To be a Companion of the Queen’s Service Order:
AHMED, Mrs Fadumo Abdulkadir
For services to ethnic communities, women and social entrepreneurship
Mrs Fadumo Ahmed has been a community development worker and social entrepreneur for more than 20 years, contributing significantly to the empowerment of ethnic women.
Using her experience as a refugee from Somalia adapting to New Zealand life, Mrs Ahmed created a support network and social business for other refugee and migrant women, founding the New Zealand Ethnic Women Trust (NZEWT) in 2001. She continues as Chair of the NZEWT, a grassroots non-profit organisation run by women, which offers a range of services and activities from classes in English language, computing, health education, family violence awareness, and two playgroups promoting language and cultural heritage. She also established a sewing school in 2007 to assist refugee women and in 2014 established Cottonseed, and environmentally conscious, ethical fashion label whose clothing is designed and produced by migrant and refugee women. Cottonseed has grown to fulfil bulk commercial orders and has created economic pathways for low socio-economic and socially disadvantaged women to earn a living for their families. Mrs Ahmed has been a member of a Muslim women’s forum since 2009, engaging in discussions on employment, discrimination and housing, and the Mt Roskill Collective since 2015, a social network supporting communities through initiatives promoting mental health and wellbeing, youth development, parenting and general wellbeing.
To be a Companion of the Queen’s Service Order:
BECROFT, Judge Andrew John
For services to the judiciary, children and youth
Judge Andrew Becroft was Children's Commissioner from 2016 to 2021, during which time he has strongly advocated for progress on child poverty, a safer, more effective care and protection system, and for children’s voices and rights to be included in policy and decision making.
Judge Becroft was appointed a District Court Judge to Whanganui in 1996. He was Principal Youth Court Judge from 2001 to 2016, progressing youth justice reform in this role and becoming an advocate for a fairer and more effective justice system. He was instrumental in co-establishing the Rangatahi Courts and was committed to embedding the practice of restorative justice in the youth justice system. He initiated creation of the South Pacific Council of Youth and Children’s Courts and chaired the New Zealand Youth Justice Ministerial Advisory Group. He instituted a Te Tiriti o Waitangi partnership in the Office of the Children’s Commissioner, appointing an Assistant Māori Commissioner and promoting ‘By Māori for Māori’ approaches to care and protection. He is credited with helping steer the government towards including 17-year-olds in the youth justice system. He has made significant contributions to the development of the Child Poverty Reduction Act 2018 and the Child Youth and Wellbeing Strategy 2019. In 1986 Judge Becroft co-founded the Mangere Community Law Centre to open access to justice for communities often overlooked or exploited, working there until 1993.
HONOURS
New Zealand 1990 Commemoration Medal
To be a Companion of the Queen’s Service Order:
FERGUSON, Ms Naomi Patricia
For services to the Public Service
Ms Naomi Ferguson was appointed the first female Commissioner and Chief Executive of Inland Revenue in 2012 and concluded this role in June 2022.
Ms Ferguson is recognised for her contribution to system leadership in the Public Service and for leading the transformation of tax administration in New Zealand. She delivered Inland Revenue’s business transformation plan, using technology to modernise the administration of the tax system and make engagement with Inland Revenue easier for New Zealanders. She co-chaired the Papa Pounamu Diversity and Inclusion Programme, led by the Public Service Commission (PSC). She played a key role in establishing and sponsoring the Government Women’s Network, which connects women in public service, advances public sector goals for women and celebrates achievement. As Chair of OECD Forum on Tax Administration Gender Balance Network, she has championed international initiatives to drive institutional change to improve gender balance across leadership positions in taxation agencies. She has led cross-agency work to deliver Government initiatives including the Small Business Cashflow Scheme, COVID Support and Resurgence Support Payments during the COVID-19 pandemic. Ms Ferguson began her career in the United Kingdom and was seconded to New Zealand as Deputy Commissioner of Inland Revenue from 2003 to 2006.
To be a Companion of the Queen’s Service Order:
HARTLEY, Reverend Jonathan Peter (Jon)
For services to governance and the community
Reverend Jon Hartley has volunteered his skillset of business, strategy governance, leadership development and transformative change management towards helping those living in poverty locally and internationally.
Reverend Hartley chaired the Wellington City Mission Board from 2015 to 2020, having been a Trustee from 2005. As Chair he oversaw the appointment of the new City Missioner, the strategic development of new services including a focus on supported transitional housing, and extending Board diversity and capabilities. He served as a World Vision New Zealand Trustee from 2010 to 2019. Between 2003 and 2019, he held several governance roles with VisionFund International, a leading global provider of microfinance and economic development services predominantly to rural women and their families in impoverished communities overseas. He chaired VisionFund International from 2013 to 2019, having joined the Board in 2007, and served on boards in Cambodia and Myanmar. He established Bankers with Vision in Singapore to facilitate volunteering and resourcing opportunities, for those with banking and financial expertise, into developing countries. He mentored VisionFund directors and staff in several countries. He served on the Wellington Diocesan Board of Trustees from 2015 to 2019 and chaired the General Synod review on Impact Investing. Reverend Hartley continues to informally support individuals nationally and overseas.
