To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
BATEUP, Mr Neil Frank
For services to agriculture and the community
Mr Neil Bateup is a successful dairy farmer with a long history of service to agriculture and rural communities, particularly in the Waikato.
Mr Bateup is a founding member and long-term chairman of the Waikato-Hauraki-Coromandel Rural Support Trust, which assists rural people during tough periods. He has been regularly asked to represent rural support trusts nationally, and was elected chair of the inaugural Rural Support Trust National Council. He recently founded the Waikato Primary Industry Adverse Event Cluster to assist rural communities during adverse events, and is also a member of the Ministry of Primary Industries’ National Adverse Events Committee. He was an early adopter of once-a-day milking as a technique for sustainable farming, speaking widely about its benefits at seminars. As a leader in raising awareness of rural mental health issues, he was invited to become a Rural Health Alliance Council member. He has been involved with Young Farmers, Waikato Federated Farmers, the Livestock Improvement Association, the New Zealand Co-Op Dairy Company, and the Fonterra Shareholders Council. Mr Bateup has served on the board since 1980 and was Chairman for 14 years of the Te Kauwhata Retirement Trust, which runs the Aparangi Retirement Village.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
BEST, Mr Donald James
For services to music
Mr Donald Best has been Chair of the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra since 2009.
Mr Best has chaired the NZSO at a time of change and refocus for the orchestra, following the New Zealand Professional Orchestra Sector Review conducted in 2013, and has been responsible for ensuring the NZSO contributed in a constructive and collaborative manner to the review and its outcomes. He has been a central figure in leading the NZSO’s pursuit of new business avenues, which have included the recording of the soundtrack to ‘The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies’ (2014) in Wellington Town Hall. He has had a lifetime involvement in music, both as a player and in governance. He was the Principal Cellist of the New Zealand National Youth Orchestra and was a cellist in the Alex Lindsay String Orchestra. He was Chair of Wellington Sinfonia (now Orchestra Wellington) for eight years. Mr Best has been the Chair of the New Zealand String Quartet Trust for 13 years and a Trustee of the New Zealand Chamber Orchestra.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
BIDOIS, Mr Colin Maungapohatu
For services to Māori
Mr Colin Bidois was Chairman of Rūnanga o Ngāti Ranginui from 1990 to 2005 and under his leadership the Iwi has improved the delivery of social and health services and developed relationships with other Tauranga iwi, local and central government agencies.
Mr Bidois was inaugural Chairman of the Ngāti Ranginui Iwi Fisheries Trust from 1995 to 2007. As Chairman he has ensured continued growth of the fisheries asset and the benefits returned to iwi through marae and education grants. He was instrumental in establishing the Runanganui O Tauranga Moana, specifically set up to progress the return of Mauao to the iwi of Tauranga. As Chair of this organisation he was the main negotiator with local government and the Crown. Ownership of Mauao was returned to the three Tauranga iwi after five years and the Mauao Trust was established as the governance entity. He was one of eight hapū negotiators representing Ngāti Ranginui through the settlement process to the signing of a Deed of Settlement in 2012. He was iwi representative on the Tauranga City Council Tangata Whenua Collective from 2005 to 2015. Mr Bidois was Chairperson of the Tauranga Police Liaison Committee for four years and was appointed to the Bay of Plenty District Health Board for six years.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
BOAST, Mr Richard
For services to the law and Māori
Mr Richard Boast has contributed to the fields of history, Māori land law, and property law since the late 1970s.
Mr Boast has written more than 30 research reports for Waitangi Tribunal inquiries and published award-winning books. His 2009 book ‘Buying the Land, Selling the Land’ studied the important historical issue of the alienation of Māori land between 1865 and 1920. More recently he has worked on a study of leading Native Land Court cases, which has become a standard resource for lawyers and is routinely cited in the Courts. He has been counsel for a number of iwi in Waitangi Tribunal inquiries and has helped a number of groups negotiate Treaty settlements with the Crown. Notably this included 24 years working with the Maungaharuru Tangitu hapu through their Waitangi Tribunal inquiry and Treaty settlement negotiations towards their 2013 settlement. He was appointed to the panel which reviewed the Foreshore and Seabed Act 2009 and provided Government with advice on how best to recognise customary and public interests in the coastal marine area. Mr Boast has taught Māori land law at Victoria University for a number of years and was appointed a Queen’s Counsel in 2015.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
BROWN, Ms Rachel Jane
For services to sustainable business development
Ms Rachel Brown is a pioneer of sustainable business development and had nearly 20 years' experience in the field.
