To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
ABSOLUM, Mr Michael John
For services to education
Mr Michael Absolum has contributed to the education sector for 40 years through various roles.
Mr Absolum has been a teacher, psychologist and lecturer, a Reviewer with the Education Review Office, a School Board of Trustees chair and a School Establishment Board member. He co-wrote a National Evaluation Report ‘Effective Governance: School Boards Of Trustees’ (1993), and in 1999 founded Evaluation Associates, a company supporting schools to raise achievement and reduce disparity of student outcomes in the compulsory education sector. Through Evaluation Associates, he supported schooling improvement in New Zealand and supported schools to develop their assessment and data information systems. In 2007 he published ‘Clarity in the Classroom’, an influential and widely read book, still in print, on the theory and practice of assessment in New Zealand classrooms. He was a co-author of the 2009 Ministry of Education commissioned paper ‘Directions for Assessment in New Zealand’. He formed a consortium with the University of Auckland and Learning Media Limited to provide development support in leadership and assessment between 2010 and 2016 and directed a series of workshops delivered nationwide on school performance management. Mr Absolum co-founded in 2017, and is Deputy Chair of, the New Zealand Assessment Institute and introduced the online Ministry of Education ‘Assessment for Learning’ webinars as the assessment expert, in 2021.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
ANDREW, Associate Professor Catherine Mary
For services to nursing education
Associate Professor Catherine Andrew took over as Head of Nursing at what is now Ara Institute of Canterbury, when the nursing programme was struggling to meet external nursing standards and led her team to create one of the most respected nursing programmes nationally.
Associate Professor Andrew was Head of Nursing at Ara Institute from 2000 to 2019, working on the first graduate entry pathway in New Zealand that led to a Masters degree plus nursing registration, the Dedicated Education Unit: Canterbury Model, which has influenced other organisations and increased nursing graduates. She has supported the development of other health related programmes in Christchurch and further afield. She has led the introduction of a range of other programmes of study to grow the health workforce capability, such as the Postgraduate Diploma in Health Science (RN Prescribing) 2018 and the Bachelor of Musculoskeletal Health/Postgraduate Diploma in Osteopathy 2017. She became Acting Executive Dean for Health at the University of Canterbury in 2021. She chaired Nursing Education in the Tertiary Sector for several years and is a Trustee of the Canterbury Nurse Maude Association. Associate Professor Andrew has worked with the Nursing Council of New Zealand (NCNZ) to improve programme quality nationally, chaired the NCNZ Registrant Quality Committee, and contributed to programme accreditations in Vanuatu and the Cook Islands.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
BAXTER, Mr Rodney David (Rod)
For services to youth
Mr Rod Baxter has been contributing to youth work for more than 20 years.
Mr Baxter increased ethical practices for youth workers by collaboratively developing the ‘Code of Ethics of Youth Work in New Zealand’ (2008). As Director of Impact of The Prince’s Trust Aotearoa (PTANZ), he developed entrepreneurship education programmes to support youth in their engagement with the economy. With the Ministry of Youth Development (MYD), he co-wrote ‘Te Kete Aronui: Understanding what good looks in youth enterprise’, an evidence-based outcomes framework that has informed MYD to lift the quality of youth enterprise opportunities. He has been the CEO of PTANZ since 2021, leading the Trust to match funding of $2 million seed funding with MYD on He Kākano, a mentoring and enterprise skill development pilot for youth aged 17 to 30. He has developed projects and programmes for youth across New Zealand, most notably at the Wellington Boys’ and Girls’ Institute. He was the Project Coordinator for several Wellington City art projects, transforming illegal tagging into iconic legal street art. Mr Baxter has been Chair of several boards including the National Youth Workers Network Aotearoa, Pathways to Professionalisation Working Group and Korowai Tupu, and regularly facilitates youth development training with Praxis and the New Zealand Youth Mentoring Network.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
BILLOWES, Mr Nicholas Robert (Nick)
For services to education
Mr Nick Billowes has made significant contributions to the field of education in New Zealand over the past four decades.