To be a Companion of the Queen’s Service Order:
MANNING, Mr Simon James, JP
For services to funeral services and disaster victim identification
Mr Simon Manning has been in the funeral industry since 1980 and established Harbour City Funerals in Wellington in 1989.
Following the disaster response to the 1979 Erebus tragedy, he was asked by Funeral Directors Association of New Zealand (FDANZ) and the New Zealand Embalmers Association (NZEA) to develop a more structured disaster response for future events with fatalities. He has led New Zealand’s Funeral Disaster Response Team since 1988, developing multiple teams of qualified volunteers to work on rotation to mitigate fatigue and mental health strain. He opened the team to all those qualified in the industry, organised formal training, and offered the team’s services to the New Zealand Police. He was invited to join the National Disaster Victim Identification team. In 2010 he joined international disaster response organisation Blake Emergency Services to gain experience and assisted with the Kenya Airways crash in Cameroon and the downed Malaysia Airlines MH17 in Eastern Ukraine, also helping train Blake members. Nationally, he has coordinated the Funeral Disaster Response Team following incidents including the 2011 Christchurch earthquake, 15 March 2019 terrorist attack, the 2019 Whakaari/White Island eruption, and has been involved with COVID-19 response team for FDANZ and NZEA. Mr Manning represented NZEA on the Funeral Service Training Trust New Zealand from 2004 to 2007.
To be a Companion of the Queen’s Service Order:
MARTIN, Ms Cheryll Bronwyn
For services to the community
Ms Cheryll Martin has been an advocate, leader, and change agent in the volunteering sector for more than 25 years.
Ms Martin has been General Manager of Volunteering Auckland since 1995 and has been committed to making volunteering accessible to all. She has steered Volunteering Auckland through rapid digital development and has implemented an efficient online system that is being picked up by other volunteer centres nationally. In 2021 more than 200 organisations used Volunteering Auckland’s services. She was a founding Trustee of Volunteering New Zealand and served on the Board in 2004/2005. She is an assessor for the NZQA Level 4 Certificate in Volunteer Management, has trained hundreds of volunteer coordinators and managers, and engages with numerous organisations and people across Auckland, tirelessly promoting best practice and the value of volunteering to non-profits. She personally volunteers with the Waikaraka Family Speedway, Birkdale Beachaven Community Project, Takapuna North Community Trust, and Manawatu Volunteer Resource Centre. Internationally, Ms Martin has represented New Zealand at the International Association for Volunteer Effort’s 2014 World Conference, contributed to volunteer leadership forums, retreats and conferences in Australia, and in 2021 produced an international speaker video series highlighting global aspects of volunteering.
To be a Companion of the Queen’s Service Order:
MOLLOY, Dr Leslie Francis (Les)
For services to conservation and outdoor recreation
Dr Les Molloy has shown a lifetime commitment to protecting New Zealand’s natural places and wilderness areas.
Dr Molloy led New Zealand’s first wilderness conference in 1981, drafted the first national wilderness policy, and was instrumental in advocating for wilderness areas to be identified and gazetted. He pioneered the use of the Recreational Opportunities Spectrum for New Zealand’s protected areas and advocated for ending the logging of native timber on crown land. He played a key role in the addition of Olivine Wilderness Area of 83,000 hectares being added to the Mount Aspiring National Park. He was Director of Advocacy for the Department of Conservation from 1987 to 1990. He has been appointed to a range of government advisory groups including the National Parks and Reserves Authority, the New Zealand Geographic Board, the Independent Review Panel in 2000 on Indigenous Forests with Timberlands West Coast, the Nature Heritage Fund and the National Parks Centennial Commission. For more than 20 years he travelled internationally, assessing areas for addition to UNESCO’s World Heritage List, bringing credit to New Zealand as a leader in conservation initiatives. Dr Molloy is recognised as a foremost writer on natural history and landforms, publishing seven books and 35 papers since 1975.
To be a Companion of the Queen’s Service Order:
READ, Ms Julie
For services to the State
Ms Julie Read was the first woman appointed as Director and Chief Executive of the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) in 2013, holding the role until 2022.
Ms Read has led the SFO to be a highly influential and effective organisation, providing strong system leadership to fight corruption. She drove collaboration across justice sector agencies to deliver an effective anti-corruption work programme. She has repositioned the SFO from a narrower focus on large-scale financial crime to a broader focus on corruption at all levels. Under her tenure, New Zealand has maintained its top international anti-corruption rating on Transparency International’s ‘Anti-Corruption Perceptions Index’. She has taken leadership roles with OECD and facilitated APEC events, and in 2021 chaired the 32nd International Anti-Corruption and Transparency Experts Working Group. She has led the SFO to partner with public and private sector agencies and NGOs, including Transparency International, to develop and promote free online anti-corruption training, guidance and tools. She led the SFO during the COVID-19 pandemic to link with overseas agencies to prevent corruption and scams, and led COVID agencies responsible for risk areas, including PPE and vaccine procurement, and directed enquiries into alleged abuse of the Government’s wage subsidy. Ms Read has been active with the New Zealand and Australian public services for 30 years.