Ms Brown was Project Manager for Cleaner Production at Waitakere City Council for four years where she oversaw the Council's transition to more sustainable business practice. In 1999 she was appointed Director of the newly-revived Auckland Environmental Business Network. Within the first three years she grew the network to 130 member businesses and 200 affiliates. Within this role she negotiated the Network's merger with both Triple B and New Zealand Businesses for Social Responsibility, leading to the foundation of what is now the Sustainable Business Network (SBN) in 2002. Ms Brown has since held the position of CEO of SBN. SBN's membership includes major companies such as Kiwibank, NZI Insurance and Air New Zealand, as well as more than 500 other members including small and medium enterprises, district health boards, city councils and universities. In 2009 she joined an elite group of international presenters to be part of the Climate Reality Project broadcast, which reached more than three million people worldwide. SBN runs the NZI Sustainable Business Awards and has formed relationships with global sustainability organisations, including Forum for the Future in the United Kingdom, giving SBN's members access to global examples and strategies of sustainable business models.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
DEVENPORT, Ms Rhana Jean
For services to arts governance
Ms Rhana Devenport is currently Director of the Auckland Art Gallery, having first been appointed to the role in 2013.
Ms Devenport is an Australian-born art curator and museum professional who began her career as an art and theatre teacher, and a practicing artist. From 1994 to 2004 she was senior project officer with the Asia Pacific Triennial at the Queensland Art Gallery. She was visual arts manager with the Sydney Festival in 2004, an independent curator at Artspace Auckland in 2005, and manager of public programmes with the Biennale of Sydney in 2005 and 2006. In 2006 she was appointed Director of the Govett-Brewster Art Gallery in New Plymouth, where she led fundraising efforts for the development of the Len Lye Centre, home to the archives and studio collection of the Len Lye Foundation. As Director of the Auckland Art Gallery she has advocated for public art galleries and the wider art sector. In 2017 she curated New Zealand artist Lisa Reihana’s Venice Biennale installation built on Ms Reihana’s digital work ‘In Pursuit of Venus [infected]’, first staged at Auckland Art Gallery in 2015. In 2015 Ms Devenport was involved with the Global Museum Leaders Colloquium held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
DRUMMOND, Mrs Jeremy Jane
For services to early childhood education
Mrs Jeremy Drummond has been extensively involved in Kindergarten New Zealand since 1994 and has contributed to early childhood education.
Mrs Drummond has served on the Board of the Auckland Kindergarten Association for almost twenty years and has sat on the Board of Kindergarten New Zealand for 16 years. She has served as President and Vice-President of Association and provided her legal skills pro bono. She was actively involved as a school parent volunteer at Victoria Avenue School for eight years and as a Board of Trustee member for six years. Since 1998 she has worked in both voluntary and paid roles for SPELD NZ, a not-for-profit organisation that aims to reduce individual underachievement by students with dyslexia and other specific learning disabilities. She has volunteered as a SPELD Auckland committee member, Co-Vice President and in an administrative support role. She was instrumental in organising national conferences and securing more funding and staff for SPELD NZ. Mrs Drummond has volunteered her time as a committee member of the United Swimming Club in Auckland and was responsible for helping the Club to expand and for providing logistical support.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
FITZGERALD, Detective Inspector Thomas John (Tom)
For services to the New Zealand Police and the community
Detective Inspector Tom Fitzgerald began his career with the New Zealand Police in 1991 and is currently Police Liaison Officer based in Canberra, Australia.
