To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
AHMED, Dr Hafsa
For services to ethnic communities and women
Dr Hafsa Ahmed has held board positions in different organisations in the not-for-profit sector over the past decade and is co-founder and Trustee of Lady Khadija Charitable Trust.
Lady Khadija is a registered charity established in 2016 that works to support vulnerable groups and achieve social cohesion in the community through media projects such as broadcast programme ‘Open Table’, ‘Together in Humanity’ and the video documentary series ‘Immigrant Journeys’. Dr Ahmed became Chair of Canterbury Interfaith Society in 2021 and a Trustee on the Board of Ako Ōtautahi – Learning City Christchurch. She has created opportunities for spiritual leaders and members of ethnic and mainstream communities to share values and beliefs in interfaith discussions. She has been an active presenter and contributor to the Ministry for Ethnic Communities’ Women to Women Project (W2W) in Christchurch and is a highly regarded leader in supporting the empowerment of ethnic women and the recovery within the Muslim community following the 2019 Christchurch terror attack. Dr Ahmed has encouraged women to ensure their voices are heard in media online and via podcasts, providing training and inspiration to women to tell their stories.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
ALLISON, Ms Wendy
For services to drug harm reduction
Ms Wendy Allison founded KnowYourStuffNZ (KSYNZ), the community-based service for drug checking in 2014, with the goal of reducing drug harm.
Ms Allison operated in a legal grey area to offer these services for several years, until her advocacy, evidence collection and relationship building with New Zealand Police, universities, music festivals and others led to law change. This change to the Misuse of Drugs Act at the end of 2020 saw New Zealand becoming the first country in the world to explicitly legalise drug checking services. KSYNZ’s data collection has provided evidence that people using their services will, by majority, not consume illicit substances if they’re found not to be what the person thought they were. This, in conjunction with research by Victoria University of Wellington, has shown people using KSYNZ tend towards safer choices on an ongoing basis. Her work with KSYNZ has contributed to international research on drug harm reduction. She has worked with St John Event Health Services to reduce drug harm at events, reducing hospitalisations of young people in particular. She advocated for a national drug early warning system to provide awareness of new substances, which is now in place and has provided detection of multiple new drugs in illicit use, including fentanyl in 2022. Ms Allison currently chairs KSYNZ’s Board of Trustees.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
ARMSTRONG, Dr John Douglas
For services to Māori health
Dr John Armstrong retired in 2020 as Rotorua’s longest serving general practitioner and has been an advocate of te reo Māori and tikanga for more than 50 years.
Dr Armstrong has used his commitment te reo to help Māori patients become more comfortable engaging with the health system. He held many hui with Māori leaders across the country, who advised that procedures relating to handling of Māori bodies could be improved in accordance with cultural customs. He was a leading advocate on cultural sensitivity with Māori deaths and patient’s bodies, avoiding unnecessary post-mortems to return the body to the family as soon as possible, and negotiated with the coroner to ensure legal requirements were met. He worked with younger doctors in relation to care of Māori patients, communicating with them regarding health issues and supporting them through the system. He has been active in suicide prevention particularly of young Māori men, meeting with gang members and young rugby league players to address their health and mental health concerns. He saw patients regardless of financial status, doing in-house and out-of-office calls, and continued to assist with child births to provide a one-on-one approach with a trusted face. Following retirement, Dr Armstrong led education programmes for Māori to overcome vaccine hesitancy during the COVID-19 pandemic.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
BAIN, Mr David Wallace (Wallace)
For services to health and the community
Wallace Bain is a pharmacist and lawyer who has assisted in the revision of the regulation and licensing of the pharmacy profession, and the revision and modernisation of the Coroners Act, including working with Māori on their needs and perspectives regarding autopsy.
Mr Bain was Bay of Plenty Regional Coroner from 2007 to 2020, having been Coroner for King Country previously from 1992. From 1995 to 1998 he was Mayor of Te Kuiti and Waitomo District and was a strong supporter of Maniapoto iwi in this role. As a Coroner, he played a significant role in changes to the Firearms Code, in campaigning against cot death related co-sleeping with babies, texting while driving, youth drinking and cyber bullying. He has initiated meetings to inform local iwi Te Arawa and Ngāti Tuwharetoa on coronial changes and to seek their participation in decision-making. He has provided pro-bono legal advice to community groups such as local high schools and sporting bodies. He is an International Rugby Board Commissioner. In 2014 together with Mike King, he co-delivered suicide prevention seminars to schools and communities through the Key to Life Trust. Mr Bain supports the Life Education Trust to provide books in South Waikato and together with other pharmacists to help fund the daily costs of a school in Fiji.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
BAKEN, Ms Priscilla June
For services to midwifery
Ms Priscilla Baken has been a midwife for 41 years in New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the African Sahel.
During this time, Ms Baken has served as a Homebirth Midwife, an establishing member of the Community Birth Services Trust, a Midwifery Lecturer, and since 2009 a Community Midwife at Mid-Central Health. She was one of the founding members of the New Zealand College of Midwives, established in 1986, and has served as a Midwifery Standards Reviewer, Midwife Consultant, a Bachelor of Midwifery Advisor, Expert Witness, and a Midwifery Practice Mentor. She wrote and presented nationally and internationally on the ‘Effectiveness of Homebirth as a Birth Environment’ in 1996, ‘Labour and Birth’s Impact on Breastfeeding’ in 2002 and presented and published the 1999 case study titled ‘Community Birth Services – a model of Community Led Maternity Service Provision’. Through the sharing of her expert midwifery skills and knowledge, she has significantly influenced the lives of women and whānau. Ms Baken continues to advocate for collaborative methods of working in midwifery and informally acts as a mentor for midwifery colleagues.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
BEVIN, Dr Timothy Robert (Tim)
For services to health
Dr Tim Bevin has worked as a general practitioner for more than 30 years in the community of Hawke’s Bay.
In addition to this, Dr Bevin has been a New Zealand Police Medical Officer for more than 20 years and was appointed to the Board of the Hawke’s Bay Primary Health Organisation in 2005. He has been a Medical Officer for the Hawke’s Bay District Health Board since 1984. He is a highly regarded member of the addictions treatment community and has been volunteering at the Springhill Residential Addiction centre for almost 30 years. He works closely with clients and has worked tirelessly to retain the residential treatment service. Dr Bevin also takes an active voluntary role in improving community health, founding City Medical accident and medical service, serving as a doctor to the Hawke’s Bay Rugby Union since 2000, a Board member of the Cranford Hospice and a Trustee of the Princess Alexandra Medical Trust, which provides financial support to individuals who cannot pay for medical and dental services.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
BIDOIS, Mr Carlton Paul
For services to the environment and Māori-Crown relations
Mr Carlton Bidois (Ngāti Ranginui, Ngāi Te Rangi) has dedicated more than 25 years to the Tauranga environment and Māori-Crown relations.
Mr Bidois has been a key driver of engaging with iwi on environmental matters in Tauranga, acknowledging their role as kaitiaki. He has worked with numerous organisations and government agencies to ensure engagement with iwi occurs across private and public sector interests, including partnering with local councils, the Department of Conservation, Maritime New Zealand and the Ministry for Primary Industries. He is the environmental representative to several iwi including Ngāti Ranginui and Pirirākau hapū. During the Rena disaster in 2011, he ensured the iwi were involved with the marine emergency response, establishing and leading Manaaki Te Awanui, a Māori environmental research group. Manaaki Te Awanui continues to support Tauranga Moana marine environments in partnership with Matauranga Māori research. He has been Co-Chair since inception of Tauranga Moana Biosecurity Capital, a multi-industry initiative promoting biosecurity best practice in New Zealand. Mr Bidois was Co-Chair of Manaaki Kaimai Mamaku Forum from inception in 2010 until 2020 and was key to securing funding to continue the improvement and preservation of the Kaimai Mamaku forests and catchments.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
BURGMAN, Mrs Hoana Mere
For services to Māori and environmental governance
Mrs Hoana Burgman (Ngāi Tahu, Ngāti Kahungungu ki Wairarapa) has been on the Ngāi Tahu Tū Āhuriri Rūnanga executive since 1990, was Secretary for 12 years and has been Kaumātua Chair since 2016.
Mrs Burgman helped re-establish the Tuahiwi branch of the Māori Women’s Welfare League and has been President and Secretary. She was a founding member of Te Waihora Management Board and was involved in establishment of a joint management plan for Te Waihora Lake with the Department of Conservation and later the broader Te Waihora Co-Governance Agreement. She was a Trustee of Te Kōhaka o Tūhaitara Trust from 2006 to 2017, responsible for the restoration and ongoing management of 700 hectares of native coastal wetland. She has been a founding member of Mahaanui Kurataiao Shareholder Board since 2006, having been a key driver of taking a collaborative approach to Resource Management Act engagement by mana whenua and bringing together the five surrounding papatipu rūnanga in Canterbury to form a unified company to advance kaitiakitanga. She played a key role in developing a comprehensive Iwi Management Plan (IMP), which has guided Councils and external parties on mana whenua values and expectations generally and for specific locations. Mrs Burgman has been integral in regional development, including involvement in the regional development plan, the Environment Canterbury/Te Paiherenga working group and Waimakariri water zone committee.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
CAME-FRIAR, Dr Heather Anne
For services to Māori, education and health
Dr Heather Came-Friar has advocated for social and racial justice and Te Tiriti o Waitangi recognition throughout her professional career in the health sector, non-governmental organisations, and academia.
