To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
ADHIKARY, Mr Uddhav Prasad, JP
For services to the Nepalese community
Mr Uddhav Adhikary has been promoting Nepali culture and contributing to the Nepalese community in New Zealand since 1996.
Mr Adhikary was an Executive Committee Member between 1996 and 2000 of the Everest Kiwi Association, now New Zealand Nepal Society, the oldest Nepalese community organisation in New Zealand. Between 2000 and 2016 he held several positions with the New Zealand Nepalese Society including Joint Secretary, Secretary and President, during which he helped migrating Nepalese families to settle in New Zealand, provided tertiary education advice for Nepalese international students and helped organised annual cultural activities including Teej and Dashain. He has been an Advisor with the Nepal Literary Society since 2016, helping promote Nepali literature in New Zealand and conducts regular Nepali language classes in Auckland. He was the Vice President of the Non-Resident Nepalese Association New Zealand between 2019 and 2021 through which he led fundraising for vulnerable groups affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, distributing thousands to students, and people in Nepal. He led a development programme working with Nepalese people who had lost their jobs during the pandemic, helping them find employment. He has been a Justice of the Peace since 2005 and is a Life Member of Paramhansa Yog Sewa. Mr Adhikary was elected President of the Non-Resident Nepalese Association New Zealand in 2021.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
BETTY, Dr Bryan William Robert
For services to health
Dr Bryan Betty is a specialist general practitioner at Porirua Union, a high need, low-cost clinic in Cannons Creek, Porirua, providing for a predominantly Māori, Pacific and refugee community.
Dr Betty has advocated nationally on health equity issues surrounding Type 2 diabetes and rheumatic fever. He was a member of the Ministry of Health’s National Diabetes Advisory Group, a member of the Capital Coast Diabetes Network, and the New Zealand Diabetes Guidelines Group in 2010/2011. He lobbied PHARMAC in 2020 to fund two medications to improve options for Type 2 diabetics. He was a member of the rheumatic fever guidelines group for the New Zealand Heart Foundation. He chaired the Porirua Child Health Action Group from 2013 to 2016. As Medical Director of the Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners (RNZCGP) from 2019, he represented general practice on the Ministry of Health’s Technical Advisory Group during the national COVID-19 response. He was previously an RNZCGP Examiner. He has been a Board member of Tū Ora Compass Primary Health Organisation since 2017, is Chair of their Very Low Cost Access Committee and previously chaired Wellhealth Trust PHO. Dr Betty has held a range of roles with Capital and Coast DHB, including as Chair of the ICC Primary Secondary Integration Board.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
BLACKLOCK, Dr Hilary
For services to haematology
Dr Hilary Blacklock has contributed to New Zealand haematology, including stem cell transplant services since 1986.
Dr Blacklock helped established and has been the Medical Director of the New Zealand Bone Marrow Donor Registry (NZBMDR) since inception in 1996. This database of volunteer donors enables patients with acute leukaemia and other aggressive blood cancers without a compatible family donor to have access to a stem cell transplant. The NZBMDR has primarily recruited healthy adults of Māori and Polynesian ethnicity, as other donors are available from the 40 million on international registries. Prior to the establishment of the NZBMDR, no matched donors were available for Māori and Polynesians. Since then, more than 146 life-saving transplants have been performed, and other patients overseas have also received New Zealand donor stem cells. She was the founding clinician and former Clinical Director of the Middlemore Hospital Haematology Department for 27 years, now one of New Zealand’s top haematology units. She has published more than 90 research papers, including the finding that myeloma affects Māori and Polynesian patients at a younger age than Europeans. Dr Blacklock has been a Trustee of the patient support group of Leukaemia and Blood Cancer New Zealand since 1994.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
BRADLEY, Mr Gresham Barry
For services to the LGBTQIA+ community and education
Mr Gresham Bradley has been dedicated to the LGBTQIA+ Rainbow communities and education for more than 20 years.
Mr Bradley has been a member of Rainbow Auckland since 2000, where he has held several roles including Executive for Communications, and President, initiating monthly community updates through the Gay Express newspaper. As President, he led community consultations in 2011 for the establishment of Auckland Pride parade and festival. He has been a Trustee of Rainbow New Zealand Charitable Trust since 2010, becoming Chairperson in 2013. He has led the Trust to adopt a nationwide focus, raising funds through luncheons, auctions, the Rainbow Celebration GALA which attracts major corporate sponsorship and the launch of the Trust’s Tertiary Scholarship Programme to support and grow the leaders of tomorrow. He is the Deputy Chair of the Crowded Places Community Advisory Group established by New Zealand Police in 2021 to advise on strategies for protection and safety of New Zealand ethnic, religious, rainbow, and other minorities at events and regular activities. He is a founding trustee of the Education Television and Video Communications Trust, the largest video on-demand platform in New Zealand, serving a third of all students in New Zealand. Mr Bradley was awarded life membership with Rainbow Auckland for his contributions.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
BRIGHTWELL, Mr Gregory John (Matahi Avauli Brightwell)
For services to Waka Ama
Mr Matahi Brightwell is the founder of Waka Ama in New Zealand.
Mr Brightwell founded the first Waka Ama Club in 1985, the Mareikura Canoe Club, and served as the first President to the National body. He is a Tohunga Tarai Waka (Master Canoe Builder). He completed the building of Hawaikinui-1, a 75-feet, eight-ton double-hulled canoe in Tahiti, sailing to Rarotonga and New Zealand with a crew of five under captaincy of Tahitian traditional navigator Francis Cowan to replicate the journey of Māori migration from East Polynesia to New Zealand in the 14th Century. These efforts saw him awarded the Blue Water Medal by the then Governor-General Sir Paul Reeves. He travelled the country reintroducing Waka Ama to Māori communities. He has attended every National Sprint Championship since 1990 and assists the development of new clubs nationwide. He is a member of the New Zealand Waka Ama Hall of Fame and was named Māori Sports Coach of the Year at the Māori Sports Awards in 2002. Through his waka ama work in South Auckland, he was bestowed the Samoan high chief title of Avauli in 1998. Mr Brightwell designed and sculpted the likeness of his tipuna, the navigator Ngatoroirangi, on the shores of Lake Taupo, completing this rock carving in 1980, which continues to attract worldwide attention.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
BROODKOORN, Ms Mathilda Margareth (Margareth)
For services to health and Māori
Ms Margareth Broodkoorn has dedicated more than 30 years to nursing, focusing on strengthening cooperation between Māori and non-Māori in the nursing profession.