Detective Inspector Fitzgerald joined the Criminal Investigation Bureau in 1994 and has excelled in serious crime investigation, having been involved with and led numerous high profile investigations and homicides. He has developed a suspect interviewing model for Police to interview serious crime suspects that was in keeping with the Bill of Rights. In 2009 he was appointed to oversee the Commission of Inquiry into the Pike River Coal Mine fatalities. He was instrumental in developing the National Confidential Human Intelligence Sources (CHIS) management model and went on to become the National CHIS Implementation Manager. He has successfully introduced a management model that has seen national standardisation in the risk management of CHIS and the intelligence gathered. Under his leadership a multi-level training programme was commenced, including the first level four CHIS Management Course in New Zealand, the highest accreditation that can be attained internationally. He has personally written training courses and has been involved with delivering CHIS management training internationally. Within his local community Detective Inspector Fitzgerald has been heavily involved in the Christchurch Tae Kwon Do Academy where he has taught children self-defence.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
GRAHAM, Mr Frederick John
For services to Māori art
Mr Frederick Graham has been involved in New Zealand art since the 1950s and has contributed to the growth, development and promotion of Māori art throughout New Zealand and abroad.
From 1951 to 1954 Mr Graham served as an art adviser to Māori primary schools throughout Rotorua and Northland. He has been the Head of the Art Department at various schools throughout the North Island and he has played a key role in inspiring and developing the next generation of artistic talent. He was a pioneer of the Contemporary Māori Art Movement and in 1966 he was a key figure in organising one of the first exhibitions of contemporary Māori painting and sculptures in Hamilton. He has represented New Zealand at many international exhibitions throughout his career, including the 1986 ‘Te Ao Marama’ (‘Seven Māori Artists’) exhibition that toured Australia and a 1992 tour of the United States that showcased contemporary Māori art. Since 1996 he has served on the Haerewa (Māori Cultural Advisory Group) at the Auckland Art Gallery. He continues to provide mentoring to young sculptors and artists. Mr Graham’s contributions have resulted in a number of sculptures that are displayed in many New Zealand cities and towns, as well as galleries in Seattle, Vancouver and South Korea.
HONOURS
New Zealand 1990 Commemoration Medal
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
HARRISON, Mr John Norman
For services to music and theatre
Mr John Harrison was Executive Officer of the New Zealand Brass Bands’ Association from 1979 to 2003.
During this time Mr Harrison oversaw the National Band of New Zealand competing in the World Brass Band Championships, touring the United States, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, France and Germany, and playing a role in the opening ceremony of the 1990 Commonwealth Games. From 1990 to 2009 he was also Executive Officer of the Royal New Zealand Pipe Band Association and helped bring the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo to New Zealand in 2000. He volunteered in various roles at The Court Theatre from the mid-1970s, including a period as Chief Usher, and served on the Trust Board from 2003 to 2013. He was Secretary and a Trustee of The Court Theatre Foundation from 2012 to 2016 and was made the inaugural Fellow of The Court Theatre in 2016. His 22 year career as an announcer and programmer with Radio New Zealand culminated in his appointment as Executive Music Producer. In 1984 he was Vice-President of the National Music Council. From 1985 to 2003 he compiled, hosted and produced the weekly ‘Band Programme’ on National Radio. During the 1970s and 1980s Mr Harrison was Choir Master at Lyttelton’s Holy Trinity Church.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
HILL, Dr Andrew Alexander
For services to endoluminal vascular repair
Dr Andrew Hill has pioneered ongoing research, innovation and intervention in the field of Endoluminal Vascular Repair in collaboration with Dr Andrew Holden as heads of the Vascular interventional Team at Auckland Hospital.
An Endoluminal Stent Graft is made to replace an artery wall in an aneurysm or in a traumatic torn artery, with the procedure allowing repairs to be done through a small incision in the groin without the need for open chest or abdominal surgery, greatly extending the lives of those treated. The first ESG was performed at Auckland Hospital in 1998 and to date more than 1,000 cases have been treated with more advanced techniques. Dr Hill and Dr Holden have introduced these techniques in the main medical centres in New Zealand. The Interventional Team at Auckland Hospital is one of the top sites in the world as a research centre for excellence in Endovascular Therapies. Dr Hill has been involved in substantial teaching activities for local trainees and for the profession worldwide through demonstrations and presentations. He was the Chief Examiner for Vascular Surgery for the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons. Dr Hill is the first New Zealander to be President Elect of the Australian and New Zealand Society for Vascular Surgery.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
HOLDEN, Dr Andrew Hugh
For services to endoluminal vascular repair
Dr Andrew Holden has pioneered ongoing research, innovation and intervention in the field of Endoluminal Vascular Repair in collaboration with Dr Andrew Hill as heads of the Vascular Interventional Team at Auckland Hospital.