Dr Came-Friar is an Associate Professor at the Department of Public Health at Auckland University of Technology (AUT). She founded and has been co-chair of STIR: Stop Institutional Racism since 2013. She has convened various think tanks and symposiums for anti-racism, and co-convened Anti-Racism Master Classes. She has led initiatives such as Te Tiriti Futures – Anti-Racism Webinar Series (Decol2020 and Decol2022). She has a decades long involvement with the Pākehā Tiriti workers movement, including an association with Tāmaki Tiriti Workers. In 2020 she co-published ‘Critical Tiriti Analysis’, a new methodology to assess Te Tiriti compliance, which is being widely used in the health, public and research sectors. She has been involved with the New Zealand Public Health Association since 1995 in various roles, including acting Co-President and member of the National Executive, and founder and Chair of the AUT Branch since 2020. She chaired the Parliamentary Review of the National Cervical Screening Programme. Dr Came-Friar has been a Fellow of the Health Promotion Forum since 2014.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
CAMPBELL, Mr Malcolm James
For services to local government and the community
Mr Malcolm Campbell has served as Mayor of Kawerau for 21 years and Councillor for 27 years.
As Mayor, Mr Campbell faced industrial downturns, significant job losses and a declining population, and steered efforts to improve economic performance, attract new industry and increase services, and enhance perceptions of the Kawerau’s lifestyle attractions. He led initiatives such as the Industrial Symbiosis project and has fostered collaboration between the Council, industry, landowners and iwi. He chaired the Kawerau District Plan Committee and Eastern Bay Mayoral Flood Relief from 2004 to 2006, was Deputy Chair of the Mayors Taskforce for Jobs, and a member of various local government committees covering development, transport and civil defence. He has been a mentor of the rangitahi development programme Tuia and supported the ongoing development of the Mountain View Rest Home and Hospital, managed by Kawerau Social Services Trust. He has supported community organisations such as Grey Power with donations through his business Campbell’s Meats. He has held offices such as Secretary, Treasurer, Deputy and Chair with various Boards including Kawerau South School, Kawerau Intermediate School, Kawerau Pony Club and Swimming Club, and the New Zealand Jet Boat Association Northern District. Mr Campbell has been Patron of Tarawera Trail Riders Association and the Disability Resource Centre.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
CHAPMAN, Mr Lloyd Russell
For services to the community and heritage rose preservation
Mr Lloyd Chapman has been contributing to the Ōtaki community through journalism and preservation of heritage roses, for more than 30 years.
Mr Chapman established Trinity Farm Rose Nursery in 1988 with his wife, growing heritage roses across three acres of land, home to 1,500 roses. In 2007, he had the biggest collection of the wichuraiana rose family in the world, distributing these throughout New Zealand and donating cuttings to public plantings including to Pauatahui Burial Ground. He is a member of Heritage Roses New Zealand, contributing to many articles in the Heritage Roses New Zealand Journal and has been a guest speaker at several Historic Rose Conferences. He was a founding member and Secretary of Keep Ōtaki Beautiful in the 1990s, helping the Kapiti Coast District Council purchase and transform a piece of land into a community park. He is the founding member and Secretary of Energise Ōtaki, which aims to make Ōtaki self-sufficient in energy, and which facilitated the redeployment of thermal solar panels to the solar farm in Ōtaki in 2018. Mr Chapman purchased the Ōtaki Mail community newspaper in 2013 following potential closure and published monthly community news and stories until retiring as editor in 2021.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
CHAPPLE, Mr David Christopher
For services to the community and heritage preservation
Mr David Chapple has contributed his architectural knowledge to communities pro-bono since the 1970s, helping preserve and maintain historic buildings such as All Saint’s Anglican Church.
Mr Chapple has assisted a number of Anglican churches in the lower North Island with building projects. He was a Board member of ACROSS Social Services and as Chairman from 1999 to 2000, he secured funding to acquire new premises. He chairs Menzshed Manawatu, which he helped establish in 2011, coordinating community projects. He has been a member of Awapuni Rotary Club for 45 years and led the establishment of five Probus clubs. He was a key member of the Awesome Awapuni Community Group. He assists Starlight, who provide care packages for patients at Mid Central Health Board’s mental health unit. He was involved in the establishment of WildBase Recovery Centre in 2017, a centre providing shelter and care for native wildlife recovering after treatment. He chaired the Palmerston North City Council’s Physical Planning Sub-Committee in the 1980s, was Chairman of the Square Community Contact Group in 2000, and a member of the New Bridge Selection Group in the 1990s. Mr Chapple is a Trustee of Hoffman Kiln Trust, having played a key role in obtaining heritage status for the kiln site in 1983 and continues to oversee preservation efforts.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
COFFEY, Mr Brian Raymond
For services to people with disabilities
Mr Brian Coffey (Te Ātiawa ki Te Whanganui-a-Tara) has had a career in education as a teacher, educational psychologist and has held managerial roles for special education strategy.
Mr Coffey has been involved in disability and mental health provision as a support worker and at a national policy level. He has been involved in several government inter-agency initiatives regarding the disability sector and has been Director of the Office for Disability Issues since 2017. Under his leadership, the organisation has expanded from six employees to 18 and has been focused on disabled children and youth with additional support needs. He has led the development of the Positive Behaviour for Learning Initiative, the development of the ‘Success For All – Every School, Every Child’, which was the response to the government’s 2010 Review of Special Education. He has been a government representative at the United Nations examination of New Zealand’s Implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. He was an advisor to the development of the refresh of the ‘New Zealand Disability Strategy 2016-2026’ and has led its implementation, alongside disabled people, through the development and implementation of the Disability Action Plan launched in 2019 through to 2023. Mr Coffey is a Board member for Pathways, a national provider of community-based mental health, addiction and wellbeing services.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
COLE, Dr Gina Annette
For services to literature
Dr Gina Cole is an author and lawyer in Auckland, who has published two books and a number of other short stories and articles.
Dr Cole published a collection of short stories titled ‘Black Ice Matter’ in 2016, which received the Hubert Church Prize for Best First Book Fiction at the 2017 Ockham Book Awards. Her work has been widely anthologised including ‘Black Marks on the White Page’, ‘Home: New Writing’, ‘Out Here: An Anthology of Takatāpui and LGBTQIA+ Writers from Aotearoa’, ‘Vā, Stories by Women of the Moana’ and ‘First Peoples Shared Stories’, with her other works appearing in numerous publications including Takahē, Express Magazine, Span and Landfall. She was the winner of the 2014 Auckland Pride Festival’s creative writing competition with the poem ‘Airport Aubade’. She was a keynote speaker at the 2017 Auckland Writers Festival and the Samesame but Different LGBTQIA+ Writing Festival. She was the inaugural Pasifika curator at the Auckland Writers Festival in 2021. She is an Honorary Fellow in Writing at the University of Iowa and has attended residencies at the Iowa Writers Program, the Island Institute in Alaska, Michael King Writers Centre and Varuna Writers House. Dr Cole published ‘Na Viro’ in 2022, a Pasifikafuturist science fiction novel.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
CORNISH, Ms Catherine Mary (Mary)
For services to the performing arts
Ms Mary Cornish is an artist and educator in the performing arts sector and has been teaching at secondary and primary levels for more than 20 years.
Ms Cornish was Chair of the New Zealand Ukulele Trust between 2010 and 2016, and a committee member from 2007. As Artistic Director of the Trust’s Annual community festivals, she enriched partnerships with the music industry, funders and venues. She created family friendly, free programmes with engagement from more than 150 schools and their communities, coordinating local and international guest artists to perform alongside children, including Sir Dave Dobbyn and Six60. She co-authored the Kiwileles Songbooks, teacher handbooks and led workshops to help teachers deliver music education in schools. In 2010 she created ‘In Our Beat’, a bi-annual festival connecting local schools and their communities through the performing arts, and continues to serve as Artistic Director and Conductor. As a Choral Director for the Auckland Primary Musical Festival, she has led multiple school choir trainers and students to perform at the annual festival held at the Auckland Town Hall. Ms Cornish has directed choirs at the New Zealand Choral Federation’s ‘Kid Sing’ competition since 2006, and currently directs a multi-level Choral Programme at St Cuthbert’s College.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
DANN, Mrs Carlotta Brigid (Lotta)
For services to addiction advocacy
Mrs Lotta Dann is an addiction recovery advocate who draws on her personal experiences to promote sober living and recovery.
Mrs Dann built a career in the media and in 2011 began the anonymous blog ‘Mrs D is Going Without’ to document her transition from alcohol addiction to sobriety. In 2014 she published her best-selling memoir named after her blog and later partnered with the New Zealand Drug Foundation, Te Hiringa Hauora Health Promotion Agency and Matua Raki to launch ‘Living Sober’, a community website for people to manage their relationship with alcohol. She moderates the Living Sober community forum to maintain an ethos of tolerance, understanding and kindness. In 2021 alone, Living Sober reached more than 25,000 people. A 2021 independent evaluation of Living Sober’s effectiveness found that 68 percent of members have become sober since using the website and another 24 percent have had periods of sobriety, with many survey respondents reporting positive changes in their alcohol use. She is regularly invited to speak to groups and in the media and has published two further books, including ‘The Wine O’Clock Myth’ (2020) exploring the impacts of alcohol on women and New Zealand society. Since 2019 Mrs Dann has facilitated the Blueprint for Learning Addiction 101 workshop, designed to increase awareness and reduce stigma associated with addiction.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
DAVIES, Professor Christine Margaret (Christine Rubie-Davies)
For services to education
Professor Christine Rubie-Davies is an education academic whose work has focused on closing the achievement gap for all children.
Professor Rubie-Davies began her teaching career in 1974. For the past 25 years she has been an educator, leader, researcher and mentor at the University of Auckland’s Faculty of Education and Social Work. She proposed high expectation teaching theory and developed the educational programme ‘High Expectation Remarkable Outcomes’, which encourages teachers to have high expectations of their students and shows teachers how to communicate such expectations to their students. This programme is now offered in New Zealand, Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands. A similar programme exists for school leaders entitled ‘Leaders Influencing Teachers’ High Expectations’. Her work has had a particular impact on the achievement, self-belief and engagement of Māori and Pasifika students. She is the recipient of National Teaching Excellence Awards at both primary and tertiary fields, a Royal Society Te Aparangi Marsden Award, the University of Auckland’s 2018 Research Excellence Medal and the 2022 Research Impact Award. She has authored or co-authored more than 130 publications and spoken at more than 200 conferences. In 2019 Professor Rubie-Davies was elected a Fellow of the American Psychological Association.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
FARRAR, Ms Dale Winifred
For services to the State
Ms Dale Farrar is a respected workforce and employment relations specialist whose leadership has shaped a more inclusive, more diverse and more equitable Public Service workforce for New Zealand.