Mr Billowes has focused on designing and promoting quality professional development services for teachers. He has taught, was Director of Nelson Education Centre for ten years and Director of Development and Principal Consultant with CORE Education for 20 years. In these roles, he has provided professional development, services and resources to schools across the country. As one of the founders of CORE, he led major national contract programmes, including joint oversight of the Te Toi Tupu consortia, the Early Years ICT programme and executive support to the Kaihautū Māori team leaders, supporting Māori medium education. He was the leader, designer and coordinator of the Ministry of Education’s ICT Professional Development programme and the convenor of New Zealand’s annual uLearn conferences for teachers, which continues to attract international participation. He was a founding Board member of the Professional Learning Association New Zealand, and under his guidance, CORE successfully implemented a pilot ICT PD project in Malaysia, as well as establishing ‘KiwiLearners’ Early Years Centre in Chennai, India. Mr Billowes’ ongoing support saw CORE Education become a finalist in Ngā Tohu Reo Māori Awards in the Te Reo Māori Business Champion category for two programmes in 2019.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
BOSSON, Mr Owen Patrick (Opie)
For services to thoroughbred racing
Mr Opie Bosson (Ngāti Whakaue, Rangiwewehi) has been involved with thoroughbred racing for much of his life and is a leading New Zealand jockey, with more than 1,800 career wins.
Over his racing career Mr Bosson has won 91 Group 1 races in New Zealand as well as various Group 1 races internationally. His wins include the Karaka Million six times, the Auckland Cup, Australian Oaks, Australian Caufield Cup, Australian Derby, Singapore Derby, and the Singapore Gold Cup. He broke the record for New Zealand Group 1 race wins in March 2019, when he achieved his 63rd win at the New Zealand Stakes at Ellerslie. His 128 season wins have placed him as the current top New Zealand jockey. He began as an apprentice jockey for Te Akau Racing in 1995 and has since been Te Akau’s senior stable rider during the most successful period of any stable in the history of New Zealand racing. He is recognised for his rare longevity in the racing industry with close to three decades of riding. Mr Bosson has also tutored young and aspiring riders.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
CHITHAM, Mr Karl Jason
For services to the arts, particularly Māori art
Mr Karl Chitham (Ngā Puhi, Te Uriroroi) has been a champion for the arts in New Zealand for 20 years with a specific interest in toi Māori.
Mr Chitham trained as an artist and educator, and has held curatorial roles in universities, museums and public galleries. He was curator at Rotorua Museum and Director and Curator at Tauranga Art Gallery before becoming Director of the Dowse Art Museum, Head of Arts and Culture for Hutt City in 2019. He has been pivotal in building community support for the Dowse and its notable contribution to the New Zealand arts sector. Using his own curatorial practice, and through programming at various institutions he has worked with communities of artists, curators and arts professionals to increase the profile of toi Māori and Māori artists. He was instrumental in the opening and curating for the Wairau Māori Art Gallery in the Hundertwasser Art Centre in Whangārei, the first dedicated public Māori art gallery nationally. He has written for multiple arts publications including co-authoring the ground-breaking publication ‘Crafting Aotearoa: A Cultural History of New Zealand and the Wider Moana Oceania’. Mr Chitham is a member of Te Roopu Mana Toi, an advocacy advisory for Creative New Zealand and serves on charitable art trusts and in advisory positions for various institutions and arts organisations since 2009.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
CLARKE, Mr Philip Maurice
For services to arts governance
Mr Philip Clarke has been a leader and advocate in the craft sector for 34 years.