An Endoluminal Stent Graft is made to replace an artery wall in an aneurysm or in a traumatic torn artery, with the procedure allowing repairs to be done through a small incision in the groin without the need for open chest or abdominal surgery, greatly extending the lives of those who would otherwise have died within two to three years without the procedure. The first ESG was performed in 1998 at Auckland Hospital and managed to extend the patient’s life by 15 years and to date more than 1,000 cases have been treated with more advanced techniques. Dr Hill and Dr Holden have introduced these techniques in the main medical centres in New Zealand. The Interventional Team at Auckland Hospital is one of the top two sites in the world as a research centre for excellence in Endoluminal Endovascular Repair. Dr Holden has been an examiner for the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Radiologists and the European Board of Interventional Radiology. Dr Holden was invited to present the annual Gruentzig Lecture at the Congress of the Cardiovascular and Interventional Radiology Society of Europe in 2013.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
HOOD, Mr Robin Michael Newton
For services to springboard and platform diving
Mr Robin Hood has contributed to the sport of springboard and platform diving nationally and internationally for more than 50 years.
Between 1959 and 1991 Mr Hood competed in diving championships at local, interprovincial, national and international levels. He won a gold medal at the 1966 New South Wales State Diving Championship and gold and silver medals in springboard diving at the 1990 Australian Masters Games and the 1991 New Zealand Masters Games. He established the Wanganui Diving Committee and was a foundation member and subsequent Chairman of the New Zealand Amateur Swimming Association’s national diving committee. He managed the New Zealand Diving Team at the 1982 International Swimming Federation (FINA) World Championships, served as Technical Director of Diving for the 1990 Commonwealth Games and Technical Director of the Organising Committee for the 1999 FINA World Cup in Wellington. In 2008 and 2009 he assisted the Sports and Recreation Council in two annual reviews of applications for Government funding by international technical officials across all New Zealand sports codes. Mr Hood has also served as a referee and judge of international diving at Olympic, Commonwealth, South East Asia Games, and numerous FINA World Diving Championships.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
JAGER, Mr Robert Jan (Rob)
For services to business and health and safety
Mr Rob Jager has had instrumental roles in a number of significant health and safety initiatives in New Zealand over the past decade.
Mr Jager has been a strong advocate for stronger health and safety measures in the workplace and has held a wide range of Chair positions of taskforces and initiatives. He chaired the Independent Taskforce on Workplace Health and Safety following the Pike River Mine disaster. He was responsible for collaborating between industry representatives, unions and health and safety practitioners. His efforts contributed to the establishment of WorkSafe and the passing of the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015. He was also the Chair of the Business Leaders’ Health and Safety Forum from 2011 to 2015. He played a key role in convincing CEOs and Managing Directors to take health and safety seriously and his efforts saw the Forum grow to more than 230 members. He is the Chair of the Petroleum Exploration and Production Association NZ and through this role he has driven cultural and behavioural change within the New Zealand oil and gas industry. Mr Jager is Chair of Be Safe Taranaki, and through this business leaders’ group helps to improve the standard of health and safety in the Taranaki region.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
KAUA, The Venerable William Tutepuaki (Wiremu), JP
For services to Māori, education and the State
The Venerable Wiremu Kaua has had a long public service career across a variety of sectors for 40 years, has been an enduring proponent of Māori language and cultural education and a committed minister of the Anglican Church.
As the inaugural Group Manager Māori at the Ministry of Education he led various initiatives to immerse staff in Māori culture, compiled the Government’s 10 Point Plan for Māori Education, and contributed to the establishment of Kura Kaupapa schools and three Wananga. He has made significant contributions to the national Kohanga Reo movement, particularly assisting with increasing funding to the national trust to improve the teaching of Māori language. He has had a 38 year involvement with the Department of Māori Affairs and roles with the Ministry of Transport, the Crime Prevention Unit in the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, and the Ministry of Justice. He has been a cultural advisor to numerous agencies and organisations, notably through his involvement with Waitangi Tribunal hearings as a kaumātua for the lawyers of the Crown Law Office, and as kaumātua for PHARMAC since 2010 where he has led engagement with Whānau Ora Collectives and Māori health providers. Archdeacon Kaua established a forum for the Chairs of a number of large East Coast land holdings to come together to plan collectively for the betterment of the region.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
KEMP, Mr Russell
For services to Māori
Mr Russel Kemp lodged the Wai 229 Treaty claim with the Waitangi Tribunal for Te Uri o Hau in 1991 and was a negotiator for Te Uri o Hau, leading them in the signing of a Deed of Settlement with the Crown in 2000.
