Alliance. In 2017 Mani represented ITANZ at a meeting of New Zealand and Australian Intersex organisations in Darlington, Sydney, where the group published the Darlington Statement, the first comprehensive policy platform for intersex persons in Australasia. Mani has continued to be involved in the development of this living document. Mani has been a member of the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA) governing council since 2015. Mani Mitchell has played a key role in organising ILGA World conferences in Wellington in 2016 and 2018.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
NGATAKI, Mr Ted Turua
For services to Māori and the community
Mr Ted Turua Ngataki is a Tohunga Whakairo – Master Carver of more than 45 years.
Mr Ngataki has been the Chairperson, Trustee and member of the Whatapaka Marae Trust and Whatapaka Marae Committee over the past 45 years. He was a founding member and Trustee of the Ngāti Tamaoho Charitable Trust and was a Trustee of Second Natures Trust from 2000 to 2016. He was lead negotiator for Ngāti Tamaoho Charitable Trust from 2011 until the passing of the Ngāti Tamaoho Claims Settlement Act in 2018. He is currently a Trustee of both Nga Whao o Tapu since 2014 and Family First Trust since 2016. He is a well-known Māori carver, with some of his carvings displayed at Auckland Airport, Auckland Museum, Manurewa High School, Kids First Hospital, Middlemore Hospital, Vector Wero Manukau (white water kayaking), Pukekohe Hill, Onehunga and Auckland Southern Motorway. He has helped to provide pathways for other carving enthusiasts and is a leader and mentor for young people in the community. Mr Ngataki played a pivotal role in the design concept of the Vodafone Events Centre, incorporating the voyage of the waka and the many cultures that now reside in South Auckland into the design.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
ORELOWITZ, Ms Caron
For services to podiatry
Ms Caron Orelowitz has been a member of PodiatryNZ as a registered podiatrist since 1997 and has specialised in paediatric foot care, particularly for children with disabilities.
As a volunteer with PodiatryNZ, Ms Orelowitz was involved with the Auckland branch from 1997 to 2007 holding various positions including Chair. She was instrumental in organising the delivery of branch professional development events and working with national conference committees. She was elected to the PodiatryNZ Board from 2007 from 2020, during which time she was involved in the transformation of the Board and development of new strategies, particularly for addressing the shortage of podiatrists in New Zealand. She has helped the association transform from having little profile into one with credibility and viewed as a responsible partner to many government and non-profit agencies. She was a member of the project team developing the Clinic Handbook for podiatrists and took a lead role in conducting training sessions nationally between 2016 and 2018. She was instrumental in developing and delivering an online educational programme in 2020. She was a member of the AUT Department of Podiatry Advisory Committee from 2012 to 2016, including a year as Chair. Ms Orelowitz has been a Practitioner Panel Member for the Health Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal and a Clinical Advisor for ACC.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
PARK-TAMATI, Mrs Karoline Fuarosa (Ladi6)
For services to music
Mrs Karoline Park-Tamati, artistically known as Ladi6, is a leading Pacific artist and pioneer of music in New Zealand, with a career spanning 20 years.
Mrs Park-Tamati remains one of the most in-demand performers across New Zealand’s festival stages, recognised for her unique smoky vocals, unconventional music production, independence and progressive strategy within the industry. As a teenager, she co-founded Sheelaroc, New Zealand’s first all-female hip-hop group. She honed her craft from the grassroots, with more than two decades performing in New Zealand and touring the United States, Europe and Australia. She has worked with her husband as producer on several albums, including her 2009 debut album ‘Time is Not much’, which won Best Urban/Hip-hop album at New Zealand Music Awards (NZMA). She worked with German producer Sepalot in 2010 on her follow-up record ‘The Liberation Of’, which saw her receive the Taite Music Prize for Best Female Solo Artist and Best Urban/Hip-hop album at NZMA. In 2013 she worked with US producer Waajeed to record the album ‘Automatic’. Mrs Park-Tamati’s 2018 EP ‘Royal Blue 3000’ won Best Pacific Album, Best Soul/R&B album of the year and Best Pacific producer at the NZMA.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
PETERS, Ms Janet Louise
For services to mental health
Ms Janet Peters is a registered psychologist has worked in the area of mental health and addiction services for more than 30 years.