Mr Clarke was an arts advisor with Toi Aotearoa Creative New Zealand and its precursor from 1987 to 2004 and was a key figure in establishing Objectspace in Auckland, New Zealand’s only public gallery dedicated to craft/object art. He was Objectspace’s inaugural Director from 2004 until retiring in 2015, leading the organisation from few resources to a well-established institution that has lifted the profile of New Zealand craft. Since retiring, he has taken up several voluntary roles in the craft sector. He has been Chairman of the Blumhardt Foundation since 2018, which fosters the craft sector through a range of funding and advocacy programmes and has increased its effectiveness in support under his leadership. He has instigated a range of initiatives that have supported artists, including a fund that incentivises public collections to acquire the works of craft artists. He is a Trustee of the New Zealand Fashion Museum, the Mansion House Foundation supporting the preservation of the Kawau Island Institution and became a Trustee of The Big Idea in 2021, an online hub for the creative industries. Mr Clarke has written and edited crafts-related publications across numerous platforms, from media columns to newsletters, policy papers, articles and book chapters.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
CONSTANTINE, Professor Rochelle Lee
For services to wildlife conservation and marine biology
Professor Rochelle Constantine has undertaken pioneering research into the conservation of marine mammals for 30 years.
Professor Constantine is the Head of the Marine Mammal Ecology Lab at the University of Auckland-Waipapa Taumata Rau School of Biological Sciences. She has led ground-breaking scientific research into endemic dolphin species and has advised government departments on threat management plans for Hector’s and Māui dolphins. She led research into ‘ship-strike’ of Bryde’s whales in the Hauraki Gulf, resulting in speed restrictions being imposed in shipping lanes to reduce the instances of accidental whale deaths in the area. She has led research into the migratory patterns of humpback whales in Oceania, the Kermadec Islands and Antarctica. She has been on the Executive Committee of the South Pacific Whale Consortium since 1998 and was a co-founder of the MAUI63 Charitable Trust, researching innovative ways to protect marine life using modern technology. She has worked closely with mana whenua, has been the Science Advisor to the Live Ocean Foundation since its inception and has advised other NGOs including the World Wildlife Fund, Forest and Bird, Whale and Dolphin Conservation and Project Jonah. Professor Constantine has authored 147 scientific publications and has been the Chair of the International Whaling Commission - Southern Ocean Research Partnership humpback whale research since 2010.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
COWAN, Dr Florence Joyce (Joyce)
For services to midwifery
Dr Joyce Cowan has contributed to the midwifery profession as a leader and educator for more than 50 years.
Dr Cowan registered as a midwife in the 1970s and has since provided community and hospital-based care to pregnant women and babies throughout South Auckland. She is a leading New Zealand midwifery expert in pre-eclampsia, a pregnancy condition that threatens the health and life of both mothers and babies. She co-founded the charity, New Zealand Action on Pre-eclampsia (NZ APEC) in 1994, which raises awareness and provides education for health professionals about pre-eclampsia and supports women with pre-eclampsia and their families. The programme has contributed to the low perinatal mortality now associated with pre-eclampsia in New Zealand. She introduced and currently leads the Growth Assessment Programme (GAP) in New Zealand, an education programme which has resulted in improved detection of smaller babies during pregnancy and associated with a reduction in stillbirths. ACC has provided funding for the roll out of GAP nationally. While a Senior Lecturer at the Auckland University of Technology Midwifery Department, she published her doctoral thesis in 2020 on the effect of implementation of GAP in Counties Manukau on maternal and neonatal outcomes. Dr Cowan has presented her research findings on GAP education and pre-eclampsia at several national and international conferences.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
EARP, Ms Ria Lorraine
For services to health
Ms Ria Earp (Te Arawa, Ngāti Pikiao, Ngāti Whakaue) has contributed to the health sector for more than 20 years, particularly towards Māori community development.