Mr Kemp is now Chair of the Te Uri o Hau Settlement Trust, leading their post-settlement governance entity. He also holds roles as a director of Taipuha Farms Ltd, director of the Renaissance Group Ltd, and with the Te Uri o Hau Charitable Trust. Under his leadership the Te Uri of Hau Settlement Trust signed a relationship agreement with the Auckland Council and the Rodney Local Board in 2017. He was a Board member from 1995 to 2004 and Chair from 2015 of Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Whātua. He played a key role in securing Crown recognition of the Rūnanga’s mandate to negotiate a settlement of Ngāti Whātua iwi-wide Treaty claims in 2008 and the Kaipara Harbour claim. He continues to lead negotiations with the Crown. He has been Chair of the Tai Tokerau Māori Trust Board and represented Ngāti Whātua on this pan-Northland tribal board. Mr Kemp is Chairman for the Otamataea Marae Trustees.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
LEGAT, Ms Nicola
For services to the publishing industry
Ms Nicola Legat is a long-serving publisher and editor who has held senior governance roles in the New Zealand arts sector.
Ms Legat was a senior writer for national magazines ‘North & South’ and ‘Metro’, later becoming Deputy Editor of ‘Metro’ and subsequently its editor for five years. From 2005 to 2014 she was the Publishing Director of Random House New Zealand, the nation’s largest domestic publisher. While at Random House she oversaw the annual publication of an average of 100 New Zealand books and had direct editorial involvement in 15 to 20 of those titles each year. She was appointed the inaugural Publisher of Massey University Press in 2015, a role she continues to hold. During her tenure the imprint has also become the publisher for Te Papa Press and has assumed the publication of the long-running journal ‘Poetry NZ’. She is currently Chair of the New Zealand Book Awards Trust, which she helped establish in 2014. For the past 10 years she has been a Trustee of the Auckland Writers and Readers Festival Trust, and is its Deputy Chair. Ms Legat has been on the Publishers Association of New Zealand Council and Programme Manager for the New Zealand Institute of Architects’ entry to the 2016 Venice Biennale.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
MACPHERSON, Dr James Malcolm (Malcolm)
For services to local government and the community
Dr Malcolm Macpherson was a Central Otago District Councillor for eight years, first elected in 1990, and Mayor for three terms from 2001 to 2010.
As Mayor Dr Macpherson oversaw a number of activities, including Alexandra’s flood recovery projects, the Warm Homes Clean Air programme, and a systems thinking review of the Council’s business. He was a national working party member and director of Apple Futures, and Chairman of the Central Employment Trust, now Seasonal Solutions. He chaired the regional economic development agency Otago Forward. He was elected to the Otago (now Southern) District Health Board for four terms, was a member of the Otago Polytechnic Council for eight years and served on the Otago Hospice Trust. He is a third-term member and past Chairman of the Central Lakes Trust. He is Chairman of Central Stories Museum and Art Gallery, and Chairs the Alexandra Men’s Shed Trust and the Clyde Rescue Boat Trust. He has been Chair of Keep Alexandra Clyde Beautiful and chaired the group who built Alexandra’s Fulton Hogan Cycle Park. He was inaugural Chair of the Jolendale Park Charitable Trust, and is a member of the Roxburgh Gorge Trail Charitable Trust. Dr Macpherson is the independent Chair of Central Otago Premium Fruit Ltd, in a voluntary capacity.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
MITAI-NGATAI, Mr Wetini Swainson
For services to Māori performing arts
Mr Wetini Mitai-Ngatai is an internationally renowned kapa haka exponent who has been dedicated to revolutionising Māori performing arts.