Ms Farrar from 2017 to 2021 was the Deputy Commissioner, Workforce, Employment Relations and Equity Group at the Public Service Commission. Under her strategic direction, system-wide leadership and support to chief executives and ministers, the Public Service has implemented a stronger and more collaborative approach to Employment Relations. She was responsible for establishing the Gender Pay Taskforce and Pay Equity Taskforce in 2018, and oversaw the implementation of the resulting Gender Pay Gap Action Plan which led to the biggest reduction in the Public Service gender pay gap since measurements began. During the government’s COVID-19 response, she led the development and implementation of workforce guidance for the public sector, and oversaw the creation of the Workforce Mobility Hub, which has supported the cross-system movement of over 1,100 public servants to agencies needing additional workforce for urgent COVID-19 responsibilities. Previously from 1995 to 2016 she led workforce strategy and direction for some of New Zealand's most well-known and respected organisations, including Air New Zealand, Fisher and Paykel, Fonterra, and the Ministry for Social Development.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
FILOIALII, Father Paulo Sagato
For services to the Pacific community
Father Paulo Filoialii was the first Pacific Priest ordained in Rome in 1990 and has since contributed to the Catholic community in Christchurch and Ashburton.
Upon Father Filoialii being ordained, the Samoan Mass was performed for the first time in the Vatican, resulting in Pope John Paul II decreeing that the Samoan Mass can now be performed anywhere in the world. Upon Father Fioialii’s arrival in the lower South Island in 1998, there was only one Samoan Catholic Parish, which has since grown to five parishes including the Tongan and Fijian Catholic Churches which he leads. He is the first Samoan and Pacific Priest to serve on the Board of Etu Pasifika, an agency which provides a range of services for families including mental health, addictions and smoking cessation services. He engages with the Samoa Victim Support Group in Samoa and is currently the Deputy Chair of the Fraternity of Samoan Ministers in Canterbury, having previously served as Chair. He is the current Chaplain for the Christchurch Women’s and Men’s Prison, providing support to victims and perpetrators at Court and through spiritual counselling. Father Filoialii has helped coordinate provision of resources such as food and petrol to families during the COVID-19 pandemic.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
FORD, Mr Bruce James, JP
For services to the community
Mr Bruce Ford has been involved with the Stewart Island community since moving there in 1968.
Mr Ford began as a Councillor in 1977, serving several terms as the Chair of the Stewart Island County Council and was elected to the Stewart Island Community Board in 1992. He was elected as the Stewart Island ward member on the Southland District Council in 2007. He has been involved with several community groups and organisations including the Halfmoon Bay School Committee, Toi Rakiura and Stewart Island Promotion Association. He was a key driver in the reticulation power supply for the Island and the implementation of a visitor levy, helping the wellbeing of the Island and its ability to survive. As a Trustee of the Rakiura Heritage Centre Trust, he contributed to the development and opening of the new Te Puka o Te Waka Rakiura Museum in 2020, valued at $4 million. He has been a Justice of the Peace since 1977. Mr Ford has been the Chair of the Stewart Island Seniors Cottage Trust since 2017, advocating for the build of small, affordable housing for the senior citizens of Stewart Island.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
GERZON, Ms Ruth Beatrice
For services to community development and social justice
Ms Ruth Gerzon has worked to promote community development, inclusion and social justice for more than 40 years.
Ms Gerzon was involved in the Whakatāne Association for Racial Understanding in the 1980s, which ran workshops on Te Tiriti o Waitangi and challenged racism in government agencies. She began co-facilitating workshops on Te Tiriti and advocacy in the 1990s. She helped establish the People First organisation in the 2000s, developed to promote the rights of people with learning disabilities to government, the services they receive and communities. She then worked in the Like Minds Like Mine movement to reduce stigma and discrimination associated with mental illness. Through the Ministry of Health, she set up new programmes in the Bay of Plenty to promote inclusion and autonomy for tāngata whaikaha/disabled people. From 2016, she was instrumental in setting up a ‘virtual village’ in Whakatāne using a Tāngata Whenua/Tāngata Tiriti partnership approach, focusing on alleviating isolation and vulnerability among older people. Ms Gerzon current supports the movement for communities to reclaim after-death care and reduce funeral poverty.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
GRAY, Mr Tony John, JP
For services to education
Mr Tony Gray has had a career in education spanning 37 years across New Zealand and the United Kingdom, focusing on vocational education since migrating to New Zealand in 2003.
Mr Gray was Chief Executive of Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology (NMIT) between 2006 and 2017, where he led one of the smaller institutes of technology, consisting of 8,000 students and transforming it into one of the best performing educational institutes in New Zealand. Under his leadership, NMIT developed into the prime educator for regional industries that include aquaculture, viticulture, aviation and maritime training. He was instrumental in the establishment of INNOVATE, a new regional entrepreneur activator designed to support, nurture and grow innovative businesses and talented people from the region. He became Chief Executive of Ara Institute of Canterbury from 2017 until 2021, leading one of the larger polytechnics of around 16,000 students. He led on the establishment of Te Ohaka, the Centre for Growth and Innovation in Christchurch and the Te Papa Hauora Health Precinct, a collaboration with Te Whatu Ora Waitaha, University of Canterbury, University of Otago and Ngāi Tahu. He was Chair of the Tertiary Accord of New Zealand where he worked towards establishing a shared online learning platform across member institutes. Mr Gray is Chief Executive of the Nelson Tasman Hospice Trust.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
GRINTER, Mr Albert Christopher (Chris)
For services to education and Māori
Mr Chris Grinter has been an educator for more than 40 years, in both teaching and leadership positions.
Mr Grinter became Principal of Rotorua Boys’ High School in 1991, a position he holds today, at a time when the schools facilities needed upgrading and a decreasing student roll needed addressing. With support from the school’s Board, he began implementing a Treaty of Waitangi principles-based approach and in partnership with Ngāti Whakaue, created a bi-lingual teaching programme to teach Māori at every level and normalise Te Reo Māori. With the support of Ngāti Whakaue, a Māori education whare-complex was opened. He opened the Tai Mitchell boarding hostel catering for up to 140 students, live-in staff and their families. This hostel, provided homes for those with challenging backgrounds, run by teachers who provide mentoring and leadership. The school was equipped with a health and wellness support centre to ensure the basic needs of students were met onsite. As a result academic achievement rates for students improved. The school has won the Prime Minister’s Education Excellence in Leading Award in 2016 and 2019, and the Prime Minister’s Education Excellence Supreme Award in 2019. Mr Grinter was coach for the New Zealand Secondary Schools rugby team, coaching secondary school students to national and international honours.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
HALSE, Mr Phillip Ross (Phil)
For services to local government and the community
Mr Phil Halse has served 30 continuous years as a Whangarēi District Councillor, helping contribute to several committees and community organisations.
Mr Halse helped secure funding through the council for the build of the Aquatic Centre, Kensington Stadium, Gymnastic Arena and the Central Library. He served as the Chair of the Inner City Development committee and was a member of Ruakaka Ratepayers between 1992 and 2019. He served seven years as Chairman of the North Auckland Rugby Union and led the change to Northland Rugby Union, serving as a Board member of the Chiefs the Blues Super Rugby franchises, and becoming a Life Member of the Northland Rugby Union in 2000. He was Chairman of the Northland Rugby Union’s appointment committee from 2010 to 2020. He led the formation of Te Karearea standing committee, a partnership forum with equal representation from Hapu and the council. He has served as Chair of the committee since inception and has fostered a co-governance approach with the council to address housing issues. Mr Halse co-chaired the Kaipara Harbour restoration project, obtaining $100 million in funding to restore the largest estuarine water body in New Zealand.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
HAO'ULI, Mr Sefita 'Alofi
For services to Tongan and Pacific communities
Mr Sefita Hao’uli has been influential in the development of Pacific broadcasting in New Zealand for more than 30 years.
Mr Hao’uli became a journalist in the 1980s, where he was instrumental in the formation of a community trust to take ownership of the Pacific radio frequency. He served as Chair and led the radio station to become familiar amongst the community, providing information on Pacific Island affairs. Radio station 531pi was launched, broadcasting 24-hours on air, a change from four hours a week. He was instrumental in the launch of a Tongan language newspaper and managed the relationship between the 2,000 Tongan workers under the Recognised Seasonal Employer scheme and the Tongan government for 12 years. He was Chairman of the Pacific Island Committee of Creative New Zealand, Board member of the Arts Board with Creative New Zealand and a member of the Minister for Pacific Peoples Advisory Council. He has been a key mentor and leader in the Pacific community, helping lead, provide advice and mobilise initiatives to improve the lives of Tongans and the wider Pacific communities. Mr Hao’uli was recognised as the 2021 Tonga Language Champion and received a Special Recognition Award from the New Zealand Tonga Business Council for his dedicated years of service.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
HAPE, Ms Christina Angela (Chrissie)
For services to Māori and governance
Ms Chrissie Hape (Ngāti Kahungungu, Kai Tahu me Moriori) is the current CEO of Ngāti Kahungunu Iwi Inc and has more than 25 years of management experience within the government and community sectors.