Ms Earp was the Deputy Director General Māori Health with the Ministry of Health between 1998 and 2006, where she focused on reducing inequalities and improving access to healthcare, resulting in increases in Māori healthcare providers and Māori health professionals. She was Chief Executive of Mary Potter Hospice from 2006 until 2017. As Chief Executive, she ensured Māori involvement, leadership and engagement became standard practice while delivering quality palliative services for the Wellington region. She has held several governance roles, including the final year of the Hutt Valley District Health Board and Chair of Te Rōpū Māori for the Health Quality Safety Commission. She is a member of the Wellington Free Ambulance board, a board member and the Chair of Te Rōpū Taki Māori, the Māori leadership group for Hospice New Zealand. She established her consultancy in 2017, focused on Māori advice in health policies and social services. This work included several stints as the locum manager of a Māori community health provider in the Wairarapa. Ms Earp was the Acting Chief Executive for Te Hauora Runanga o Wairarapa, a Māori community mental health and social service provider based in Masterton for 10 months in 2018.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
EDWARDS, Dr William John Werahiko (Will)
For services to Māori health
Dr Will Edwards (Taranaki, Ngāruahine, Tāngahoe, Pakakohi, Ngāti Ruanui) has been an advocate for positive ageing for older people, in particular for Māori, and a Māori community development leader for more than two decades.
Dr Edwards has been Chair of the Ageing Well National Science Challenge (AWNSC) since 2020, a Director of Māori health and social services provider Tui Ora Limited and a lifelong contributor to marae, hapū, iwi and wider community development. He has been an iwi chair for Ngāruahine Iwi, a trustee of Te Rau Pani Māori mental health trust and a community representative on the Te Tai Hauāuru Regional Leadership Group for Whānau Ora. As Chair of AWNSC, he has led Ageing Well through Phase Two, which focuses on research on ‘Ageing and Māori’ and ‘Health and Wellbeing in Ageing’. His doctoral research was one of the first academic works to articulate positive ageing from a Māori viewpoint, highlighting the need to recognise secure cultural identity as a measure of positive ageing and the importance of a life-course approach. His research over many years has been influential in policy and service delivery, particularly for Māori. As a member of the Māori Health Committee of the Health Research Council of New Zealand, he has helped shape Māori health research strategy and contributed to the revision of Rangahau Māori Funds.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
FLANAGAN, Dr Peter
For services to blood transfusion
Dr Peter Flanagan was National Medical Director of the New Zealand Blood Service from its establishment in 1998 until 2019.
Dr Flanagan played a pivotal part in improving the New Zealand Blood Service to the point where it is now recognised as one of the best models in the world. He has supported and informed the Ministry of Health on policy related to blood transfusion safety and was closely involved in the transition of 21 hospital-based blood services into four regional production centres and an integrated hospital blood bank network. He is an Honorary Associate Professor in the Department of Molecular Medicine and Pathology at the University of Auckland. He has been a member of the World Health Organisation Expert Advisory Panel on Transfusion Medicine since 2009 and a member of Expert Committees in the Council of Europe. He is an Honorary Member of the International Society of Blood Transfusion having served as President and Chair of the Standing Committee on Ethics, where he led a comprehensive review of the Society’s Code of Ethics. Dr Flanagan is a Life Member of the Australian and New Zealand Society of Blood Transfusion and in 2017 gave the Ruth Sanger Oration, the Society’s highest honour.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
HAGER, Mr Nicolas Alfred (Nicky)
For services to investigative journalism
Mr Nicky Hager is one of New Zealand’s leading investigative journalists whose work has earned international recognition.
Mr Hager has published seven books from his research, covering topics such as intelligence networks, environmental issues, the military and politics, with the common aim of holding power to account. His work has led to government inquiries, both in New Zealand and the European Union, and has helped establish case law protecting journalists’ right to protect sources. His investigation into Operation Burnham was instrumental in the Office of the Inspector-General of Defence being established to provide oversight over New Zealand’s military forces. He was the first New Zealander to be made a member of the International Consortium of Investigative Journalism. He has contributed his time and expertise to journalism training providers nationally and was a key figure in the establishment of the New Zealand Centre for Investigative Journalism in 2014, bringing together hundreds of journalists from across the industry to share knowledge outside of the confines of media organisations. In 2018 Mr Hager was appointed as a member of the Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security's Reference Group.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
HOOD, Mr Douglas Henry (Doug)
For services to the music industry
Mr Doug Hood is regarded as a father figure in New Zealand’s alternative music community, helping invent the Dunedin Sound through his work with Flying Nun Records and as a producer, engineer, and tour operator.