Ms Broodkoorn has worked with Māori health and community providers to mentor nurses and support Māori nurses across New Zealand. She was the Chair of Tamaki Makaurau Nurse Leaders Roopu between 1995 and 2000 and has worked with Māori health providers in Northland, Manukau Institute of Technology and Auckland University. She has been an executive member of The National Council of Māori Nurses, a member of the Health Workforce New Zealand Nursing Advisory Group and had extensive involvement in the work of the Nursing Council of New Zealand. She was the sponsor of Ngā Manukura o Āpōpō, the national Māori nursing and midwifery clinical leadership workforce programme. In 2019, she became the first Māori to be appointed as Chief Nursing Officer with the Ministry of Health, where she led the Nursing Accord Group, chaired the Well Child Tamariki Ora Advisory Group and oversaw planning of International Year of the Nurse in 2020. During the pandemic, Ms Broodkoorn established and led the Infection Prevention and Control Team for the COVID-19 response, providing clinical guidance on the use of Personal Protection Equipment across the health and disability system.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
CUMMING, Ms Souella Maria, DStJ
For services to governance
Ms Souella Cumming has provided governance, risk management and internal audit advisory services to a range of public and private sector clients for more than 30 years through KPMG.
Ms Cumming is a Partner at KPMG and Head of KPMG New Zealand’s Consulting and Government Services practices. She works extensively with private and public sector Boards and Audit and Risk Committees to enhance governance practices. She is currently one of four members of the Treasury Financial Statements of the Government Audit Committee. She provided risk management for the New Zealand-hosted 2011 Rugby World Cup and the 2015 Cricket and Under 20 FIFA World Cups. She supports governance in not-for-profit organisations, including Hohepa Homes Trust Audit and Risk Committee and Special Olympics New Zealand Foundation. She is a Board Member of Zonta International and was Governor of Zonta in New Zealand from 2018 to 2020. She has had a long-term involvement with the Order of St John New Zealand, serving as Deputy Chancellor and Risk and Audit Committee Chair, leading improvements to governance arrangements. Ms Cumming is a Fellow Chartered Accountant, contributes to Women Corporate Directors in New Zealand and is a member of Global Women.
HONOURS
Dame of Justice of the Order of St John, 2019
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
EDWARDS, Ms Hinerangi Rachael
For services to Māori, governance and education
Ms Hinerangi Edwards (Taranaki whānui, Tauranga Moana, Te Arawa), co-founded AATEA in 2000 with her husband, as a vehicle to work with communities that they whakapapa to, primarily Taranaki, Te Wairoa and Moriori peoples.
Ms Edwards has been involved in many areas of research and facilitation, key to which has been a strategic kaupapa Māori focus. She is a member of Te Kāhui Ahumahi and since 2021 has chaired Ringa Hora Services Workforce Development Council, as part of the Reform of Vocational Education. She has been a founding Trustee and Director of Korou Digital Trust and Agency since 2019, which aims to create equitable access to digital careers in rural areas such as Te Wairoa. She is a Trustee of Poutama Trust and member of the Māori Economic Development Advisory Board across government. Ms Edwards previously served as a Māori Language Commissioner and on the Parininihi Ki Waitotara group boards, including as Parininihi Ki Waitotara Education Trust Chair.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
ELGAR, Ms Pamela May (Pam)
For services to hockey and women
Ms Pam Elgar has contributed to hockey and women in sport for more than 20 years.
Ms Elgar served on the Hockey New Zealand Board between 2004 and 2010, advocating for women in sport. She chaired the Human Resources Committees, instrumental in the development of a professionally resourced high-performance programme, which resulted in the rise of the Black Sticks Women to fourth in world rankings. She was a founding member of Women in Sport Aotearoa (WISPA), working to support women and girls to build careers in sport and recreation in New Zealand. She is a member of the Steering Committee for the implementation of the event and chairs the board appointments panel. She chairs Wahine Toa Kei Te Kokiri committee in support of WISPA’s bicultural journey. She was President of Oceania Hockey Federation from 2008 to 2019. Under her leadership, hockey was accepted back into the Pacific Games and all nations now have teams playing in the Oceania Games. She has been the Chief Executive Officer of Make a Wish Foundation New Zealand since 2016, leading the Asia-Pacific group to be part of wider international think tanks on progressing the Foundation. Ms Elgar was appointed an independent member of the Sports Integrity Unit for Gymnastics New Zealand in 2020.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
ELLIOTT, Ms Susan Jane
For services to human rights advocacy, particularly refugees
Ms Susan Elliott has been a campaigner for human rights on both a professional and voluntary basis for more than 40 years, particularly refugee rights, diversity and inclusion.
Ms Elliott was a member of the action group who in the mid-1980s worked to establish the first mental health service for people from refugee backgrounds. She was a founding member of the Auckland Refugee Council, now the Asylum Seekers Support Trust, the Human Rights Foundation of Aotearoa-New Zealand and the Auckland Refugee Family Trust. She has been a Trustee of the Development Resource Centre/DevZone and ECPAT/Child Alert for the protection of children from sexual exploitation. She has been a consultant and advisor for numerous international development NGOs and has travelled to more than 30 countries. Within New Zealand she has worked with numerous NGOs focusing on refugees, women’s refuge, youth, health and employment. She is in high demand for her knowledge of facilitation, evaluation, strategic advice, organisational dynamics and community development practice. Ms Elliott has strongly advocated for the voices of former refugees to be included in policy and constitutional processes, such as ensuring that the Asylum Seekers Support Trust original constitution had a President and 51 percent of the Executive Committee from a refugee background.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
FRIZELLE, Professor Francis Antony (Frank)
For services to health
Professor Frank Frizelle is an academic surgeon who has led breakthroughs in identifying potential causes of bowel cancer.