Ms Hape holds various other leadership roles including as Director of Health Hawke’s Bay Board since 2020 and a Director of the New Zealand Institute of Skills and Technology Establishment Board since 2020. She has focused on strengthening partnerships between government, community and iwi and facilitating improved health, education, social and wellbeing outcomes, as well as the reduction of inequalities within the communities. Ms Hape has built a strong relationship with Ngāti Kahungunu and continues to improve access to services.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
HARRISON, Mrs Anna Maree
For services to netball and volleyball
Mrs Anna Harrison has been playing top-level sports for more than 20 years and is a triple-code New Zealand representative having played netball, beach volleyball and indoor volleyball at national level.
Mrs Harrison first represented New Zealand in indoor volleyball as a teenager and debuted for the Silver Ferns at 19 in 2002. She played 88 tests over 15 years, including three Commonwealth Games, winning gold twice and silver once, and twice at the World Netball Championships winning gold and silver, before retiring from the international level in 2017. She began her career in Dunedin with the Otago Rebels in 2002, before relocating to Auckland to reside and play from 2006. She retired in 2018 for a brief period, before returning to the Northern Stars in 2021 to provide experience for a young defensive team. She officially played her last match in the ANZ Netball Championship grand final in 2022. She is known in the international netball community for the ‘Harrison hoist’, where both circle defenders worked together to block a shot. Between 2007 and 2010, she spent almost two and a half years on the FIVB international beach volleyball circuit. Mrs Harrison played the New Zealand beach volleyball tour from 2000 to 2010 and again from 2021 to the present.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
HASTIE, Mr Ian Robert Archibald
For services to education
Mr Ian Hastie has been a champion for diverse communities and a strong advocate for equitable outcomes for students living in low socio-economic areas.
Mr Hastie’s career in education has spanned 40 years, with a majority focus on Māori and Pacific students. He was Principal of Avalon Intermediate School between 1999 and 2019 and also co-led the Naenae-Taita-Stokes Valley Kāhui Ako between 2017 and 2019. As Principal of Avalon Intermediate School, he engaged with the parents and students to ensure all students had the best shot at meeting success, focusing on providing a culturally appropriate environment with innovative ways of learning to stop students from disengaging. He provided support and mentoring for the professional development of teachers, principals and educators in the wider Hutt Valley region. He was active with the New Zealand Association of Intermediate Middle Schooling, the Wellington Intermediate Principals organisation, the Te Awakairangi Access Trust and NZEI Te Riu Roa. He partnered with Massey University on a research project to install an apiscope (bee observation hive) into one of the classrooms and encouraged students to use technology to enter an Air New Zealand safety video compilation, with 50 students flying to Auckland to collect the first prize. Since retirement in 2020, Mr Hastie has filled in as Acting Principal in the Wellington region.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
HODGE, Mr Paul Leslie, JP
For services to the hospitality industry
Mr Paul Hodge has been involved in the hospitality industry for more than 45 years and has contributed to education and training.
Mr Hodge founded Cater Plus in 2006, providing catering management solutions to New Zealand businesses, currently employing more than 400 staff. He trained as a Chef with the New Zealand Army, joining as a Regular Force Cadet in 1980. He founded the Cater Plus Foundation in 2013, assisting individuals and organisations with education, training and research in the hospitality industry. Through the Foundation, he supports his employees and their families with access to interest-free loans for personal, education, sporting and cultural purposes. He introduced the CaterSaver Scheme, through which employees can elect an amount to be deducted from their weekly pay each year, with the total amount being paid out in December. The scheme has seen more than $265,000 annually saved by employees. The Foundation also has a Random Acts of Kindness scheme to give back to its employees. The Cater Plus Foundation sponsors and donates annually to a variety of national and international charities and organisations encompassing sports, health, conservation and local events. Mr Hodge co-founded the annual Waikato Culinary Fair in 2005 to inspire, celebrate and create opportunities for those training and working within the hospitality industry.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
INGER, Mr John Maxwell
For services to education
Mr John Inger has been Principal of Morrinsville College since 1997.
Mr Inger has had a career in education since 1981, teaching at several colleges before taking up the role of Deputy Principal of Morrinsville College in 1992. As Principal he has established an agribusiness focus at the college in response to community needs. He has coached a variety of sports at several levels, including the Northland Secondary Schools' Rugby Team, First XV rugby teams, and First XI cricket teams. He has directed school drama productions and is known for his direct involvement with the major events of the school year, notably his participation in the various annual year group camps. During these camps he has often placed perceived ‘at-risk’ students in his group so he can directly provide mentoring and encouragement. He has developed relationships with whānau and local iwi to provide support for Māori students at Morrinsville College. He is a member of the Secondary Principals’ Association New Zealand and the Central North Island Secondary Principals Association. He was previously involved in Education Coromandel. He played an integral role in forming a Morrinsville Community of Learning Group in 2016, which incorporates 11 schools in the wider area. Named after Mr Inger, in 2020 The John Inger Performing Arts Centre was opened by the Prime Minister.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
JACKSON, Miss Dayle Olive
For services to education and sport
Miss Dayle Jackson has had a career spanning 40 years in education.
Miss Jackson was Principal of Kelson School for several years until retirement in 2013. As Principal, she focused on support for students and staff, creating bespoke groups and classes to help students struggling in particular subjects, fundraising and coaching sports. She used her leadership of the school to intertwine education and sports, coaching many of the school’s sports teams including hockey, netball, swimming and community athletics, attending all the games on weekends. She was heavily involved in her students’ learning, teaching two large groups of students for maths and would listen to students reading. She has been involved with Hockey New Zealand for several decades as a player, coach and in various other roles. She served as Manager of the Black Sticks Women’s team at the 2000 Sydney Summer Olympics and received life membership in 2009 from Hockey New Zealand. She is a qualified Bowls New Zealand coach and umpire. She received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2019 Kāpura Sports Awards for hockey. Miss Jackson was awarded Bowls New Zealand Umpire of the Year in 2021 and has served four terms as President of Bowls Wellington.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
JACKSON, Ms Penelope Jane
For services to art crime research and visual arts
Ms Penelope Jackson has pioneered research and development of scholarship about art crime in New Zealand.
Ms Jackson was a founding Trustee of the New Zealand Art Crime Research Trust in 2015, an organisation serving to map the history, extent, range of activity and increase knowledge of art crime. She has published three books about art crime research including ‘Art Thieves, Fakers and Fraudsters: The New Zealand Story’ (2016) a first in its field in New Zealand, ‘Females in the Frame: Women, Art, and Crime’ (2019) and ‘The Art of Copying Art’ (2022). She served as Director and Curator of the Tauranga Art Gallery, mounting a major retrospective exhibition on the work of Edward Bullmore, establishing a good relationship with the artist’s family, which resulted in the sizeable collection of the artist’s work. She curated a survey show of sculptor Jeff Thomson, which was accompanied by a publication, touring the country and earning a Museums Aotearoa Exhibition award. She has curated three exhibitions of the work of Dame Lynley Dodd, which toured to 23 venues across Australia and New Zealand. Ms Jackson was recipient of the University of Auckland’s Michael King Writers Centre Residency in 2020 and has had her short stories published in anthologies.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
JAMA, Mr Mohamed Abdi
For services to the Muslim community
Mr Mohamed Jama has contributed to the Muslim community of Canterbury for 20 years in his capacity as the President of the Muslim Association of Canterbury (MAC) and President of the Canterbury Somali Community, both since 2002.
Mr Jama, as President of MAC, makes efforts to ensure unity amongst the community who hail from 33 different countries. With the growing Muslim population, he has ensured investment in spaces of worship and communal gathering, investing in Masjid An Nur. He helped source a Homework Centre for refugee children due to students not attending school and needing extra support in the subjects of maths and English. This helped dramatically reduce the rate of students not attending school. After the Canterbury earthquakes, he mobilised his community to provide assistance wherever was needed, including providing meals to emergency responders for many weeks, gathering volunteers to start clearing streets, and a team was set up to visit the homes of elderly to clear their homes. He provided space for 300 people who were unable to return to their homes to stay at Masjid An Nur. Mr Jama was elected for an eighth term as President of MAC following the Christchurch Terror attack in 2019, due to his unifying, calm leadership.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
JONES, Mrs Tina Maria
For services to suicide prevention and mental health
Mrs Tina Jones co-founded Youth in Transition in 2014, dedicated to preventing youth suicides and providing support to all in need.
Mrs Jones and her team of therapists worked with 414 youth at risk of suicide in 2021 alone, whose lives would otherwise have been adversely affected, and have had zero suicides amongst at-risk youth to date. Through Youth in Transition, she was able to mobilise her team and provide support during the three-month period of lockdown in Auckland in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. They were able to place eight of their clients in respite care, arranged for 12 youth for admission to hospital, successfully referred 23 clients to mental health services in crisis, managed 15 incidents of serious self-harm, provided emotional support to nine after suicide attempts, changed minds of 21 expressing their suicide ideation and supported 11 youth who needed other specialist care for eating disorders, family violence and sexual abuse. During the pandemic, the community recognised her team’s efforts and donated hot food parcels, takeaway meals, frozen home-cooked meals, mentorship, and gym memberships amongst other things to ensure her team were able to continue providing support. Mrs Jones received the Life Keepers Award for Suicide Prevention in 2020 for her efforts in her community.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
KEAKEA, Ms Lakiloko Tepae
For services to Tuvaluan art
Ms Lakiloko Keakea is regarded as the master of the art of ‘Mea Taulima’ which is the Tuvaluan art of ‘treasures created by hand’.