Mr Hood became the sound engineer and manager of The Enemy/Toy Love in the late 1970s and helped record a number of bands with Chris Knox. He helped build the brand of Flying Nun Records. He supported numerous bands to tour and produce albums, including The Clean, Chills, Bats, Verlaines, Sneaky Feelings, Headless Chickens, The Able Tasmans, Netherworld Dancing Toys, and Dance Exponents. He mentored bands to improve their ability to play, tour and make a living and supported underfunded acts from around the country to get into studios, enabling the recording of many great Flying Nun records and singles. He developed himself as a concert promoter and ran Looney Tours in the 1980s and 1990s, which helped promote successful multi-band treks across the country. He then toured big name international artists to New Zealand including REM, Billy Bragg, New Order, the Violent Femmes, and U2. Mr Hood was involved in founding the Big Day Out, attracting further big name acts to Aotearoa and providing local bands the opportunity to play to stadium sized crowds and mix with international industry contacts.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
JONES, Mr Colin Tindall
For services to the dairy industry
Mr Colin Jones has made significant contributions to the dairy industry for more than 50 years, helping shape New Zealand as a leader in dairy exports.
Mr Jones led sales and negotiations globally between 1971 and 2000 on behalf of New Zealand farmers to establish channels for New Zealand dairy products. In the role of Technical Specialist of Milk Powder with the New Zealand Dairy Board, he marketed New Zealand milk products as a guest speaker in Taiwan in 1986, leading to the formation of joint venture company New Tai. His sales acumen has been significant in enabling Fonterra to operate in 140 markets globally. He played a key role in building several international relationships for the New Zealand dairy industry, including with China, currently the biggest importer of New Zealand dairy products, as well as Taiwan, Vietnam, Mexico, Chile, Cuba, and Venezuela. He supported the establishment of Miraka in 2010, a dairy processor based in Taupō led by a group of Māori trusts and incorporations. He founded Global Dairy Network Ltd in 2007, an international dairy sales and marketing enterprise which helps link dairy product manufacturers with users of processed milk products. Mr Jones has been a mentor to many joining the industry.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
JÜLICH, Dr Shirley Jean
For services to restorative justice and survivors of sexual abuse
Dr Shirley Jülich has made a significant contribution to the field of restorative justice.
Dr Jülich has been involved in the restorative justice community in New Zealand since the mid-1990s, focusing on facilitating survivors of sexual abuse to experience a sense of justice. She was an early member of Te Oritenga, New Zealand’s first community-based restorative justice provider group. In 2001 she completed her doctoral thesis on restorative justice and child sexual abuse at Massey University, where she has since held academic and teaching roles. Based on her doctoral research, she initiated Project Restore in 2005, which offers restorative processes specifically designed to address sexual violence. She has maintained a role as a Trust Board member and helped grow the group to the point where it now receives referrals for service from the community and the District Court system. She is globally recognised as a leader in the use of restorative practices addressing sexual violence, and sought after as a keynote speaker, author and educator. Since 2017 Dr Jülich has also been a member of the Mercury Bay Cancer Support Trust, focusing on supporting its work to assist people experiencing the debilitating impacts of cancer.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
KLAASSEN, Dr Michael Frederick
For services to plastic and reconstructive surgery
Dr Michael Klaassen has had a career in plastic surgery in the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand since 1990, while undertaking work with academic institutions and convening courses and conferences on a pro bono basis.