Ms Peters has been the New Zealand liaison for the International Initiative for Mental Health Leadership (IIMHL) for 15 years. She plays a key role in sharing best practice across the nine IIMHL countries, finding innovations, policies and research to distribute in a monthly update. She was National Manager of the first Ministry of Health ‘Like Minds Like Mine’ campaign beginning in 1997 to reduce stigma around mental illness and continues today in an advisory role. She was involved with early work from 2005 on the national depression initiative with Sir John Kirwan. She was a support person for those with experiences of mental illness filmed for these campaigns and is a member of the National Advisory Group in 2020. She has written several key mental New Zealand health/addictions documents. She reviewed and updated the Mental Health Foundation of New Zealand’s ‘A to Z’ or mental health topics in 2014. She has particularly advocated for services for children who have experienced trauma. Ms Peters has held roles with the New Zealand Psychologists Board and the Film and Literature Board of Review and is on the Board of Pathways Trust.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
PHILLIPS, Mr Stephen Leslie, JP
For services to seniors and the community
Mr Stephen Phillips was Chief Executive of Age Concern Canterbury from 2008 to 2012 and has been Vice President of Age Concern New Zealand since 2020.
Mr Phillips was a national Board member from 2017 and a Board member of Age Concern Canterbury from 2014. Under his leadership he has established, promoted and supported initiatives to improve quality of services to older people, contributed to development of city-wide policies to promote inclusive communities, ensure funding for organisations working with seniors, and empowering older people. He has been an independent Trustee of Ōtautahi Community Housing Trust, which manages a social housing portfolio of more than 2,400 units, since 2016. He has been Deputy Chair of the Canterbury District Health Board Consumer Council and a Trustee of Canterbury Health Care for Elderly Trust since 2017. He has been a Justice of the Peace since 1996. He was instrumental in setting up service desks after the 2011 Canterbury earthquake and was convenor of all service desks in Canterbury from 2012 to 2016. Mr Phillips has had multiple governance roles with the Canterbury Justices of the Peace Association (CJPA) including as President from 2011 to 2013 and a Council Member from 2006 to 2015, in addition to involvement with the CPJA centennial 2018 committee.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
POWELL, Mrs Samantha Anne (Dr Samantha Murton)
For services to medical education, particularly general practice
Dr Samantha Murton is a leading general practitioner and educator.
Dr Murton has been President of the Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners since November 2018. After becoming a Fellow with the College in 2004, she was the College’s first medical director from 2013 to 2015 and was National Clinical Lead for the College’s General Practice Education Programme from 2009 to 2013. As Clinical Lead she ran a focused project to improve cultural competency training for GPs, helping run workshops with regional medical educators and Māori teachers to develop a comprehensive Māori Health Day now included in GP training. She was awarded a Distinguished Fellowship with the College in 2016. She is a practitioner, trustee and medical director at Wellington’s high-needs Capital Care Health Centre. She is a Senior Lecturer and Trainee Intern Convenor at the University of Otago in Wellington. In 2015, she was awarded a fellowship with the Academy of Medical Educators in the United Kingdom and worked with the Academy for five years as an assessor. Dr Murton has written and illustrated the book “Minor Surgery: A Visual Guide for Office-Based Surgery”, which has since been used as course material for teaching medical students at the University of Otago.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
RAPLEY, Ms Tere Veronica (Teremoana)
For services to music and television
Ms Teremoana Rapley has worked in the television and music sectors for more than 25 years.