Professor Frizelle was the first Professor of Colorectal Surgery in New Zealand in 2000 and has maintained a leadership role, nationally and internationally, in his field for many decades. He was the first surgeon in the country to start a service for advanced pelvic malignancy and has been recognised internationally for his groundbreaking work in the field of bowel cancer causation. He has been elected as a member of the International Surgical Group, an exclusive group of the world’s leading surgeons. He has been a member of the International Committee of Medical Editors Executive and the World Association of Medical Editors since 2002. He is Chair of the New Zealand National Prostate Cancer Register, Patron of the Canterbury Ostomy Society, and Medical Advisor to Bowel Cancer New Zealand. He was the Head of Academic at the University of Otago’s Department of Surgery for 13 years and has been the Chair of the Ministry of Health’s Colorectal Standards Committee. He is a fellow or honorary fellow of Colleges of Surgeons in America, Australasia and Ireland. Professor Frizelle is a Trustee of the Christchurch Charity Hospital and a member of the Medical Assurance Society Board.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
GRIFFIN, Mr Donald John (Don)
For services to tertiary education and sport
Mr Don Griffin held numerous leadership roles with the Central Institute of Technology (CIT) between 1966 and 1995, including Head of the School of Pharmacy, and as Principal and CEO from 1985 to 1995.
Mr Griffin was instrumental in guiding the direction of Pharmacy education in New Zealand, introducing curriculum changes and establishing the Pharmacy Development Fund. He oversaw a significant building programme for CIT and the academic development of the Institute, including the drafting of the Diploma Regulations. As Chairperson of the New Zealand Trades Certification Board and Authority for Advanced Vocational Awards, he oversaw revision of many prescriptions including the NZCE Electrical and Electronic syllabuses. Under the Association of Polytechnics of New Zealand (APNZ) he chaired the Forum of Chief Executives of all 24 polytechnics and Institutes at the time from 1987 to 1992. He played a key role in establishing the New Zealand Polytechnics Programmes Committee (NZPPC), was lead auditor of NZPPC from 2000 to 2009 and an external evaluator for the NZQA until 2013. He has held voluntary roles with cricket, rugby and bowls clubs in the greater Wellington region since the 1950s. He has variously been a player, coach, administrator, chairman/president, and write club histories. Mr Griffin was a Director of the Medic Alert Foundation of New Zealand from 1995 to 2012.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
HAGEN, Ms Lynda Louise
For services to law and the community
Ms Lynda Hagen has contributed to the legal research community as Executive Director of the New Zealand Law Foundation since 1998.
Ms Hagen upon appointment expanded the New Zealand Law Foundation’s (NZLF) approach by encouraging innovative projects which created and built legal research capability in New Zealand, giving international prominence to pioneering features and unique strengths. NZLF has encouraged legal researchers to collaborate on projects with colleagues at other institutions as universities’ research funding model discouraged multi-institutional collaboration. Under her guidance, the NZLF took on several projects of concern including the Juries Project which assessed how New Zealand juries function, the Human Genome Project; a multi-disciplinary project which established the University of Otago as a leading global research centre on bio-ethics and technology. These two projects were unprecedented globally and established New Zealand at the forefront of the international legal research community. She established the International Research Fellowship which enabled eminent practitioners and academics to step aside their day jobs and focus on research projects. She led the foundation through the Information Law and Policy project, which led to significant upskilling of New Zealand lawyers and policymakers. Ms Hagen was Chair of the Wellington Girls College Board between 2011 and 2013 and was Secretary-General of the New Zealand Handball Federation between 2017 and 2019.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
HAMPTON, Professor John Graham
For services to agricultural science
Professor John Hampton has had a 56-year career in agricultural research, business and education, most prominently with matters and innovations with seeds and the seed industry.
Professor Hampton was a key driver in establishing the Seed Research Centre at Lincoln University in 2009, where he is currently Professor of Seed Technology and Director and leads the sourcing of industry funding from companies annually. His professional speciality and research outcomes have centred around seed quality, production in both conventional and organic systems, and bio control of pests and diseases, and have had strong practical benefits for the industry. He has been President of the International Herbage Seed Group, the New Zealand Agronomy Society, and the International Seed Testing Association, also holding leadership roles with the Seed Testing Associations’ Vigour and Association Rules Committees, making a key contribution to the introduction of vigour testing of seeds internationally. He has held science leadership roles with such projects as ‘Smart Seeds for Export’, PGG Wrightson Seeds Primary Growth Partnership, Ravensdown Biologicals for Pastoral Agriculture, and ‘Suppressing urea-nitrogen wastage using a bioinoculant’, and a current international foreign aid project in Nepal. Professor Hampton has been a visiting professor with the Department of Agronomy and Plant Breeding at the University of Tehran in Iran and with Qingdao Agriculture University in China.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
HARIHARI-HUGHES, Mrs Tangihaere Gloria
For services to Māori and youth
Mrs Tangihaere Harihari-Hughes was President of the New Zealand Māori Wardens Association from 2006 to 2011, having joined the National Executive membership in 2005.
Mrs Harihari-Hughes organised and led a team of 30 Māori Wardens from around the Motu to travel to assist following the 2010 Christchurch earthquake, later organising two further teams to rotate in and continue this support. She is currently Regional Manager for Māori Wardens Districts of Tauranga Moana, Waiariki. She has been a Lay Advocate for the Rotorua Youth Court since 2018. As a Lay Advocate, she has arranged for youth undertaking community service hours to assist the Māori Wardens with community needs. For 11 years she has organised a Māori Wardens team to assist at the annual Secondary School Waka Ama Competition. In 2008 she helped establish a Māori Wardens branch in Brisbane, Australia. She has been a member of the Bay of Plenty and Rotorua Police Advisory Board since 2010 and a nominated person for Rotorua Police interviews with youth since 2019. She was involved with the Te Arawa land claim via Te Pumautanga O Te Arawa from 2000 to 2009 and chaired the Ngāti Rongomai Iwi Trust land claim in the same period. Mrs Harihari-Hughes was Regional Manager of Waiariki Māori Women’s Welfare League from 2000 to 2004.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
KIRKPATRICK, Mr John Mitchel
For services to shearing sports
Mr John Kirkpatrick is a world champion shearer with 211 individual wins across more 26 years and 50 venues.