Dr Klaassen has authored, co-authored and edited numerous research papers and books, including educational materials on subjects such as cleft lip and palate, local flaps, and fundamental techniques of plastic surgery. He developed the surgical marking tape Bodyline Marker for more accurate drawing on the human body by surgeons and has worked with Fisher and Paykel Healthcare on a surgical wound care device. He founded the Advanced Course in Breast Reduction Surgery in the early 2000s. He has facilitated surgical skills courses and from 2002 to 2007 was Examiner of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery for the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons. He was Director Surgical Skills at University of Auckland’s Advanced Clinical Skills Centre from 2011 to 2013. He has co-convened the Pacific Islands Surgeons Flap Course at the University of Tasmania. He has volunteered with Interplast in the Pacific Islands and was surgeon for the Pacific Plastic Surgical Course in Suva, Fiji. Dr Klaassen chaired the Whakatane Postgraduate Medical Society from 2014 to 2015, was a committee member of Auckland Medical History Society, and has been Honorary Surgeon for sports teams.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
LAWLESS, Mrs Matekino, QSM
For services to Māori art
Mrs Matekino Lawless (Ngāti Maniapoto, Ngāti Ruakawa, Tainui) has been weaving for more than 60 years and has continued to exhibit and share knowledge nationally and internationally.
Mrs Lawless was a member of Te Roopu Raranga Whatu o Aotearoa National Māori Weavers collective until 2006 and has since been a founding member of Te Kāhui Whiritoi, an advisory group of senior distinguished raranga artists. She has been a member of Te Roopu Kotuku Rerenga Rangi Raranga artists since 2017. Her first solo exhibition ‘Whatu Manawa’ opened at Tauranga Art Gallery and toured nationally from 2018 to 2021. Her works have featured in national exhibitions ‘Whiria’ in 2015 and ‘Toi Tu, Toi Ora’ in 2020/2021. She has been a prominent contributor to international exhibitions and undertook several residencies and collaborative projects overseas. She has featured in ‘Toi Māori – The Eternal Thread – Te Aho Mutunga Kore’, which toured to the United States from 2004 to 2007 and ‘Kāhui Raranga: The Art of Tukutuku’ at Te Papa in 2014. She and her daughter were Resident Artists at Evergreen State College in Washington State and collaborated with the Northwest Native American Basket Weavers Association between 2014 and 2016. She contributed to a tukutuku panel installation at the United Nations Headquarters in 2015. Mrs Lawless is a member of Taumata Māreikura reference group, providing cultural advice to the Auckland War Memorial Museum.
HONOURS
The Queen’s Service Medal for Public Services, New Year 1999
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
LESLIE, Mr Andrew Roy (Andy), MNZM
For services to sport and the community
Mr Andy Leslie was an All Black Test Captain in the 1970s, represented New Zealand in softball and water polo, and since 2001 has been involved with community development, youth and sports administration.
Mr Leslie was President of New Zealand Rugby Football Union from 2008 to 2009. He was Officer from 2002, Director from 2004 and President from 2017 of the New Zealand Rugby Foundation. He holds Life Memberships with New Zealand Rugby, Wellington Rugby, Centurions Rugby Club, Petone Rugby Club, and New Zealand Amateur Sports Association, of which he was President from 2017 to 2019. He has been a strong advocate for amateur sports and volunteer participation. He is a Life Trustee of the Halberg Trust and a Trustee of Pelorus Trust. He has been a Board member and driving force behind formation of the Community Facilities Trust in 2012, established to lead the rejuvenation and development of Hutt Valley facilities. He was instrumental in the Trust’s development of the Walter Nash Stadium in Taita, the Naenae Bowling Club, the Koraunui Stokes Valley Community Hub and the Ricoh Sports Centre at Fraser Park. His involvement in voluntary fundraising was instrumental in helping raise $12 million towards establishing these facilities. Mr Leslie often volunteers his time as a guest speaker at various events and functions.