Ms Rapley joined pioneering rap group Upper Hutt Posse in 1987, singing on the group's early tracks and featuring on the 1989 album “Against the Flow”. In 1989 she joined Moana Maniapoto's pop trio Moana and the Moahunters. She featured on their album “Tahi” achieving chart success with several singles. Her work with this group saw her awarded Most Promising Female Vocalist at the 1992 New Zealand Music Awards. Alongside these groups, she was inducted into the Aotearoa Music Hall of Fame, received the Legacy Award and the Taite Music Prize twice. She began a solo career in 1994 and was awarded Best Female Vocalist at the 1996 New Zealand Music Awards. She has provided guest vocals with various artists, including Che Fu and King Kapisi. In 1995 she joined long-running children's television show “What Now” as a field reporter. From 1996 to 2001, she was a presenter on TV2's Māori youth programme “Mai Time”, later holding roles including director, camera operator, editor, scriptwriter, production manager, and producer. She was a producer at the Māori Television Service from 2005 to 2015, producing 1,457 television programmes. Ms Rapley is creative economy lead strategist at economic and cultural agency, Auckland Unlimited.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
SHORTLAND, Ms Maxine Khrona
For services to netball and governance
Ms Maxine Shortland (Ngati Hine, Nga Puhi, Ngati Wai, Ngati Porou) is a director of Netball New Zealand with 40 years of experience in netball as a player, manager, coach, administrator, governance and parent netball convenor.
Ms Shortland was a Board member of the Netball North, Kawakawa and Whangarei Netball Centres. As a former representative, she coached Bay of Island College netball team in 1993 when their coach became unwell and they went on to win the inaugural national schools title in 1993 and again in 1994. She is a business leader with 25 years of governance and senior management experience. She has served on several boards in the charitable, commercial, and government sectors. She chairs the Public Health Association of New Zealand and is director of Waitangi Limited. She is a Board Trustee with Foundation North, member of Global Women New Zealand, Kororareka Marae Committee, New Zealand Lottery Grants Board, and New Zealand Conservation Authority. She was Chief Operating Officer at Ngati Hine Health Trust from 2012 to 2017, which co-developed Te Mirumiru eco-early childcare centre, the first World Leadership 6 Green Star education rating facility. Ms Shortland has been a past member of the Northland Conservation Board, Far North District Council Kawakawa Community Board, Springboard Trust, and Deputy Chair of Te Tai Tokerau Primary Healthcare Organisation.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
SIMMONS, Mr Robin John
For services to the rail industry
Mr Robin Simmons has been regarded as one of the most experienced locomotive engineers in the country and was involved with the rail industry from 1974 until his retirement in 2021.
Mr Simmons has been a leader and manager of frontline operations. He was Operations Manager for Locomotive Engineers in Palmerston North from 2006 to 2009. He was National Training Manager for KiwiRail from 2009 to 2013 and has worked on projects with the Continuous Improvement Team between 2013 and 2019. He was a leading figure in the introduction of the Energymiser Driver Advice System (DAS) for KiwiRail, leading to marked improvement in fuel savings and emissions which were recognised at the 2016 Deloitte Energy Awards and contributed to the company achieving 93 percent of the EECA energy savings target two years ahead of schedule. He was subject matter expert on all operational matters concerning fuel and energy savings. He has left a legacy of updated rules and codes for rail transport standards, having simplified and modernised publications for the industry and staff training. In 2019 he designed a new package to ensure the continued training of operators for heritage steam locomotives in revenue charter service. Mr Simmons has written policy for private groups such as the Pahiatua Railcar Society and other rail heritage groups.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
SOLOMON, Ms Gina
For services to conservation and governance
Ms Gina Solomon has applied a conservation and kaitiaki lens across a range of conservation governance appointments over two decades.