Mr Mitai-Ngatai was involved with a number of cultural groups prior to 1994 when he established his own group Te Mātārae I Ōrehu. Te Mātārae I Ōrehu has consistently placed within the top six at the Te Matatini National Kapa Haka Festivals since 1996 and has achieved first place twice. He became the first ever six-time recipient of the Manukura Tāne male leader award. He founded Mitai Māori Village in Rotorua in 2002 to provide a unique Māori cultural tourism experience. Mitai Māori Village now employs more than 100 people and provides vulnerable youth with experiences and opportunities. He founded and has been a master tutor and choreographer for Tu Taua Māori Martial Arts School. He collaborated with the New Zealand Ballet Company in 2001 to create the fusion performance ‘Ihi Frenzy’. Mr Mitai-Ngatai has choreographed a range of performances at national and international levels for such events as the WOMAD World Music Tour, the 2011 Rugby World Cup, the 1999 World Fashion Show in Taiwan, World Expo Japan, international indigenous conferences, and Pacific Arts festivals.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
MITCHELL, Professor Edwin Arthur (Ed)
For services to children's health
Professor Ed Mitchell was Cure Kids Professor of Child Health Research at the University of Auckland from 2001 to 2015 and is currently a Professorial Research Fellow.
Professor Mitchell has published more than 400 original papers, particularly on the epidemiology of asthma and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). He directed the New Zealand Cot Death Study and the New Zealand SIDS Prevention Study in the early 1990s. The implementation of this research has been estimated to have saved thousands of children’s lives in the past two decades. He has also been an advisor to a number of countries on SIDS prevention. From 1998 to 2008 he was the international adviser to the German SIDS Case-Control Study. Since 2008 he has been President of the International Society for the Study and Prevention of Perinatal and Infant Death. He has received several awards for his work on SIDS including a Doctor of Science from the University of London in 1996. He has led a study of small for gestational age (SGA) infants to determine factors for being born SGA. Professor Mitchell has also been involved with a study examining factors in pregnancy influencing the risk of obesity for the child.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
MORISON, Ms Julia
For services to visual arts
Ms Julia Morison is a visual artist whose work encompasses a wide variety of media from painting and photography to sculpture and installations, and has contributed to the New Zealand art scene for more than 40 years.
Ms Morison undertook the Moet and Chandon contemporary art residency in Avize, France in 1990. After working in France for 10 years she returned to New Zealand to become Senior Lecturer in Painting at the University of Canterbury School of Fine Art, a position she held until 2007. She has exhibited extensively throughout New Zealand and internationally. From 2006 to 2007 Christchurch Art Gallery and Dunedin Public Art Gallery jointly developed ‘a loop around a loop’, a survey exhibition of her work. She has produced public art sculptures for areas in Christchurch and Dunedin. Following the 2011 Christchurch earthquakes she produced a sculpture exhibition titled ‘Meet Me on the Other Side’ utilising discarded objects and liquefaction sediment to provide an artistic response to the earthquakes. Her ‘Tree Houses for Swamp Dwellers’ sculpture was installed in Central Christchurch as part of the SCAPE public art project in 2013. Ms Morison’s early exhibited work in the 1980s concentrated on formalist paintings and included large multi-part works such as ‘Vademecum’ and ‘Golem’.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
MUDFORD, Ms Penelope Jane (Penny)
For services to arbitration and the primary industries sector
Ms Penny Mudford is a company director, arbitrator and mediator with more than 20 years’ involvement in primary industries sector dispute resolution.
Early in her career Ms Mudford was a dairy farmer and partner in DK and PJ Mudford Dairy Farming Partnership for 20 years, whilst being active on Boards such as the Rural Women’s Discussion Group, Westpac Trust Kiwi Dairy Farmer of the Year, and the Market Milk Committee. In 2000 she became Chief Executive of the Arbitrators and Mediators Institute of New Zealand, a role she held for seven years. She has since gone into private practice as a dispute resolution practitioner specialised in the resolution of rural disputes, farming contracts, livestock agreements, and farm equity partnerships. She was Chief Executive of the Institute of Financial Advisors from 2012 to 2013. After holding a variety of committee roles within the Manawatu/Rangitikei branch of Federated Farmers, she was elected provincial President in 1999. She has served on the Eastern and Central Community Trust, the Ministerial Committee on Land Access, the Veterinary Council of New Zealand, and as Chair of the Electrical Workers Registration Board. Ms Mudford is a member of the New Zealand Walking Access Commission and is Chair of the Racing Safety Development Industry Working Group.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
POLLOCK, Ms Helen Mary
For services to art, particularly sculpture
Ms Helen Pollock is an artist and sculptor who has been exhibiting since the 1980s.