Mr Kirkpatrick holds 188 open-class titles of which 22 are international titles. He won the 2017 World Championship in Invercargill and won three World Teams titles in 2008, 2012 and 2017. He won the Golden Shears Open title in Masterton in 2002, 2008, 2011 and 2012 and the New Zealand Open championship three times. He has been a New Zealand representative on multiple United Kingdom tours between 2002 and 2017 and 15 trans-Tasman tests between 2002 and 2019. He is co-holder of the World 4-stand 8-hours strongwool lambs record of 2,556 with the highest individual tally of 650. He has been ranked the Number 1 New Zealand open-class shearer 10 times. As a Master Shearer, Mr Kirkpatrick has been a shearers’ delegate to Golden Shears World Council and Shearing Sports New Zealand, and is also a shearing instructor.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
LEMALU, Mr Faafetai Jonathan
For services to opera
Faafetai Jonathan Lemalu is a Grammy award-winning operatic bass, performing internationally at venues including London’s Royal Opera House and New York’s Metropolitan Opera.
Mr Lemalu graduated from London’s Royal College of Music with distinction and the college’s top award, the Tagore Gold Medal, presented by HRH Prince Charles. He represented New Zealand at the 2000 Llangollen International Singer of the World competition in Wales, winning first place from 30 other nations. He represented New Zealand with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra at the Sydney Olympics Arts Festival in 2000 and the Orchestra’s first ever BBC Promenade concert at London’s Royal Albert Hall in 2005. He sang at the United Kingdom Memorial Service for Sir Edmund Hillary at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle in 2008. He performed national anthems at the 2011 Rugby World Cup hosted by New Zealand, and New Zealand and Samoan national anthems for the Māori All Blacks versus Manu Samoa test match in 2021. He is a Patron of Virtuoso Strings Orchestra, performing with young Porirua-based musicians, and gives vocal masterclasses at Otago, Auckland and Canterbury Universities and Victoria University’s New Zealand School of Music. Mr Lemalu is a Professor of Voice at London’s Guildhall School of Music and Drama.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
MESSITER, Ms Denise
For services to Māori and health
Ms Denise Messiter (Ngāti Pūkenga ki Waiau) has been a long-term advocate for Māori owned and controlled health and social services.
Ms Messiter has been key in the development and delivery of kaupapa Māori family and sexual violence support and prevention services, including the programmes the Poutama Mauri Ora, Mauri Tu wānanga. She played a key role in establishing Te Whāriki Manawāhine o Hauraki Māori Women’s Refuge in Hauraki and is currently the General Manager. She led the establishment of the Hauraki Housing Network and the Pātaka Kai food rescue service based in Paeroa. In the 1980s she helped coordinate the establishment of the Hauraki Māori Trust Board. She led the establishment of the Hauraki Māori-owned health service Te Korowai Hauroa O Hauraki in the 1990s and was inaugural CEO, overseeing primary and mental health services and home-based care for kaumatua, and participating in the deinstitutionalisation of Tokanui Hospital. She is currently involved with advisory groups to government agencies regarding services for and the elimination of sexual and family violence. She refocused Hauraki Māori Trust Board’s social services into the Whānau Development Group, establishing Hauraki Family Start and extending Court Managed Care. She led the establishment of Whānau Ora for Hauraki. Ms Messiter has supported indigenous communities and organisations in South Africa and Australia on a voluntary basis.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
MULLIGAN, Mr Brian Robert
For services to physiotherapy
Mr Brian Mulligan developed the Mulligan Concepts, a brand of physiotherapy techniques which have brought relief from pain and joint stiffness for many patients worldwide.
Mr Mulligan’s techniques are taught in universities in New Zealand and overseas. He established and ran a physiotherapy practice in Wellington for more than 40 years until 2002. He has lectured and taught nationally and internationally since 1972. In 1995 The Mulligan Concept Teachers Association was formed, with currently more than 50 accredited teachers across 21 countries. Now retired from presenting internationally, he has remained involved with fundraising and donating his time to present nationally as President of the Association. In 2004, he was regarded as one of the seven most influential people in world orthopaedic physiotherapy by the American Physical Therapists Association. He co-established the New Zealand Manipulative Therapists Association in 1972, to provide education in the field of manual therapy and manipulation. He was made a Life Member of New Zealand Manipulative Therapists Association in 1988 and a Life Member of New Zealand College of Physiotherapy in 1998. He co-authored ‘The Mulligan Concept of Manual Therapy’ in 2015. Mr Mulligan was awarded the Geoffrey Maitland award by International Federation of Orthopaedic Manipulative Physical Therapists in 2016, for advancement of clinical practice in Orthopaedic Manipulative Physical Therapy.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
NICHOLSON, Dr Gordon Ian
For services to health and the community
Dr Gordon Nicholson has contributed to health, the refugee community and the environment for more than 60 years.
Dr Nicholson has been a Gastroenterologist Specialist with Auckland Hospital since 1965. He helped establish the first alcohol and drug ward in Auckland Hospital to provide medical treatment to those impacted. He has mentored and taught students and junior doctors through Auckland Hospital and the Medical School. He initiated and was a founding member of ‘Medical Aid Abroad’ in 1968, which sends medication, equipment and medical aid to nations in need. He chaired the Auckland branch until 1990 and was made a Life Member in 1970. He was Regional Coordinator of Doctors Health Advisory Service from 1990 to 1997 and established the mental health programme “Doctors for Doctors”. Since 2000, he has volunteered with Bridgebuilders Trust, a charitable trust supporting refugees in association with Mangere Refugee Centre in Auckland. He has been working with New Settlers Family and Community Trust since 2002, supplying information and advice, food supplies, household goods, driving lessons and other services. He has been involved in environmental organisations including the Ornithological Society and Royal Forest and Bird Society, as well as community gardens. Dr Nicholson significantly contributed to the Opoutere Ratepayers and Residents Association for more than 30 years.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
PARKER, Emeritus Professor Anthony Ian (Tony)
For services to industrial design
Emeritus Professor Tony Parker was New Zealand’s leading University-based industrial designer until his retirement in 2020.