Ms Solomon has been Ngāi Tahu representative on the Nelson Marlborough Conservation Board for 14 years and Chair since 2017. She has been the administrator, project manager and a foundation member of Te Korowai o Te Tai o Marokura for more than 10 years, which led the establishment of the Kaikoura marine protection legislation and the Kaikoura Marine Guardians. She was invited to facilitate a similar Te Korowai process for the Chatham Islands. She has been a ministerial appointee on the Nelson Marlborough Conservation Board, Kaikoura Marine Guardians, QEII National Trust Board, Nature Heritage Fund, Molesworth Steering Committee, and the Forestry Ministerial Advisory Group. She has been a member of the National Māori Network Collection Advisory Committee of the Environmental Risk Management Agency and the Hutton’s Shearwater Charitable Trust. She has been involved with the local St Paul’s restoration group, which has worked to re-establish an area of native forest in South Bay, Kaikoura. She has been on the Water Zone Committee for the Canterbury Water Management Strategy since establishment. Ms Solomon was actively involved with Takahanga Marae and on the Kaikoura Plains Recovery Project governance group following the 2016 earthquake.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
STEAD, Reverend Janice Ellen
For services to sport and the community
Reverend Janice Stead has been involved in cricket at all levels, as a player, commentator, selector, and administrator.
Reverend Stead represented New Zealand in nine cricket tests between 1966 and 1972, touring Australia, South Africa, and England. Following her playing days she provided television and radio commentary, helping to promote women’s cricket to a wider community. She was on the Canterbury Women’s Cricket Executive and is a Life Member of the Canterbury Cricket Association. She was also involved in table tennis as a player, umpire, and administrator. She was on the Canterbury Table Tennis Committee for more than 25 years and made a Life Member of the Association in 2000. She played for the New Zealand Team in the Australian Veterans Championships from 1989 to 2000, and managed the team from 2001 to 2009. In 1989 she umpired for the World Deaf Table Tennis Games in Christchurch. Reverend Stead was a voluntary chaplain for the Windsor Care Retirement Village and Alpine View Life Care, retiring in 2019.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
TANKERSLEY, Ms Mairehe Louise Marie
For services to prisoners' welfare and Māori
Ms Mairehe Louise Tankersley (Kāi Tahu, Kāti Irakēhu, Kāti Huikai, Kāi Tūtehuarewa) is currently Chair of Te Rūnaka ki Ōtautahi o Kāi Tahu Trust and has been committed to initiatives with a Kaupapa Māori foundation.
Ms Tankersley has a long history of such initiatives with the Department of Corrections, particularly at Christchurch Women’s Prison where she has been a Kaiwhakamana and Lead Facilitator of the Tikanga Māori programme for 14 years. She is a social worker, Māori educator and Director of Jade Associates – Pounamu Kahuraki, a Māori consultancy providing cultural supervision and training to individuals and groups in education, social services and mental health. Her organisation is contracted to deliver Tikanga Māori programmes for men and women across Canterbury prisons and Community Corrections. Her programmes are always over-subscribed, and several women have participated multiple times because of the value they place on them. She provides a safe place for women who have experienced significant trauma and loss, and who are frequently disconnected from their culture, helping them connect with who they are and to change their lives to benefit them and their children. She has developed relationships transcending usual staff-prisoner boundaries and has continued to provide encouragement and support after release. Ms Tankersley is member of a multi-agency group established to deliver on the Department of Corrections Mana Wahine pathway.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
TE MOANA, Mr Gabriel Pikiao Edward (Gabe)
For services to Māori and governance
Mr Gabe Te Moana has contributed to Rereahu, Maniapoto and Tuwharetoa iwi as a Kaumātua, Chairperson, Trustee, historian, Reo Māori exponent and Rangatira of whanau affairs.