Ms Pollock began exhibiting with early works focusing on rights for women. Her more recent public art installations, in the medium of bronze and clay, commemorate World War One. ‘Falls the Shadow’, commemorating the 90th anniversary of WW1 Armistice and New Zealand’s sacrifice at Passchendaele, was installed initially in Auckland War Memorial Museum in 2008. The sculpture is now a permanent feature at the Memorial Museum Passchendaele 1917. ‘Victory Medal’ marks the anniversary of the Liberation of Le Quesnoy by the New Zealand Division on 4 November 1918. The work was toured around New Zealand regions and important battle sites on the Western Front, and is due for installation at Le Quesnoy to commemorate the 100th anniversary. ‘As Above, So Below’ is a bronze and water sculpture commissioned by National Navy Museum and permanently installed in the WW1 Commemorative Pavilion on Torpedo Bay. Locally she has promoted the Devonport Arts Festival and exhibited for more than 20 years at Sculpture on the Shore to raise funds for Women’s Refuge. Ms Pollock has been featured in a number of publications and was included in the Cultural Icons projects celebrating people who have contributed significantly to New Zealand’s creative landscape.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
ROBERTSON, Ms Margarita Anna
For services to the fashion industry
Ms Margarita Robertson is Creative Director of the iconic fashion label NOM*d, which she established in Dunedin in 1986.
Ms Robertson founded her first boutique in 1975 and her boutique Plume, which opened in 1978, continues to trade in both Dunedin and Christchurch. Since its establishment NOM*d has been among a small number of directional fashion labels which have been responsible for defining the style referred to as “The New Zealand Look”, encapsulating a mixture of tonal darkness and humour that has become a hallmark of Dunedin fashion. NOM*d was one of four New Zealand labels invited to exhibit at London Fashion Week in 1999. This showing led to her designs enjoying a flourishing trade in Europe, the United States and Asia. Her work was showcased in the inaugural New Zealand Fashion Week in 2001 and pieces of her work are included in the Te Papa Tongarewa collection. She has been an active sponsor of Dunedin’s creative talent, consistently recruiting her label’s staff from new graduates and stocking the work of young independent designers in her boutiques, while keeping the internationally renowned NOM*d Dunedin-based. Ms Robertson is a long term supporter of iD Fashion Week and has been a judge for several years of the iD International Emerging Designer Awards.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
ROBINSON, Ms Helen Alison
For services to business, particularly the technology sector
Ms Helen Robinson has more than 30 years’ experience in leading technology companies, acting as a business mentor and serving as a director.
Ms Robinson is Board Chair of The Network for Learning Ltd, with more than 800,000 learners in schools connected to a safe managed network, and CLOUD M, a cloud-based mobile platform company with applications in emergency management and health and safety solutions. She was the Managing Director of Microsoft New Zealand and Vice President of Pivotal Corporation in Australia and New Zealand. She was the CEO of the TZ1 Registry, helping grow the Registry to be the largest worldwide environmental markets registry, and facilitating its acquisition by Markit Group Ltd. She is a member of Global Women and co-founded and chairs the charity Valens Group, which aims to build confidence in women in the early to mid-stages of their career to grow the pool of women in leadership roles. She launched Organic Initiative Ltd in 2015, which produces affordable and biodegradable organic cotton hygiene and sanitary products, and acts as CEO and Executive Director. She is a Director of Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic Development (ATEED) and chairs ATEED’s Business Attraction and Investment Committee. Ms Robinson is a Trustee of Aktive Auckland Sport and Recreation and chairs Aktive’s Commercialisation Committee.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
SPEEDY, Mr William Edward (Bill)
For services to philanthropy and watersports
Mr Bill Speedy is the founder and Managing Director of Oceanbridge Shipping, a North Shore-based company established in 1981 which now employs more than 100 people.