HONOURS
Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit, Queen's Birthday 2001
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
MACLEAN, Mr Christopher Whitcombe (Chris)
For services to conservation and publishing
Mr Chris Maclean is an award-winning publisher and writer and founder of The Whitcombe Press.
Mr Maclean has written 15 books on history and the New Zealand outdoors, notably including studies of Kāpiti and Waikanae, a history of the Tararua Range, and his co-authored 2014 book ‘Tramping: A New Zealand History’. His publications are regarded as authoritative resources on the areas and locations covered and he has ensured that tangata whenua perspectives are consulted on and included. He has been active in conservation and environmental activities, particularly around Kāpiti, funding much of this work through his family trust. He began dune restoration work at Waikanae Beach in 2009 and with some assistance from Kāpiti Coast District Council has planted thousands of plants to restore the natural ecology and stabilise dunes to reduce erosion. Since 2017 he has spearheaded wetland restoration on 25 hectares of land in Queen Elizabeth Park (QEP) between Paekākāriki and Raumati South. He coordinates provision of native trees from local environmental companies in addition to organising and personally undertaking physical planting work with other volunteers. Mr Maclean also liaises with the Department of Conservation, Wellington Regional Council, scientists, park rangers and other interested parties on the QEP initiative. The Park is being progressively opened for general recreational use.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
MAR, Mrs Materoa Vicki-Leigh
For services to Māori and Pacific health
Mrs Materoa Mar (Ngāti Whātua, Ngāti Porou, Ngā Puhi) has had a career as a Registered Nurse and Family Therapist over more than 40-years, working in mental health and addiction services.
Mrs Mar led specialist Māori and Pacific Island Health Services at Capital and Coast District Health Board between 1998 and 2003. She is CEO of Te Tihi o Ruahine Whānau Ora and supported the development of the Te Tihi Alliance, covering the Palmerston North, Tararua, and Manawatu and Horowhenua Districts. She has led and contributed to a range of innovations, provided guidance for health and wellbeing strategies for Māori regionally and nationally, and led Primary health initiatives including the development of an Integrated Family Health Centre. She has worked across sectors including health, welfare, Police, education, local government and Te Puni Kokiri to develop responsive models for whānau. She has provided significant governance leadership, including as past Chair of Te Awhina Kohanga Reo, Hato Paora College Trust Board and Te Kura Kaupapa Māori O Manawatu Board of Trustees. She was Deputy Chair of Te Rau Matatini Trust Board and helped establish their Māori Mental Health Workforce Centre. Mrs Mar has chaired the Mental Health Foundation, Emerge Aotearoa since 2019 and is Co-Chair of a Better Start National E Tipu e Rea National Science Challenge.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
MORRIS, Ms Sandra Marie
For services as an illustrator and to education
Ms Sandra Morris is an award-winning children’s and botanical illustrator and has written and published several nature and education books.
Ms Morris worked as an illustrator and art editor for school publications and Māori language journals from 1975 to 1979. She developed a passion for botanical art while studying in Australia, travelling to remote regions including the Subantarctic in 2000 to sketch the islands’ flora and fauna. She has written and illustrated several children’s non-fiction natural history books. Her first picture book, ‘One Lonely Kakapo’ won the Russell Clark Award for illustration in 1992. She has mentored and advocated for many of New Zealand illustrators. She was a designer for Land’s End Publishing and Shortland Publications from 1996 to 2003, recruiting and mentoring illustrators new to the profession. In 2003, she established her own illustration agency to represent illustrators nationally and overseas. She has educated thousands of children and adults in botanical, children’s book illustration and nature journaling through workshops and classes held at community education centres and schools in Auckland and Whanganui. She has used her artwork to raise money for several botanical and wildlife conservation organisations including the historic Stevens/Bell Garden in Whanganui and Pūkorokororo Miranda Shorebird Centre. Ms Morris’ published her book ‘North and South: A Tale of Two Hemispheres’ in 2021.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
NARAYAN, Mrs Sunita Devi
For services to language education and the Indian community
Mrs Sunita Narayan has been involved with the Wellington Hindi School and Hindi education in New Zealand since 1995.