Mr Te Moana is constantly called upon within these iwi for assistance and guidance in whakapapa, tikanga, Te Reo, traditional plant medicines, Māori folklore and oral history. He is currently Te Hape Marae Chairperson and has been involved with capital works projects in marae developments over the years. He is an advisor and marae chairperson on Te Maru o Rereahu Iwi Trust working towards the Iwi’s Treaty settlement and post-settlement governance entity. He has been a representative for Rereahu in an advisory role during the claims process with the Maniapoto Maori Trust Board. He has been involved with Taringamotu Otamakahi Trust Farm since 1979 as an Executive and Advisory Trustee, and as Chairperson since 2009. He has been employed with Downer since 1976 in various roles and has been a member of Downer Māori Leadership Board, Ngā Kaitiaki O Te Ara Whanake, ensuring Māori were better represented in leadership roles at all levels and facilitating six Māori leadership programmes. Mr Te Moana has been called upon to advise on tikanga by community civic leaders, emergency services, and education and health providers.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
VARNEY, Mrs Helen Theresa Cecilia
For services to education, particularly Pacific education
Mrs Helen Varney has been a well-regarded principal for many years, most recently as Principal of Target School, Totara Vale from 2012 to 2020.
Mrs Varney oversaw growth in the roll of Target School, of which 30 percent are learning English as a second language and received strong Education Review Office reports during her tenure. She has been Secretary of the New Zealand Pasifika Principals Association (NZPPA) since 2016, President of North Shore Principals in 2016 and of the Auckland Primary Principals Association in 2018. In 2020, she was appointed Director and Lead Facilitator of Tautai o le Moana – Navigators of the Ocean, a partnership with the Ministry of Education, NZPPA and New Zealand Principals’ Federation. She ran the successful pilot of this programme over 18 months, which supports principals of Pasifika students to build their capability as school leaders to improve outcomes for Pacific learners, and is leading the initiative into its scale-up with the next cohort of principals. She is a qualified facilitator in the Māori Achievement Collaboratives for school leaders to improve outcomes for Māori learners. She has contributed an Auckland and Pasifika perspective to numerous Ministry of Education and inter-agency working groups. Mrs Varney has mentored teachers to become principals.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
VERCOE, Ms Karen
For services to governance and sport
Ms Karen Vercoe has held leadership roles with the not-for-profit sector and has volunteered in sport and coaching.
Ms Vercoe is Chief Executive of the Te Arawa Lakes Trust. She has chaired Te Pūmautanga o Te Arawa, the iwi post settlement governance entity since 2015, and is a director with Central North Island Iwi Holdings Limited, a large forestry assets company. She is Chair of the Data Iwi Leaders Group, a subsidiary of the National Iwi Chairs Forum, consisting of 72 Iwi. She was previously an elected member on the Sport Industry Training Organisation Māori Board and OSCAR Foundation. She represented New Zealand in both Women's rugby and touch rugby. She worked in secondary schools as a Sport Fit Coordinator, for an Outdoor Pursuits Trust and was selected to participate in the inaugural SPARC CEO Leadership programme. She has been a Hillary Role Model. She was Māori Health Manager at PHARMAC and General Manager of Te Papa Tākaro O Te Arawa. She established her company KTV Consulting in 2009, which focuses on Māori organisational development. Through her consultancy, she has worked with several Māori organisations over past eight years, helping these develop significantly. Ms Vercoe won the Dame Mira Szaszy Māori Alumni Award in 2015 as a graduate of the University of Auckland Business School.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
WATTS, Mr Graeme Douglas (Noddy)
For services to the community and charity fundraising
Mr Noddy Watts has helped to run the Whangamata Beach Hop since 2001, playing a significant role in the operation of this successful event.
Mr Watts has been a member of the Whangamata Beach Hop Committee from 2001 and President since 2016. The Beach Hop is a classic car, motorcycle and music festival that attracts international participants and is attended by more than 100,000 people. The Beach Hop brings an estimated $8 million to the local economy each year, with several hundred thousand dollars having been donated from the event to local emergency services and charities since 2001. Beach Hop was awarded the New Zealand’s Favourite Event of the Year in 2017. He was Chairman of the establishment committee for the Whangamata Free Kindergarten from 2003 to 2008, with the Kindergarten opening in 2007. He has organised scooter rides around the Coromandel for charity since 2016, raising $15,000 for prostate cancer, Westpac Rescue Helicopter and Youthline. Mr Watts was President of the Whangamata Amateur Athletics Club from 2002 to 2010.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
WILLIAMSON, Mrs Heather Margaret, JP
For services to netball and the community
Mrs Heather Williamson helped establish the Tokoroa Netball Centre and has been an active member of the Centre’s management committee for more than 50 years, holding almost every role including Life Member, President, Treasurer, Secretary, Representative Coach and Umpire Leader.