Oceanbridge Shipping donates more than $100,000 to charities annually, including the Coastguard, Surf Life Saving New Zealand, and Raglan Surf Life Saving. Oceanbridge sponsors numerous sports events including the Auckland Anniversary Day Regatta, the Oceanbridge Sail Auckland Regatta, and the Billabong Grommet series children’s surfing competition in Tauranga. Mr Speedy provided logistics support for Emirates Team New Zealand at the America’s Cup in Bermuda in 2017 and Oceanbridge has sponsored relief shipping arrangements for Air Cargo to the Pacific Islands. He was appointed a North Harbour Business Hall of Fame Laureate in 2017. He and his wife were integral to the recently completed Takapuna Beach playground project, providing free shipping, customs clearance and cartage for a 40 foot container of playground equipment from Germany. Mr Speedy has been an advocate for water safety and watersports at North Shore schools, donating lifejackets to Milford School and helping set up a Learn to Sail programme at Bayswater Primary.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
TURNBULL, Mr Peter John
For services to aviation
Mr Peter Turnbull has been involved with air ambulance/rescue work in New Zealand since the 1990s.
With a varied background in commercial flying Mr Turnbull began his employment with Northland Emergency Services Trust (NEST) in Whangarei in 1995. He became Chief Pilot and worked tirelessly, often for very little remuneration or at his own cost, to ensure the rescue/air ambulance service survived. He was instrumental in NEST’s upgrade to the three S-76 Sikorsky helicopters the Trust currently operates, having joined when NEST only operated a single BK-117 helicopter. In 2008 he became CEO of NEST and has remained in this role to the present. In 2016 NEST’s rescue crews flew 916 missions. Personally he has accrued more than 21,000 flying hours, which stands as a record for a pilot in air ambulance/rescue work in New Zealand. He implemented the personalised GPS route structure in Northland for Instrument Flight Rules, which has been emulated by other EMS services around the country. NEST has provided emergency cover for Starship and the Auckland District Health Board since 2005. Mr Turnbull has driven the creation of further helipads in Northland communities.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
WILSON-DAVIS, Ms Sharon
For services to the community
Ms Sharon Wilson-Davis has been CEO of the STRIVE Community Trust since 1997 (then known as Tamaki Ki Raro Trust) and has since worked to improve the lives of people in the Mangere community.
The Tamaki Ki Raro Trust was founded to assist with the development of Te Puea Marae and to provide commercial, social and cultural stability for the Tainui people in the area. As CEO Ms Wilson-Davis led the organisation through major transitions and substantial growth. Under her tenure the Trust broadened its partnership with different cultural groups, particularly Pacific people, and has developed into a respected provider of employment, training and social services. The Trust now employs more than 70 staff operating from four service centres throughout Mangere. She was an appointed member of the Welfare Working Group from 2010 to 2011 and was previously appointed by the Children’s Commissioner as a member of the Expert Advisory Group on Solutions to Child Poverty. She has advised and participated in the Auckland Social Policy Forum, the Child Poverty Expert Advisory Group, and the Housing Assessment Transfer Focus Group. She was a member of Manukau City Council’s Te Manuka Board and the Safer Community Council. Ms Wilson-Davis is a past Trustee of the City of Manukau Education Trust.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
WONG, Ms Helene
For services to the arts and the Chinese community
Ms Helene Wong has contributed to New Zealand’s cultural sector as an author, actor, director, film critic, screenwriter and script consultant over the course of 30 years.
Ms Wong was the inaugural Development Consultant for the New Zealand Film Commission. She served two terms on the New Zealand Film Commission Board, was a member of the New Zealand Writers Foundation Board, and was Chair of the Moving Image Centre Board. As a script consultant she has contributed to several film projects, including ‘Illustrious Energy’. She has written and directed a number of television documentaries. Her 1991 documentary ‘Unbearably Beautiful’ portrayed New Zealand women’s relationships to, and changing notions of, the concept of beauty throughout the twentieth century. In 1994 she wrote and directed ‘Footprints of the Dragon’, a television film about the history of Chinese New Zealanders. In 2016 she published her memoir ‘Being Chinese: A New Zealander’s Story’. In 2017 she collaborated with graphic artist Ant Sang to create a series of artworks for the Auckland War Memorial Museum exhibition ‘Being Chinese in Aotearoa’. Ms Wong has served as a juror for the Asia-Pacific Film Festival and New Zealand Television Awards, and as a judge and convenor of the Media Peace Awards and the International Screen and Television Writers Festival.