Emeritus Professor Parker was appointed as Professor of Industrial Design at Massey University in 2005. He then became Deputy Pro Vice-Chancellor and Director of Research at the College of Creative Arts. He began his career at the Ministry of Works and Development, notably designing the executive desk chair used by former Prime Minister David Lange. Between 1992 and 2021, he was awarded 16 Best Design Awards from the Designers Institute of New Zealand and was Convenor of the Product Design category from 2007 to 2021. Much of his career was spent designing security, animal management and fuel system products for Gallagher Industries. He coordinated the Design Industry Scoping Review in 2001, a foundation of the government’s Better by Design programme. He was President of the Designers Institute of New Zealand from 2011 to 2013 and received the Institute’s distinguished Black Pin Outstanding Achievement Award in 2015. Emeritus Professor Parker’s work has been recognised internationally by prestigious design awards and invitations to judge in the United Kingdom, the United States and Australia.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
PELOSI, Mr Roderick Christopher Dominic John (Rod)
For services to football
Mr Rod Pelosi has contributed to football at local, national and international level in administrative and advisory roles since 1981.
At the regional level Mr Pelosi held leadership roles with Hawkes Bay Football, Central Regional League and Horowhenua Football Association. He chaired the Central Football Federation from 2006 to 2010. He was a member of the New Zealand Football Coaching Committee from 1983 to 1992. He has contributed significantly to the progress and learning of football referees, assessing and supporting their development from local level up to national and international standards. He has been a New Zealand Football National League Referee Assessor since 2005 and was a Football Australia A League Referee Assessor from 2011 to 2017. In 2016 he was a Referee Assessor for the FIFA Nations Cup. He developed key relationships to establish an annual exchange programme for New Zealand Football referees to train alongside Professional Game Match Officials Limited referees in England. He chaired the New Zealand Football Referees Committee from 2001 to 2011 and has been Chair of the Appointments Panel since 2011. He chaired New Zealand Football Match Officials Incorporated from 2016 to 2021. Mr Pelosi’s broader contributions to sport include three years as a Foundation Trustee for Sport Hawkes Bay and ten years as a Trustee of Sport Manawatu.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
PETERS, Mr Desmond Leslie (Des)
For services to the snow sport industry
Mr Des Peters has been responsible over the last 41 years for many innovative developments in the New Zealand Ski Industry and has led to New Zealand's high standing in the international ski and tourism community.
Mr Peters in 1968 as one of very few New Zealanders certified with an internationally accredited Ski Instructors Association, he returned to New Zealand jointly established the first professionally accredited and operated Ski School at Mt Taranaki. During the mid-1970s he introduced the first Stone Grinding machines and snow-making machinery and equipment to New Zealand’s ski slopes, helping to guarantee ski and snowboard seasons in our environment. Mr Peters was the Secretary, Treasurer, and National Committee Member of the New Zealand Ski Instructors Alliance from 1974 to 1987. During this time, he led a team that developed the organisation into a nationally and internationally recognised certification body, supporting New Zealand instructors entering the industry to gain qualifications for employment in New Zealand and overseas. Mr Peters was President and Vice President of the New Zealand Snow Industries Federation between 1991 and 1997. He was Chairman of the Ski Areas Association New Zealand, an organisation representing ski area operators from 2005 to 2015. Mr Peters was made an Honorary life Member of the New Zealand Ski Instructors Alliance in 1983 and was awarded the New Zealand Snowsports Council "Contribution to Snowsports" Award in 1998.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
POT, Ms Petronella Maria (Marjet)
For services to women's health
Ms Marjet Pot has significantly contributed to women’s health professionally and voluntarily.
Ms Pot volunteered with the Auckland Home Birth Association in the 1980s. She was part of a small volunteer group working with medical professionals and consumers to set up the Midwifery Standards Review Committee (MSRC) peer review forum. She helped expand the programme from an annual review of independent midwives and has trained others in the programme nationwide. She has worked for Auckland DHB in several roles since 1976 and has made significant contributions to a range of initiatives at National Women’s Health, including improving services to women and their babies and information technology. She had a lead role in the closure of National Women’s Hospital and the move to Auckland City Hospital in 2004. She became Project Manager of the National Women’s Health Annual Clinical Report in 2003, ensuring the document meets high epidemiological standards and that maternity information is accurately recorded. She led a team on the project ‘100 Percent Equity of Access to Newborn Metabolic Screening – A National First’. She was made a Life Member of the College of Midwives for her work in helping establish the national midwifery review framework. Ms Pot also had a senior leadership role with a school board for 17 years, focusing on student equity outcomes.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
POWNALL, Ms Beverly Margaret (Bev)
For services to health, particularly breastfeeding
Ms Bev Pownall certified as an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) in 1997, working tirelessly since to build the professionalism of IBCLCs nationally.
Ms Pownall has encouraged numerous GPs, paediatricians, nurses, midwives, dietitians and others to study and become qualified IBCLCs, personally mentoring and clinically supporting many of them. She has educated IBCLCs on the Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding / International Code of Breastmilk Substitutes. She has been instrumental in the shaping of Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) administration at various DHBs and mentoring of new BFHI Coordinators around New Zealand. She is a current Board Member and has worked with the New Zealand Breastfeeding Alliance (NZBA) since 1996, mostly voluntarily, working on committees, reviewing and writing key documents, as a Lead BFHI Auditor, and is currently a Board member. She worked on the New Zealand National Breastfeeding Strategy 2008 and the 2019/2020 working group for the updated national strategy. She was a driving force in the development of national tongue-tie in breastfeeding guidelines. She has been active on the Board of the New Zealand Lactation Consultants Association (NZLCA) as Treasurer and President on several occasions. Ms Pownall has convened the annual NZLCA national conferences for many years, sourcing international speakers and ensuring the profession receives high quality education from the latest research.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
RICKSON, Dr Daphne Joan
For services to music therapy
Dr Daphne Rickson is an internationally recognised Registered Music Therapist (RMTh) and retired from the New Zealand School of Music (NZSM) at Victoria University of Wellington in 2021.