Mrs Williamson played at representative level for South Waikato and has coached at high school and representative levels. As an umpire, she has been a coach and mentor to other umpires, becoming a qualified Netball New Zealand umpire and National Squad Umpire Coach and Assessor. She wrote national exam papers and was responsible for selecting umpires for national tournaments. She was on the Tokoroa Borough Council committee from 1982 to 1987 and Secretary of the Tokoroa Sports Advisory Council from 1976 to 1982. She was awarded the Administrator of the Year award from Sport Waikato in 1995 and has received service awards from Netball New Zealand and Netball Waikato-Bay of Plenty. She was a member of the South Waikato Events Centre Design Development Group from 2011 to 2016. She has been Secretary of South Waikato Grey Power since 2017 and is Secretary and Treasurer of Zone 3 Grey Power covering 23 associations. Mrs Williamson has lobbied the district council for improvements related to seniors and people with disabilities in the South Waikato region.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
WRIGHT-TAWHA, Ms Tracey Lee
For services to health and Māori
Ms Tracey Wright-Tawha is the founder and CEO of Ngā Kete Matauranga Pounamu Charitable Trust (NKMPCT), which began in 2000 as an organisation focused on providing access to primary health care for people in western Southland.
Ms Wright-Tawha was a community development worker from 1985 to 1995 and worked for several years with Te Runanga o Ngāi Tahu before establishing NKMPCT as a kaupapa Māori health and social service. Since 2000 she has built NKMPCT into a quality kaupapa Māori whanau ora centered health and social service, employing 74 staff with an annual turnover of $6.5 million. NKMPCT currently delivers a range of services including addiction counselling, gambling harm counselling, disability support and advocacy, Restorative Justice, Whanau Ora, community nursing services, cancer pathway support, and He Puna Waiora Wellness Centre general practice. Ms Wright-Tawha has served on a wide range of boards, research groups and advisory groups covering health issues from addiction to mental health, Māori governance and community boards such as Murihiku Māori Wardens, Māori Women’s Welfare League, development organisation He Oranga Pounamu, Chairperson of Oraka Aparima Holdings Ltd, Trustee of Te Huarahi Ki Te Oranga Pai, and Treasurer of Waihopai Runaka among other roles and organisations.
To be an Honorary Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
HUMPHRY, Mrs Louisa
For services to the Kiribati community and culture
Mrs Louisa Humphry helped set up a Kiribati community group in Auckland to ensure a support network and was part of the group who established some of the first Kiribati Independence celebrations and the body now recognised as the New Zealand Kiribati National Council.
In the 1970s Mrs Humphry was a key advocate for Kiribati’s presence in Auckland Pacifica festivals. She has been involved with the wider art community to preserve and share weaving practices to maintain Kiribati traditions. As an artist herself, she has exhibited throughout New Zealand and abroad, and has passed on her knowledge through workshops. She has exhibited with the Pacific Collections Access Project at Auckland War Memorial Museum, Artists of Pacific Heritage in Auckland (2012) at Auckland Art Gallery, the ninth Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art in Brisbane in 2018, and ‘Names Held in our Mouths’ (2019) at Te Uru Waitākere Gallery. She helped support immigrant workers in the agricultural industry, ensuring they had adequate clothing and food on arrival and helping with translation. She continues to translate in New Zealand Courts and District Health Boards. She was a member of the group who established the first Pacific health clinic in Hamilton, K’aute Pasifika Trust. Mrs Humphry managed the combined Christian food bank from 2004 to 2019.