Ms Keakea is well known for her work with Kolose (Tuvaluan weaving), Fafetu, a decorative art piece in the form of a star, Laga (weaving of Tuvaluan mats), Tuvaluan traditional dancing skirts Titi Tao and Fou, the Tuvaluan traditional head garland. Since migrating to New Zealand in 1996, she has been involved with various community and women’s groups to continue her interest in ‘Mea Taulima’. She has been a leader within various women’s groups including Niutao Women’s Group and Fafine kaumatua in the Tuvaluan Christian Church and has been at the forefront of developing skills and knowledge around Tuvaluan artifacts and handicrafts. She often leads women to decorate pieces for special occasions and her work has been used as gifts for honoured guests. She practices ‘fo’ Tuvaluan traditional massage or healing and has offered her support to Tuvaluan migrants who were unfamiliar with Western medicine. She has worked with the Pacific Arts Centre for more than ten years, promoting and acknowledging Pacific artists and their work. Ms Keakea hosted her first exhibition in 2018 featuring 50 fafetu, the largest measuring 1.8 metres.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
KOHLHASE, Ms Marilyn Rhonda
For services to Pacific arts and education
Ms Marilyn Kohlhase has been contributing to the community for 50 years, particularly the Pacific community.
Ms Kohlhase was a member of the former Creative New Zealand Arts Board and the Chair of the Pacific Arts Committee for six years, a statutory body under the now Arts Council of New Zealand Toi Aotearoa. She was on the boards of the Pacific Cooperation Foundation, Pacific Media Network and Unitec Council. She served as a contractor designing and delivering Pacific programmes in education and health. She is co-founder of both the Pacific education consultancy Tuioti Kohlhase, now Teuila Consultancy, and Okaioceanikart the first Pan-Pacific Arts Gallery based in Auckland. She was inaugural Chair of the Pacific Advisory Group for the Auckland War Memorial Museum and joined the Auckland Museum Institute Council, where she focuses on Pacific initiatives. Ms Kohlhase has mentored and encourages members of the Pacific community, particularly those in governance and arts to become voices for the Pacific community.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
LAMPSHIRE, Ms Debra Joy
For services to mental health
Ms Debra Lampshire has been a strong supporter of those accessing and working within community mental health services, progressing the development of psychosocial and patient-centred treatment.
Ms Lampshire has used her own experience of mental illness across several roles to support people in Aotearoa New Zealand living with psychosis, beginning as a consumer consultant with the Auckland District Health Board in the 1990s and presently as a Professional Teaching Fellow and Experienced-based Expert at the University of Auckland. Through her community engagement, teaching, academic publications and speaking engagements, she has worked to destigmatise those living with mental illnesses. She has used her personal testimony and experience to enrich thinking and alter perspectives, informing policy and practice innovations and mentorship for other younger service user advocates She has raised awareness of her community and brought hope to those struggling by sharing her story, including in documentaries such as ‘I Am Debra’ and ‘Daniel, Debra, Leslie, and You?’. Since 2005 she has represented New Zealand on the International Society for Psychological and Social Approaches to Psychosis, and been a member of its Executive Committee since 2011. She has brokered co-production research relationships with other academic ‘lived experience’ experts in universities nationally and internationally. In 2016 Ms Lampshire was awarded the ACC Supreme Attitude Award for her work.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
LOPESI, Dr Alana Marissa (Lana)
For services to the arts
Dr Lana Lopesi is an author, editor, art critic and multidisciplinary researcher who has published extensively on New Zealand art and culture, nationally and internationally since 2012.
Dr Lopesi’s work has been published in Metro Magazine, Art New Zealand and the Spinoff among many others and her writing has been included in books such as ‘Routledge Companion of Art in the Public Realm’, ‘Crafting Aotearoa’ and ‘Say Something: Jacqueline Fahey’. She published her debut book in 2018 titled ‘False Divides’. She co-edited the book ‘Transits and Returns’ (2019), and ‘Towards a Grammar of Race: In Aotearoa New Zealand’ and ‘Pacific Spaces: Translations and Transmutations’ in 2022. She is an Assistant Professor with the University of Oregon’s Department of Race, Indigenous and Ethnic Studies. She was the 2021 Writer in Residence at the Michael King Writers Centre, publishing ‘Bloody Woman’ in the same year. She was judge of the Best Writing by a New Zealand Māori or Pacific Islander category for the 2018 Art Association of Australia and New Zealand awards. She is the Editor-in-Chief for Creative New Zealand’s Pacific Art Legacy Project, a digital-first Pacific art history, told from the perspective of the artists. Dr Lopesi was founding Editor of ‘#500words’ from 2012 to 2017 and is current Board Co-Chair and former Editor-in-Chief of ‘The Pantograph Punch’.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
MANTERYS, Mr Stanislaw (Stan)
For services to refugees and the Polish community
Mr Stan Manterys arrived in New Zealand with Polish children war refugees in 1944 and has actively contributed to Polish community groups in Wellington and Auckland with the aim of maintaining their heritage and easing their transition into New Zealand culture.
Mr Manterys was an active committee member of the Polish Association in Wellington and in Auckland, where he also served as President. He organised annual camps for the children of Polish Saturday School and helped with the Youth Club. For many years he helped African refugee families settling in New Zealand, including with day-to-day needs and problems. He helped Polish refugees during the Solidarity freedom movement, including providing accommodation in his home. He has promoted New Zealand’s welcome to refugees through books, articles, newspaper, television and radio interviews, in New Zealand and Poland, especially focusing on the history of the Polish refugees in New Zealand. This includes books such as ‘New Zealand’s First Refugees: Pahiatua’s Polish Children’ in both English and Polish. He conducted interviews with academics researching Polish child refugees in New Zealand history and has presented to community groups including Rotary and Probus, raising awareness of Polish refugees in New Zealand. Mr Manterys was awarded two Order of Merit medals from the Polish government for his contributions.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
MAUNDER, Dr Paul Allan
For services to the arts and the community
Dr Paul Maunder has played a key role in supporting arts and community development projects in the Wellington and West Coast regions.
From the late 1960s, Dr Maunder has used film, theatre and creative writing to share and record the stories of working people and underrepresented groups. His artistic practices, including award-winning films, have interrogated New Zealand’s past and collective identity. In the 1990s he established a performing arts centre in Petone, and worked on theatre projects with local schools, ethnic communities, psychiatric patients, unions and prison inmates. Following a move to Blackball around 2000, he initiated the Blackball Readers and Writers festival, a writer’s residency, mounted regular plays to explore West Coast issues and was a key organiser of the 1908 Blackball Strike centenary commemoration. In 2009 he helped establish Mahi Tupuna – Blackball Museum of Working Class History, where he continues as Secretary and Treasurer. As well as serving on arts bodies and residents’ associations, he has authored several publications and played a key role in developing community initiatives. In 2019 he helped establish Te Puawai Co-operative Society, which explores a transition economy and provides work for local residents on fixed and low incomes. Since 2003, Dr Maunder has volunteered as a First Responder with the Blackball branch of St John New Zealand.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
MCKENZIE, Mrs Felorini Ruta (Ruta)
For services to Pacific education
Mrs Ruta McKenzie has been contributing to the Pacific education sector for 30 years, particularly to early childhood learning and development.
Mrs McKenzie has been the Pacific Cultural Lead and Lead Facilitator with CORE Education, providing cultural and strategic guidance to the activities and work streams, tailored towards Pacific learning. She led the Pasifika Leadership Programme and the Southern Pasifika Project for the Ministry of Education and was co-researcher in the TLRI research in Christchurch, exploring how young children express and develop working theories about language, identity and culture. She has shared discourse and dialogue with the Pacific Advisory Group that has helped create meaningful change for Pacific students’ success. She teaches Samoan and is a member of Sosaiete Aoga Amata Samoa I Aotearoa Incorporated, a group of dedicated Samoan teachers and former educators who provide a range of services including learning, development, mentoring, national workshops, resources and advocacy. She has been the lead for the Group’s implementation of refresher programmes for early childhood educators. She has worked with pedagogical leaders in the updated Te Whāriki 2017, and mentors leaders who work with Pacific learners across New Zealand. Mrs McKenzie is member of several advisory groups including Barnados – Hornby Pasifika Early Childhood Service since 2016.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
MCNAMARA, Mr Richard Mark (Mac)
For services to Fire and Emergency New Zealand and emergency management
Mr Mac McNamara has recently retired after many years in wildfire emergency response, as an incident controller and leader in the firefighting aviation industry.
Mr McNamara is internationally respected as a Fire Manager in the aviation sector, responding to significant international wildfire events in Canada, the United States and Australia on New Zealand’s behalf. He developed an operating standard for Aviation Fire Fighting and Emergency Response, which has been adopted by other government departments including the Department of Conservation. He set up the Fire and Emergency Airdesk, which oversees the dispatch of aircraft throughout New Zealand for aerial firefighting operations. He was Aircraft Manager during the 2010 Christchurch earthquakes, involving coordinating air support for rescue efforts in the city. As Principal Rural Fire Officer, he helped establish the Marlborough Kaikoura Rural Fire Authority in 2012, regarded as a leading example of an enlarged Rural Fire Authority. He led responses to significant wildfire events such as the Onamaluta Fire, Parsons Road Fire and the Port Hills Fire. He has been a voluntary Civil Defence Controller in Marlborough since 2013, leading the local response to the 2013 Seddon Earthquakes, the 2016 Kaikoura Earthquakes and the 2021 flood events in Marlborough. Mr McNamara was a specialist advisor in establishing the newly structured Fire and Emergency New Zealand organisation in 2017.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
METCALFE, Senior Sergeant Clifford Gordon (Cliff)
For services to the New Zealand Police and Search and Rescue
Senior Sergeant Cliff Metcalfe is the Courts and Custody Manager at Whangārei Police Station and has been a member of the Northland Police Search and Rescue (SAR) Squad since 1996.