Dr Rickson’s work as a RMTh, researcher, lecturer, presenter, author, and journal editor has had a significant impact on the growth of the profession in New Zealand. She qualified as a Music Therapist in the 1990s through what is now Music Therapy New Zealand (MThNZ). She joined the national council in 1993, was Council Chair from 1997 to 2002 and President from 2008 to 2012. She helped review MThNZ’s Standards of Practice and following the 15 March 2019 terrorist attack she supported development of MThNZ’s Aotearoa Crisis Intervention working group. She collaborated with a team to initiate a Music Therapy Masters’ Programme at NZSM in 2003. She is the Australasian Regional Liaison for the World Federation of Music Therapy Council. She achieved New Zealand’s first PhD in music therapy in 2010. Her research has focused on children and adults with complex needs and enabling marginalised people to use music resources to increase their community participation. She has undertaken collaborative research on “singing for wellbeing” in post-earthquake Christchurch. Professor Rickson’s more than 40 publications include co-authoring the book ‘Creating Music Cultures in the Schools: A Perspective from Community Music Therapy’ (2014).
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
ROBERTSON, Dr Anne Katherine
For services to sexual health
Dr Anne Robertson has been contributing to sexual health services in New Zealand for more than 24 years.
Dr Robertson has been supporting the sustainability of sexual health and sexual assault services in New Zealand and improving the sexual health outcomes for people as current President of the New Zealand Sexual Health Society, in Australasia as previous President of the Australasian Chapter of Sexual Health Medicine, and the Asia Pacific region through Committee membership of the International Union against STI. She was the MidCentral DHB’s Regional Coordinator for Medical Sexual Assault Clinicians Aotearoa (MEDSAC) from 1990 to 2014, helping create a 24-hour roster for provision of sexual assault therapeutic and forensic care in the MidCentral region for children, adolescents and adults. She has been a Specialist Obstetrician and Gynaecologist at Palmerston North Hospital since 1988 and Specialist Sexual Health Physician since 1998, focusing on developing new innovative ways to keep the services client-focused and relevant in changing times. She has been providing Specialist Sexual Health Physician services in Hawke’s Bay DHB since 2012, and more recently support to the Whanganui team to improve regional service coordination. Dr Robertson has been a Director of Sexually Transmitted Infections Education Foundation Aotearoa since 2011 and is the Co-Lead Author of the New Zealand HPV Project and the New Zealand Herpes Foundation.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
SCANLON, Mrs Lorraine Susan
For services to Victim Support and the community
Mrs Lorraine Scanlon has chaired the National Council of Victim Support since 2006 and led strategic planning for the organisation’s 10-year plans ‘Vision 2020’ and ‘Vision 2030’.
Under Mrs Scanlon’s leadership, Victim Support’s services have grown to include dedicated teams providing specialist support for those affected by trauma, suicide, homicide or family violence. She was initially a Victim Support volunteer in Westport from 1992 and was instrumental in setting up the Buller branch of the organisation. Following the 15 March 2019 terrorist attack, she personally made several trips from Westport to Christchurch to support teams of Victim Support staff addressing the high numbers and challenging dynamics of the victims. She worked with various NGOs and government agencies to secure the best results for the victims and their communities. She has been Chief Executive of Homebuilders West Coast Trust for 29 years, which delivers social, health and wellbeing services for children and families within the West Coast communities. Following the July 2021 flooding in Westport she has worked to provide support for many people who had lost homes and possessions. Mrs Scanlon has worked for months alongside others to establish a Community Hub of agencies providing support for the people impacted and traumatised, alongside dealing with Homebuilders own flooded premises.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
SNEDDEN, Mrs Bridget Ann
For services to people with learning disabilities
Mrs Bridget Snedden has been involved with supporting disabled people since the birth of her son with Down Syndrome in 1988.
Mrs Snedden has advocated for removing barriers to enable people with learning disabilities to live self-directed lives in their communities free from discrimination. As a parent and committee member of the Auckland Down Syndrome Association, she advocated tirelessly for children with Down syndrome to have the same opportunities and experiences as every other child of the same age. She was an active member of the New Zealand Down Syndrome Association (NZDSA) and in 1993 she was instrumental in rebuilding the association when it was in abeyance. She was NZDSA National Coordinator from 1993 to 2000. She was Centre Director of Parent and Family Resource Centre (now Disability Connect) and then a Spectrum Care Board member for ten years. In 2008 she was invited to join the Down Syndrome International Board as a Trustee and Board Member. She was elected Vice President in 2018 and as President of Down Syndrome International in 2021. Mrs Snedden initiated the founding of Family Network NZ, a non-profit agency working alongside parents who have a family member with learning disabilities to create and lead inclusive and self-directed lives.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
STRINGER, Dr Ian Alexander Noel
For services to conservation
Dr Ian Stringer taught invertebrate zoology at Massey University between 1974 and 2002 before becoming a scientist specialising in terrestrial invertebrates with the Department of Conservation until his retirement in 2012.
Dr Stringer contributed to the development of several key courses for the Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in Zoology. He supervised many postgraduate students. His research both at Massey University and the Department of Conservation was largely based in the field, involving heading teams of professionals and volunteers that investigated endangered giant land snails and the iconic and critically endangered Mercury Islands tusked wētā. The research provided vital information for their effective protection and the tusked wētā were established on other islands where rats had been eradicated, almost certainly saving them from extinction. At the Department of Conservation, he provided conservation advice, surveyed insect communities and chaired groups of experts that evaluated the conservation status of all known terrestrial invertebrates in New Zealand, from butterflies and fleas to earthworms. This together with all of Dr Stringer’s research has been published in scientific journals, accessible to the wider community.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
SUTHERLAND, Dr Oliver Robert Webber
For services to the law and Māori and Pacific communities
Dr Oliver Sutherland has dedicated more than 50 years to addressing institutional racism in New Zealand and has advocated for reform within the judicial system.
Dr Sutherland joined the Nelson Māori Committee and became aware of differences in legal representation between Māori and Pacific defendants presenting in court and European defendants. He initiated an informal legal aid scheme for Māori and Pacific defendants in Nelson. The introduction of this scheme saw an increase of Māori defendants with lawyers to 79 percent, from the pre-scheme figure of 18 percent of Māori defendants with lawyers, and contributed to a reduction of imprisonments by a third and probation sentences decreasing from 17 to five percent. The Nelson initiative led to the establishment of a national duty solicitor scheme in 1974. He engaged with Māori and Pacific leaders to establish the Auckland Committee on Racism and Discrimination (ACORD) to analyse and identify instances of racism and advocate for change. He researched and published ‘Justice and Race: Campaigns Against Racism and Abuse in Aotearoa New Zealand’ and has presented this as evidence to the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care. Since retirement in 2004, Dr Sutherland has been a member of the Ngāti Koata Kaumatua Council.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
TAEPA, Mr Wi Te Tau Pirika
For services to Māori art, particularly ceramics
Mr Wi Te Tau Pirika Taepa (Te Arawa, Ngati Whakaue, Te Āti Awa) has been a leading Māori artist at the forefront of promoting uku, the medium of clay, within te ao Māori since the mid-1980s.
Mr Taepa is recognised among New Zealand’s museums and galleries for his pioneering practice and his teaching and mentoring of contemporary Māori artists. Early in his career he shifted from carving to clay and has worked to position the relatively unrecognised medium within mātauranga Māori. He sculpts by hand, creating textures drawing on customary Māori art such as kōwhaiwhai and tukutuku. His exhibitions have included ‘Parautanga Plough’ (2005) and ‘Wi Taepa’ (2012), as well as international exhibitions in California, Vancouver and Zimbabwe. He was one of five founders of Ngā Kaihanga Uku National Collective of Māori Clay Workers in 1987. He has travelled internationally, bringing back new connections with fellow indigenous artists, techniques and research to develop local networks. He has used art as a therapeutic medium, running Māori art workshops at Wi Tako (now Rimutaka) Prison in the 1970s and as a social worker at Kohitere Boys’ Training Institute in the 1980s. He has continued mentoring young artists through both formal teaching positions and on an individual basis. Mr Taepa contributed to the carving of pou for Wellington’s Michael Fowler Centre and completion of Orongomai Marae in Upper Hutt.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
TAIT, Dr John David
For services to obstetrics and gynaecology
Dr John Tait has been a Fellow of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologist (RANZCOG) for more than 35 years, holding numerous governance positions including Vice President since 2014 and Chair of Te Kāhui Oranga ō Nuku, RANZCOG’s New Zealand committee since 2008.
Dr Tait has held leadership roles in the Women’s Health Service at Capital and Coast District Health Board since 1999 and been CCDHB Chief Medical Officer since 2016. He has long advocated for safe and accessible abortion services for women, including access to safe medical abortion as an alternative to surgery. He co-established ISTAR in 1999 to import mifepristone from France when no established pharmaceutical firm was willing to import it. He was central in establishing a close working relationship between RANZCOG and the New Zealand College of Midwives and in 2020 establishing two permanent Māori positions on RANZCOG’s governance council. He has worked with the Ministry of Health on addressing harms experienced by women as a result of surgical mesh and reforming systems to prevent future harm. He has chaired the Perinatal and Maternal Mortality Review Committee (PMMRC) since 2018 and contributed to the Maternal Morbidity Working group’s morbidity review toolkit. Dr Tait has been a Councillor of the Asia Oceania Federation of Obstetrics and Gynaecology since 2013.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
THERON, Dr Margrietha Johanna (Margriet)
For services to science and the community
Dr Margriet Theron has had a career in science management and forestry education and contributes to organisations with a focus on migrant settlement.
Dr Theron was an economist and planning manager with the New Zealand Forest Research Institute (NZFRI) from 1979 to 1986, writing its first strategic and business plans. She was the Leader of the Establishment Unit of the former Ministry of Research, Science and Technology, chairing 10 major reviews of government-funded science. She represented New Zealand at international science policy conferences. She was the first female Dean of Forestry at Waiariki Institute of Technology, overseeing the rebuild of the burnt-down training sawmill. She was project manager for the fundraising and building of Turangi Community Health Centre. She has been President of the Rotorua Multicultural Council since 2016 and a committee member for more than 15 years. She has been a Trustee of Speech New Zealand for 20 years and teaches its Professional Speaking syllabus to migrants, including internationally qualified doctors. She has held governance roles with the Rotorua Chamber of Commerce, Geyser Community Foundation, HortResearch, Rotary, Ngati Pikiao, Bay of Plenty Conservation Board, and primary, intermediate and secondary schools. Dr Theron is an Afrikaans Court interpreter and has been Chief Judge for the Rotorua Business Excellence Awards.
HONOURS
New Zealand Suffrage Centennial Medal 1993
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
UNDERWOOD, Mrs Sharyn Elizabeth
For services to dance
Mrs Sharyn Underwood began teaching dance in New Plymouth in 1968, before shifting to Whanganui in 1971 and opening the Sharyn Underwood School of Dance.
Mrs Underwood has encouraged thousands of students to enter yearly examinations, with many students progressing through to Advanced Level Three, achieving the challenging technical and creative zenith of the American Jazz Dance Affiliation (AJDA) syllabus. Several students have continued to full-time dance careers, achieving success nationally and internationally in Australia, the United States and the United Kingdom. She has organised whole studio productions performed at the Royal Whanganui Opera House, with all proceeds from these shows subsidising her students into further education or trips to the US or Australia to gain experience. Since 1995, she has been national Co-Director of the AJDA. Having initially been a technical examiner, she has continued to update the syllabus, organise annual teacher workshops and deliver a biannual four day Teacher and Student Congress. This has generated a community of teachers across New Zealand who have gone on to run their own dance studios. In 2010, Mrs Underwood jointly established Phoenix Dance Workshop International, New Zealand’s longest running and largest dance convention, held annually in Palmerston North and Hamilton.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
URLWIN, Ms Anne June
For services to business
Ms Anne Urlwin has been a director, a chartered accountant and business consultant for more than 20 years.