Senior Sergeant Metcalfe has been Officer in Charge of Northland Police SAR Squad for most of his involvement and developed strong relationships with partner agencies including Northern Region Coastguard, Civil Aviation Authority and Land SAR northern groups. He has developed the Northland SAR Squad into a highly trained and motivated SAR unit ready for deployment at any time, also improving equipment standards over the years. Particular events highlighting his leadership and dedication include the search for and recovery of a light plane that crashed in November 2005 and the rescue of children who had been swept out to sea at Paihia in 2011. He established the emergency response structure as a member of the initial management team involved following the Pike River mine disaster. He has overseen the National SAR Selection course and regularly advises on SAR and Disaster Victim Identification matters, reviewing critical incidents and providing feedback. He has helped organise the Blue Heelers Annual Charity Fishing Competition for 23 years, with proceeds supporting the local Hospice. The competition has grown in popularity during Senior Sergeant Metcalfe’s involvement and has raised close to $500,000 to date.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
MONGA, Ms Betty-Anne Maryrose
For services to music
Ms Betty-Anne Monga (Ngā Puhi, Ngāti Whātua, Ngāti Ranginui, Ngaiterangi, Tainui, Tūwharetoa) is a musician and producer with the award-winning band Ardijah, which formed in 1979 and developed their unique ‘poly-fonk’ sound – a blend of Polynesian sounds with funk and R&B.
Ardijah pioneered mainstream popularity of Polynesian music in New Zealand, achieving six top 20 singles and albums reaching Top Ten chart status. The band continues to be in demand, performing regularly at festivals such as Festival of Lights, One Love, Good Vibes, Kiwi Grooves and Matariki events. International tours have been a mainstay within the Pacific region, Australia, South Africa, and the United States including Hawaii. Ardijah have received numerous awards, including the Industry Achievement Award at the Waiata Māori Music Awards, Album of the Year and Lifetime Achievement Awards at the Pacific Music Awards, and Female Vocalist of the Year at the New Zealand Music Awards. Over the last decade, she has helped raise the profile of young and emerging artists under the umbrella of Matariki celebrations, Pacific Diva’s concert series and Auckland Arts Festival 2021. She has supported fundraising causes, including aid for Samoa following the 2009 tsunami and the Alofa mo Samoa Trust to support measles-affected families in 2020. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Ms Monga used her profile to support and perform at the ‘Vax My Waka’ vaccination event.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
NAKHLE, Mrs Henriette Michel, QSM
For services to the Lebanese community
Mrs Henriette Nakhle has more than 40 years’ experience in business and cultural advisory for the Lebanese people and has been Honorary Consul for Lebanon in New Zealand since 2017.
Mrs Nakhle established the Lebanity Trust in 2018 to promote and preserve the Lebanese culture and heritage in New Zealand, including education in language and the arts. Through the Trust, she arranged for two Melkite Catholic nuns, from Lebanon, to travel to New Zealand in 2020 to teach the Arabic language. She initiated a cultural exchange between Papakura Marae and the Auckland Lebanese community, including hosting the Lebanese Ambassador to Australia and New Zealand at the marae in 2020. She led the planning and construction of the St Elias Melkite Catholic Church for the Lebanese and Middle Eastern community in Auckland. She also established the Gardens Community Hall on the church grounds. She has continued to personally assist new immigrants from Lebanon and surrounding countries settle in New Zealand. She is on the Board of the Australia New Zealand Lebanon Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and is the President of the New Zealand chapter. Mrs Nakhle has helped connect business and community leaders in New Zealand of Lebanese or Middle Eastern descent, providing a networking platform for entrepreneurs to promote trade and tourism links.
HONOURS
Queen’s Service Medal for Community Service, Queen’s Birthday 2006
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
O'CONNOR, Mrs Melony Robin
For services to basketball
Mrs Melony O’Connor (Ngāti Porou) has contributed to basketball in New Zealand for 40 years, 20 of these refereeing in the Men’s National Basketball League (NBL).
Mrs O’Connor has refereed at least one game every week of the NBL season since 2020, and in the 40-year history of the NBL, she is the first woman to achieve the milestone of officiating 400 games. She is currently the third all-time leader in the number of games refereed in NBL. She was named NBL Referee of the Year in 2012, 2021 and 2022, and has refereed nine NBL finals since 2009. She is one of 25 referees currently on the National Referees Panel, officiating NBL and Women’s National League games. She is the only Level One (highest attainment) female official on the panel. She has qualified as a FIBA (International Basketball Body) Scoretable Official since 2012, and as a Commissioner for FIBA, making her eligible to undertake these roles in international games. She has been a Referee Development Manager with Basketball New Zealand (BBNZ) for ten years, supporting the development of referees on the National Pathway and at BBNZ national events. Mrs O’Connor is the BBNZ representative with Māori Basketball New Zealand and works with iwi to develop referees for their National Tournament.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
O'DONNELL, Mrs Jocelyn Jane (Joc)
For services to business and community development
Mrs Joc O’Donnell is a director of HW Richardson Ltd and has used her business influence to aid community development.
Mrs O’Donnell has been key to the Invercargill Central Ltd initiative between Invercargill City Council and HW Richardson to re-energise Invercargill’s central business district. She chaired the Vibrant Urban Centres initiative for 12 months, which has led into the City Streets project for development around the inner-city. She and her family’s businesses have established activities for national and international tourism in Southland, including opening Bill Richardson Transport World, the largest private automotive museum of its type in the world, Classic Motorcycle Mecca, the leading classic motorcycle museum in the Southern Hemisphere, and Dig This Invercargill, New Zealand’s only heavy-machinery playground. She has been a member of the World Motor Museum Council, helping to promote Southland. She was a founding director of Great South, the overarching body for development in Southland across tourism, agriculture diversity and new industries. She is a founder of the Invercargill Public Arts Trail Trust, which aims to bring works of art to Invercargill’s public spaces. She has been a member of the Prime Minister’s Business Advisory Council. Mrs O’Donnell and her husband donated $10 million towards the development of Hawthorndale Dementia Care complex.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
PAEA, Mr Sullivan Luao (Sully)
For services to youth
Mr Sully Paea has been dedicated to improving the lives of Pacific youth in the South Auckland community since migrating to New Zealand from Niue in the late 1960s.
Mr Paea has used his past experiences of gang affiliations, drugs, alcohol and family violence to create learning opportunities for youth. He was a key driver of the community-led Crosspower Ministries Trust, an initiative formed in 1994 to address local issues relating to youth such as drug abuse and gang affiliation and support positive development. With his wife, he founded the East Tamaki Youth and Resource Centre between the late 1970s and 1986, building the site from scratch into a complex which remains today. He created woodworking and trades related employment opportunities, working to mentor young men on parole and utilising his home as a foster home between 1982 and the late 1990s. He formed an alternative education programme for a group of young men in 1998 who were disengaged from school, teaching them general schooling subjects as well as skills including woodwork and welding. He helped establish Otara 24/7 Youth Core, a project funded by the government to help with rising youth involvement in gang and violence. Among other projects, Mr Paea is well regarded for his positive influence on the youth of South Auckland.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
PETERS, Mr Corey Nathan
For services to sit-skiing
Mr Corey Peters has represented New Zealand in the sport of sit-skiing since 2011, having sustained a crushed spinal cord in 2009.
Mr Peters won gold in the men’s adaptive sit-ski event at the Para Snowboard Winter Games at Cardrona Alpine Resort in 2011. He became a silver medallist in his first Paralympics at the 2014 Sochi Paralympic Winter Games, followed by winning bronze in the PyeongChang 2018 Paralympic Winter Games. He placed fourth at the 2022 World Para Snow Sports Championships and won a bronze medal in the Super-G World Cup soon after. He won the overall Super-G Crystal Globe in 2016 and claimed world titles in Downhill and Super-G, and a silver medal in the Giant Slalom at the IPC Alpine Skiing World Championships in 2015. He became a gold medallist at the 2022 Beijing Paralympics in the Men’s Downhill Sitting event and claimed a further silver in the Men’s Super-G Sitting event. He has been the flag-bearer for three closing ceremonies of the Winter Paralympic Games. Mr Peters was named Adaptive Athlete of the Year by Snow Sports New Zealand in 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2020 and 2022.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
PORTEOUS, Mr Nico
For services to snow sports
Mr Nico Porteous won a bronze medal at the 2018 Winter Olympics at age 16 in the men’s halfpipe and then became New Zealand’s second Winter Olympic gold medallist with his win in men’s freeski halfpipe at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics.Mr Porteous’ 2018 bronze medal was the first time a New Zealand male had won a Winter Olympic medal, of only three Winter Olympics medals won by New Zealand by that time. He won gold at the 2021 X Games in the Superpipe event and became New Zealand’s first Freeski Halfpipe World Champion the same year. He won gold in the freeski halfpipe at the United States Grand Prix World Cup in 2022 and defended his title by winning gold in the Superpipe during the 2022 X Games. He has mentored younger skiers and snowboarders in New Zealand, encouraging them towards their goals. He has attended club and community fundraising events and has given his time to promote snow sports in New Zealand. Mr Porteous has been recognised with the Snow Sports New Zealand Freeskier of the Year in 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021, as well as several Central Otago and Otago Sportsmen of the Year awards.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
POSTLEWAIGHT, Mr Russell John
For services to Fire and Emergency New Zealand
Mr Russell Postlewaight has spent 51 years as a career firefighter and fire investigator in New Zealand.
Mr Postlewaight has been an effective community communicator for Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ), delivering fire safety messaging in lower socio-economic areas. He was Chief of the United Nations Fire Unit from 1993 to 1995 during the Balkan conflict and spent a year with New York City’s Rescue services. He spent 25 years as an advisor on the UN’s fire equipment procurement committee, helping establish or develop fire brigades in under-developed parts of the world. He has been a Senior Executive and past President of the Fire Brigades Institute, which provides technical training and examinations for firefighters, and served on the Exam Panel for 12 years. He has held other voluntary positions with the United Fire Brigades Association. He was a volunteer firefighter and Chief Fire Officer at Plimmerton Volunteer Fire Brigade from 1996 to 2009, using his professional experience to raise the standard of volunteers. He has been co-editor of the New Zealand firefighter online magazine K1 since 2008 on a voluntary basis, which has a readership of around 25,000 nationally and internationally and is distributed bi-monthly. Mr Postlewaight has experienced a series of career-related cancers and has been a mentor assisting other firefighters in similar situations.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
POWICK, Mrs Rita Keka
For services to Māori, education and governance
Mrs Rita Powick (Te Ātiawa, Ngāi Tahu) has held governance positions with national, regional, iwi, marae and Māori focused organisations over 30 years.
Mrs Powick is committed to enhancing te reo Māori, is employed as a Resource Teacher of Māori and chaired the National Association of Resource Teachers Advisory Māori from 2002 to 2019. She was a key member of the Working Group who established Te Pā Wānanga in 2019, a bilingual unit based at Omaka Marae. She is Trustee and Chairperson of Waikawa Marae, having been involved in marae operations since 1982. She has been a judge and organiser of Te Tauihu o Te Waka Manu Korero competitions and leads the Taiopenga annual kapa haka event in Wairau. She co-chairs Tū Pono Te Mana Kaha o Te Tauihu leadership group, which takes a whānau ora approach to addressing whānau harm in the Nelson, Marlborough and Tasman regions. She supports iwi development as Vice-Chair of Te Ātiawa o Te Waka a Māui Trust. She has led the Marlborough Lines Māori Scholarship Panel, which supports Māori into tertiary education, and is a member of Te Tauihu Tikanga Pou, established to support whānau during the COVID-19 pandemic. Mrs Powick has supported Kōhanga Reo development and was involved with Te Tauihu o Te Waka Māui Waitangi Tribunal Hearings.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
PRASAD, Ms Shirleen Vinita Lata
For services to addiction services and the South Asian community
Ms Shirleen Prasad is a qualified counsellor and Addictions Practitioner and has been in the mental health and addiction sector for 10 years.
Ms Prasad pioneered project work to investigate the prevalence of gambling harm in the South Asian communities in Auckland. She initiated a trial programme with the Problem Gambling Foundation called ASHA in 2017 to provide linguistic and culturally appropriate support to South Asian clients nationally. While establishing ASHA, she was the sole part-time staff member for two years, bolstering this in her own time to provide support and raise awareness. She established a Hindi-line within the Asian family services helpline. ASHA has since expanded with two further staff to support demand and continues to provide culturally and linguistically responsive mental health and gambling harm counselling support. During the COVID-19 lockdowns, ASHA helped support South Asians with mental health support, financial support and sourcing culturally appropriate food. She has presented at national and international conferences and on ethnic and mainstream media on the cultural implications and societal expectations impeding help-seeking and factors escalating gambling in the South Asian community. She has been one of the principal investigators and a student researcher on three gambling-related research projects for South Asians. In 2018, Ms Prasad established a counselling support group for South Asian inmates in Mt Eden Corrections Facility.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
RASMUSSEN, Mrs Helen Ngairie
For services to Māori and conservation
Mrs Helen Rasmussen co-initiated formation of Te Rūnanga o Makaawhio in 1988, bringing together more than 350 hapū members to form the Rūnanga within Ngāi Tahu.
Mrs Rasmussen held executive roles with Te Rūnanga o Makaawhio, including founding Secretary, Chairperson, executive member for 20 years, and representative on the Development West Coast Board. She has held a range of environmental and cultural rights and interests memberships on various committees and organisations. She established the joint environmental matters and conservation committee, Mahitahi Rōpū, with the Department of Conservation. She was a community representative on the West Coast Conservation Board for three terms, the Ministry of Fisheries West Coast Eel Management Committee for three years, and led two archaeological excavation projects for the Rūnanga to preserve cultural sites. She has been Tangata Tiaki managing local customary fish harvesting since 2000. She is a Trustee of Kaupapa Taiao Trust and Taumaka me Popotai and Bruce Bay Māori Beach through Ahu Whenua Trust. She is a member of the South Westland Economic Community Action Group. She has volunteered with St John, her local church committee and Haast Fire Brigade. Mrs Rasmussen helped re-initiate Bruce Bay Sports Day in 1990 and served on the organising committees of Haast Community Race Day and the Lions community fundraiser annual race evening.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
RAYMOND, Ms Rosanna Marie
For services to Pacific art
Ms Rosanna Raymond is a multidisciplinary artist, curator, founding member of the SaVĀge K’lub and one of the founding members of the Pacific arts collective the Pacific Sisters.
Ms Raymond’s installations range from spoken word to body adornments, interweaving traditional Pacific practices with modern styles and techniques. She draws on her strong cultural bond to artefacts that were taken from their original land and are now displayed in museums throughout the world. She is a former Chesterdale Fellow at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City and an Honorary Research Associate at the Department of Anthropology and Institute of Archaeology at University College, London. She co-published ‘Pasifika Styles: Artists inside the Museum’ in 2008. In 2010, she launched the SaVĀge K’lub project, a highlight at the Queensland Art Gallery’s Asia 8th Pacific Triennale, an installation space that has hosted artworks, spoken word and performance art from more than 25 artists. She curated Ata Te Tangata, a photography exhibition by Māori and Pacific artists, which toured China in 2016. She was recipient of Creative New Zealand’s Senior Pacific Artist Award in 2018. Ms Raymond was Pacific Artist in Residence at Government House in 2017.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
ROBINSON, Ms Bonnie Jane
For services to seniors and social services
Ms Bonnie Robinson has contributed to social service and community work for more than 25 years and has been CEO of HBH Senior Living since 2012.
HBH provides hospital beds designed for those who require a high level of medical care and support, including respite care. Ms Robinson oversees operation of five Auckland sites and has led HBH to achieve an improved and secure financial footing in its residential facilities to support high occupancy and person-centred care models. HBH started the development of the Virtual Village East (Howick Pakuranga area) initiative in 2017, a community-led virtual network to help members stay active and connected through a range of events, gatherings, and access to local support services. She has been a member of the Auckland Council Disability Panel since 2019. She was previously General Manager of Alzheimers Auckland Charitable Trust and oversaw the merger of two independent Alzheimers organisations in the region. She has been President of the New Zealand Council of Christian Social Services since 2020 and convened the Older Person’s Policy Group for many years. She helped establish the Salvation Army Policy and Parliamentary Unit, one of the first community efforts to provide independent research on social needs in New Zealand. Ms Robinson has chaired disability organisation Workbridge and Iosis, an organisation working with vulnerable families.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
ROONEY, Mr Christopher Stephen
For services to education
Mr Christopher Rooney worked at Liston College in Auckland for 45 years and was Principal from 1999 to 2021, overseeing growth and high achievement.
Mr Rooney has overseen increased academic success of Māori and Pacific students, with Māori the highest achieving group in the school, as well as significant expansion of facilities and upgrading of sports fields. He has introduced restorative justice practices and ensured staff were trained in their use, transforming student/staff relationships in the school community and making it a more inclusive and caring environment for learning. He was Chairman of Achievement at Waitakere (A@W) from 2013 to 2015, a group of West Auckland Principals, and has been a member since 1999. He was Chairman of the National Catholic Secondary Principal’s Association from 2016 to 2021 and of the Auckland Catholic Secondary Principal’s Association from 2017 to 2021. He is on the Liston College Foundation Fund Board, the Board of Learning Network New Zealand, and a committee member of the Ned Covich Trust. Mr Rooney has been active with the Auckland Secondary Schools Principal’s Association.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
ROPIHA, Mr Reweti Ratu
For services to Māori health
Mr Reweti Ropiha (Rongowhakaata, Ngāi Tāmanuhiri) has been the CEO of Turanga Health for 25 years.
Mr Ropiha transformed Turanga Health from a whānau client list of 10 to more than 3,000 today, continuing to provide health and wellbeing care to Māori throughout Gisborne. Turanga Health provide programmes covering a range of health areas including smoking cessation, mental health, long term conditions, nutrition, Tamariki services, Kaumatua and primary care. The majority of the healthcare services are delivered to homes, on the marae, in workplaces and other locations accessible by whānau. Mr Ropiha has been involved with other organisations and charities such as the Vanessa Lowndes Centre, Te Runanga o Turanganui A Kiwa, Ngāi Tamanuhiri Whanui Trust, Turanganui Primary Health Organisation, C Company Memorial House, Sunrise Foundation, the Matai Medical Research Institute and Te Muriwai Marae.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
SADOWSKI-SYNNOTT, Ms Zoi Katherine
For services to snow sports
Ms Zoi Sadowski-Synnott became the second New Zealander to win a Winter Olympic medal with her bronze medal in the women’s big air event at the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics.
Ms Sadowski-Synnott won gold in the slopestyle at the 2022 Winter Olympics, becoming New Zealand’s first gold medallist at a Winter Olympics, followed with a silver medal in the big air event. In 2019 she completed the triple crown of the United States Open title, an X Games gold medal and FIS Snowboard World Championship title. She won silver in the slopestyle event at the 2017 FIS Snowboard World Championships and gold at the 2021 World Championships. She has won further gold, silver and bronze medals at the Winter X Games between 2020 and 2022 in slopestyle and big air events. She won the slopestyle event at the 2021 Winter Dew Tour in Colorado. She has mentored younger snow sports athletes in New Zealand, encouraging them towards their goals. She has attended club and community fundraising events and has given her time to promote snow sports in New Zealand. Ms Sadowski-Synnott was awarded Snow Sports New Zealand Snowboarder of the Year between 2018 and 2021 and several regional Sportsperson of the Year awards.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
SHATTOCK, Mrs Jennifer Robyn (Jenny), QSM, JP
For services to local government and economic development
Mrs Jenny Shattock has been Mayor of South Waikato District Council since 2016, having been Deputy Mayor from 2007 and a Councillor from 1998.