Ms Urlwin began her career with KPMG before undertaking senior management roles in the information technology and meat industries. She then moved into governance roles and is currently a Director of Precinct Properties New Zealand Limited, Summerset Group Holdings Limited, Vector Limited, and Ventia Limited. She is the Independent Chair of the Te Rūnanga Audit and Risk Committee of Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu and also serves on the boards of City Rail Link Limited and Queenstown Airport Corporation Limited. She has been Deputy Chair of Southern Response Earthquake Services, and Chair of the New Zealand Blood Service and the Naylor Love Construction Group. She has held directorships with Chorus Limited, Tilt Renewables Limited, Cigna Life Insurance New Zealand, as well as Crown companies and sporting organisations including New Zealand Hockey. She is a Chartered Fellow of the Institute of Directors in New Zealand and a member of the Institute’s National Council. Ms Urlwin is also a Fellow of Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand and a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
VARLEY, Mrs Eileen Nora
For services to addiction services
Mrs Eileen Varley has been contributing to the treatment of people with addictions for many years.
Mrs Varley has been the Manager of the Nelson Addiction Service since 1988, which has developed into one of the most respected services nationwide. She developed a number of specialist roles within the service including specialist provision of court reports, youth team and hospital liaison. She advocated for and succeeded in obtaining additional positions for specialist medical staff within the service which have contributed for the relief of suffering for the clients and significant saving of resources in the health system. She has been encouraging staff to undertake postgraduate training and has promoted staff to in enrolment of staff to postgraduate training schemes at the National Addiction Centre in the Christchurch School of Medicine. She created links with Police, justice and probation services, facilitating diversion of people with alcohol or drug related infringements to useful treatment and introduced a process of routine referral of those presenting to the hospital Emergency Department with substance related illnesses. She was the Chairperson of the National Association of Opioid Treatment Providers from the 1990s, stepping down from the position in 2019. As Chairperson, Mrs Varley was instrumental in initiating fundamental revision of treatment guidelines, establishing an evidence-based model.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
WALKER, Ms Lisa
For services as a jeweller
Ms Lisa Walker is a contemporary jeweller who has exhibited internationally over more than 30 years and is recognised for bold and innovative works and for pushing boundaries in the art form.
Ms Walker has had a significant influence on contemporary jewellery in New Zealand and internationally and her works are held in numerous public and private collections both nationally and overseas. Te Papa Tongarewa staged a 30-year survey of her work ‘Lisa Walker: I want to go to my bedroom, but I can’t be bothered’ in 2018, which also toured to Australia, Germany and the Netherlands. She has been selected for the prestigious group exhibition ‘Schmuck’ on nine occasions, the world’s premiere exhibition for contemporary jewellery. She has been committed to producing artist books, helping disseminate knowledge in her field. Ms Walker has received numerous national and international awards including the Dutch Francoise van den Bosch Award in 2009 and the 2015 New Zealand Arts Foundation Laureate Award.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
WHITE, Ms Bub (Hera)
For services to Māori and tertiary education
Ms Hera White worked to improve the success of Māori learners in tertiary education from 1985 until retiring from Waikato Institute of Technology (Wintec) in 2021.
Ms White was Head of School of Māori Studies from 1990 to 2003. She became Pouarāhi (Executive Director) Māori in 2003, holding this role until retirement. She was a pioneer of senior executive Māori positions in the Institutes of Technology and Polytechnics (ITP) sector. She is recognised as a key mentor and rangatira of Te Tira Manukura, an organisation of ITP Māori senior executives established in 2011 to provide support and share knowledge. She led the development of a Treaty of Waitangi framework to lead Wintec’s strategic direction and oversaw the establishment of the Māori Achievement Unit. She contributed to the design of Te Kōpū Mānia o Kirikiriroa Marae on Wintec’s Hamilton City campus, which opened in 2012. She oversaw introduction of the matauranga Māori alternative to the traditional graduation ceremony. She helped establish scholarships for Māori health students and developing leadership skills for Māori staff. She negotiated a partnership between Waikato-Tainui and Wintec in 2016 to drive a new programme to increase te reo Māori fluency. Outside of education, Ms White was a Board member of Habitat for Humanity Central Region from 2006 to 2020.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
WINSTANLEY, Ms Chelsea Jane
For services to the screen industry and Māori
Ms Chelsea Winstanley (Ngāti Ranginui, Ngāi te Rangi) is an award-winning film and television producer and director who has championed indigenous voices onscreen, operating her production company This Too Shall Pass.
Since 2005 Ms Winstanley has produced a range of film and television projects showcasing Māori arts practitioners, including Heperi Mita’s directorial debut ‘Merata: How Mum Decolonised the Screen’. She worked with Mereta Mita, the first Māori woman to direct a feature film in New Zealand, working to complete the project when Mita died mid-production. She made her directorial debut as one of eight writer/directors on the portmanteau film ‘Waru’, which screened at Toronto International Film Festival. She has produced award-winning short films including ‘Night Shift’ and ‘Meathead’, feature film ‘What We Do in the Shadows’, one of New Zealand’s highest grossing films, and is one of the New Zealand producers of ‘Night Raiders’, an indigenous New Zealand-Canada co-production which premiered in 2021. She has developed extensive networks among international indigenous filmmakers. She was the first indigenous female producer to be nominated for a Best Picture Academy Award with Taika Waititi’s ‘Jojo Rabbit’. Ms Winstanley has championed presenting indigenous stories in their own language and is a producer behind the successful te reo Māori versions of Disney’s ‘Moana’, ‘Lion King’ and ‘Frozen’.