Mrs Shattock has driven economic development in the region, including Fonterra’s investment into a new milk powder dryer at Lichfield, opened in 2016, and attracting development of a distribution centre in Tokoroa in 2021 for New Zealand imports and exports by Singapore-based OFI. Her time as Mayor has seen an increase of 10 percent GDP, employment growth of eight percent, and an improvement in mean household incomes of 32 percent between 2016 and 2021. She strongly advocated for South Waikato Investment Trust’s new trade training facility in Tokoroa. She instigated several forestry industry symposiums in 2019 and 2020, leading to establishment of the Central North Island Wood Council and a training and development programme for rangitahi. She helped establish the Impact Hub in Tokoroa in 2021 to support local entrepreneurs, start-ups and build digital capability in the community. She established the WORKit programme in South Waikato in 2021 for rangatahi not in education, employment or training. Mrs Shattock has held voluntary roles including Board member of the Rangiura Trust and the Timber Museum of New Zealand Trust since 2016, and member of the Tokoroa Council of Social Services.
HONOURS
Queen’s Service Medal, Queen’s Birthday 2014
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
SHAW, Ms Sarah Margaret (Sally)
For services to nursing
Ms Sally Shaw has dedicated more than 40 years to nursing in New Zealand.
Ms Shaw was a Nurse Advisor and Assistant Director of Nursing with the Ministry of Health, before becoming the Chief Nursing Officer from 1985 until 1987, then Assistant Director General of Health until 1989. She served as the General Manager of Eastern Bay of Plenty District Health Board from 1990 to 1995. In 1996 she was appointed to the Geneva-based International Council of Nurses to develop and implement the Leadership for Change programme. This programme, still in place today, was implemented by her in a number of member countries throughout the world. She published her book ‘Nursing Leadership’ in 2007. In a voluntary capacity, she was Board Member, Chair, then Acting Manager of the Eastern Bay of Plenty branch of Alzheimer’s New Zealand, working to develop the local organisation, promote Māori involvement, and facilitate the wider delivery of Alzheimer’s care to Māori in partnership with Auckland University. She contributed to the work of Alzheimer’s New Zealand, particularly in the development of the national Dementia Services and Standards. Ms Shaw is a member of Whakatane Contract Bridge Club.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
SHERLEY, Dr Gregory Howard (Greg)
For services to conservation
Dr Greg Sherley has studied and published on a range of native fauna and has been active with conservation in New Zealand and the Pacific.
With the Department of Conservation (DOC) Dr Sherley began studying the Mahoenui giant wētā in the late 1980s, along with flax snails in Northland and offshore islands. He involved the Mahoenui community and school pupils in the preservation of their iconic wētā species. He joined the Secretariat of Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) from 1998 to 2001, formulating and implementing programmes of biodiversity protection and invasive species management. He developed and helped implement a recovery plan for Samoa’s endangered Manumea (tooth-billed pigeon). He was instrumental in helping formulate DOC’s policy and implementation of recovery plans for endangered invertebrates. He undertook significant research into the use of 1080 toxin on the conservation estate, which was influential to the Commissioner of the Environment’s recommendation for its continued use. He was a Director of Global Invasive Species Programme work in South Africa and joined the United Nations Environment Programme (now UN Environment) in Samoa in 2009, as sole charge for UN Environment activities in the Pacific region. He co-founded the Samoan Conservation Society. Since 2016, Dr Sherley has continued to carry out biodiversity conservation contracts for SPREP and voluntary conservation work in New Zealand and the Pacific.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
SKEEN, Dr Jane Elizabeth
For services to children with cancer
Dr Jane Skeen has contributed to Paediatric Oncology in Auckland from 1979 until retirement in 2021.
Dr Skeen has served as one of 11 paediatric oncologists at the Starship Blood and Cancer Centre at Starship Children’s Hospital in Auckland. She has been a member of the National Child Cancer Network, involved with the working groups regarding palliative care and New Zealand Children’s Cancer Registry, between 2009 and 2021. She was aware of the poor survival rates of children with cancer in the Pacific due to lack of treatment availability, so through the National Child Cancer Network the Pacific Child Cancer working group was established in 2007 to provide support and guidelines wherever possible. She was the Chair of this group, visiting and researching Pacific countries and contributing to the publication ‘Our Child has Died – Hear our Story’, which recited the experiences of Pacific families and their children dying of cancer. She has established relationships with health professionals from neighbouring Pacific countries and has led a team from Starship and the Child Cancer Foundation to Tonga, Samoa and Vanuatu annually. Dr Skeen was awarded life membership of the Child Cancer Foundation for her contributions to children with cancer.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
SMITH, Mrs Cheryl
For services to rugby
Mrs Cheryl Smith (Ngāpuhi) has been involved with sport in Northland for more than 25 years and is currently Community Connector for Sport Northland, linking people and particularly children to opportunities to play and succeed in various sports.
Mrs Smith has advocated for sport as a means to connect youth to their community and was a key driver behind the Far North District Council arranging a Blues versus Chiefs Super Rugby game in Kaikohe in 2019. She began her rugby career in 1997 and represented New Zealand as a Black Fern in the winning squads at the 1998 and 2002 Women’s Rugby World Cups, scoring the winning try against England in the latter. She has won several provincial titles with the Auckland team. She began coaching rugby in Northland to help rebuild the sport in the region and was appointed as the first ever woman to coach the men’s senior rugby team in 2005. She became Head Coach in 2019 of the inaugural Farah Palmer Cup Northland Kauri women’s team. She coaches the U18s women’s rugby team and is President of the Kaikohe Rugby Football Sports Club. Mrs Smith was integral to the establishment of new changing rooms at Kaikohe Rugby Club after a fire destroyed its headquarters in 2008, as part of the community drive behind the clubhouse rebuild.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
TAI RĀKENA, Ms Margaret Teresa (Maggy)
For services to victims of sexual violence and the community
Ms Maggy Tai Rākena has been committed to driving change for victims of sexual violence for more than 30 years.
Ms Tai Rākena has years of experience in early childhood education including kohanga reo, and in social work, using her knowledge to contribute positively to her community. She is a former Chair of Social Service Providers Aotearoa and has served on two school Boards of Trustees between 1989 and 2004. She was a member of the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority’s Advisory Panel and is a member of the Sexual and Family Violence Sectors Working Group alongside Te Puna Aonui. She has been the Manager of START since 1994. She helped develop the Sexual Assault Support Service Canterbury, collaborating with AVIVA to bring the two organisations together and creating a new 24-hour service in Christchurch. She is the current Chair of the Tauiwi Caucus of Te Ohaakii a Hine - National Network Ending Sexual Violence Together (TOAH-NNEST). Ms Tai Rākena helped create the ‘Right Services Right Time’ initiative, which coordinates community responses for clients amongst local non-governmental organisations.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
TAIT, Mr John Maxwell
For services to education and Māori
Mr John Tait has been an educator for several decades with a focus on improving outcomes for Māori.
Mr Tait taught Social Science and Māori throughout schools in New Zealand, including at Motueka High School where he was also Principal between 1989 and 2001. During his time with Motueka High School, the school gained a national reputation for introducing initiatives which resulted in greater educational success for Māori students. He became the Principal of Kaikōura High School in 2015, working to rebuild ties between students, staff and management due to several years of struggles. Following the Kaikōura earthquake he brought in a fulltime guidance counsellor, a school nurse, and a community social worker to provide students with the support they needed. He was Regional Manager for the Ministry of Education between 2001 and 2005, working with iwi education partnerships across the region. He served as Chief Executive of Te Tapuae o Rehua, a partnership between Te Runanga o Ngāi Tahu and five of the largest tertiary institutions in the South Island to improve retention of Māori students in tertiary learning. Between 2010 and 2015, Mr Tait was one of two South Island facilitators for He Kākano, an evidence-based, cultural-responsiveness change programme for schools that builds on Te Kotahitanga programme.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
THORNLEY, Dr Amama Bagem
For services to health
Dr Amama Thornley has provided medical services to the people of Christchurch for more than 40 years.
Dr Thornley has been actively involved in general practice since she first arrived in New Zealand in 1979. Between 1983 and 2003 she also worked as an on-call Honorary Police Medical, providing forensic medical examinations and treatment of alleged sexual assault victims. She supported the national ‘Doctors for Sexual Abuse Care’ organisation, now Medical Sexual Assault Clinicians Aotearoa, and played a key role in the establishment of their Christchurch clinic in 1994. Since 1990 she has volunteered at the City Mission Free Clinic, assisting clients using night shelters in Christchurch. In 2005 she was awarded Distinguished Fellowship from the Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners for her commitment to general practice and in recognition of her services as an assessor of practices for accreditation and reaccreditation. She has spent time volunteering and working with communities in Vietnam, Rarotonga and Niue, and funded community projects in her hometown of Busia, Uganda. Dr Thornley continues to play an active teaching role in the Etu Pacifika clinic in Christchurch, mentoring GP Trainees and Trainee Interns.
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
WILKINSON, Mr Charles Beswick
For services to arts governance and the community
Mr Charles Wilkinson has held trustee and chairperson roles with community and arts organisations in New Plymouth, and as a lawyer has supported these organisations with free legal services and advice.
Mr Wilkinson has been Trustee since 2006 and Chair since 2016 of the Taranaki Arts Festival Trust (TAFT). Through TAFT, he has overseen the Taranaki Gardens Festival Charitable Trust, Tropfest short film festival, and WOMAD New Zealand Charitable Trust. WOMAD is a leading international festival of arts, music and dance staged in New Plymouth annually, and the Taranaki Gardens Festival is the largest garden festival in New Zealand. He has played a key role in building relationships in the United Kingdom for WOMAD. The Garden Festival brings around $3 million to the local economy annually, while WOMAD contributes around $6.5 million annually. He was a member of the Board of Trustees of Sacred Heart Girls College, New Plymouth from 2005 to 2007. He chaired Tainui Home Trust Board from 2005 to 2011. He was a member of New Plymouth District Council’s Huatoki Plaza working group for the redesign of the central Huatoki river precinct. Mr Wilkinson was Honorary Solicitor for North Taranaki Family Planning Association from 1985 to 1990 and New Plymouth Riding for the Disabled from 2005 to 2013.