In a voluntary capacity, Mrs Narayan has variously been a teacher, fundraiser, budget manager, administrator, resource creator and operations manager for the Wellington Hindi School, which now has three branches with around 80 students. She has been instrumental in supporting others in New Zealand to set up Hindi schools or classes, including an Invercargill school. She initiated a Hindi Ambassador programme for students to participate in or promote Hindi and Indian culture in schools. She has created opportunities to expose students to wider Indian networks and initiated a Hindi Youth Leader Award in 2020 with the Indian High Commission. She has been President of Community Languages New Zealand since 2004. She has organised conferences, written submissions and research articles, and developed frameworks and strategies to raise the profile of heritage languages. She led a community project team to develop a curriculum and teaching guidelines for migrant children growing up in New Zealand and heritage language teachers. She co-founded the Indian Languages and Research Foundation and has assisted several organisations including AFS, AsiaNZ and the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme. Mrs Narayan has initiated cross-cultural Hindi celebrations, including the first Holi celebration in Wellington.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
NORRIE, Mr Wayne Stephen Bayne
For services to business and governance
Mr Wayne Norrie has implemented innovative strategies to increase New Zealand’s international trade exports and championed future technologies for more than 20 years.
Mr Norrie was involved in the management buyout of Hitachi Data Systems and was the subsequent co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Revera, an early promoter of the benefits of cloud technology infrastructure for New Zealand businesses. He was a Board member of New Zealand Trade and Enterprise (NZTE) Beachheads Service from 2004 to 2015. As an international network, Beachheads consists of more than 100 private sector advisors providing specialist expertise to NZTE customers. He became Chair of Beachheads in 2010 and developed ground-breaking strategies to transform Beachheads into the single most valued service offered to New Zealand exporters. He developed ‘Fresh Thinking’, a strategy workshop delivered to challenge and promote the governance and leadership of export businesses. He delivered more than 140 strategy sessions with individual exporters, having a direct and hugely influential impact on business strategies. He was Chair of the New Zealand Hi-Tech Trust from 2006 to 2016, revitalising the Trust’s Awards designed to showcase the achievements of New Zealand’s technology industry. He was inducted into the New Zealand Hi-Tech Hall of Fame in 2020. Mr Norrie has been a member and Deputy Chair of the NZTE Board since 2015.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
PANCKHURST, Ms Deborah Anne
For services to foreign affairs and Māori
Ms Deborah Panckhurst (Ngāti Porou) has concluded 30 years of diplomatic service with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT).
Ms Panckhurst was the first wāhine Māori career diplomat appointed as a High Commissioner, with her posting to Solomon Islands from 2006 to 2009. She led New Zealand’s diplomatic engagement to help Solomon Islands restabilise after civil unrest and subsequently developed expertise in disarmament in the Pacific region and globally. She played a key role in major disarmament and non-proliferation negotiations including in the Pacific region, Geneva, The Hague, Vienna and the United Nations in New York. She has had a significant role in developing Māori staff within MFAT and MFAT’s relationships with Māori outside the organisation. She was a foundation member of MFAT’s Māori support network, Te Pou Māori for 25 years, mentoring Māori staff to take up overseas postings, and helped develop MFAT’s core training for diplomats around te reo Māori and tikanga. Her efforts helped lay the groundwork for MFAT wider embedding of Mātauranga Māori in its orientation and activities such as the Māori Engagement Strategy and the Memorandum of Understanding with the Māori business consultative body Te Taumata.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
RICH, Professor Emeritus Alison Mary
For services to oral pathology
Professor Emeritus Alison Rich is a pioneer in oral pathology and leads New Zealand’s only Oral Cancer Pathology Centre, providing specialist diagnostic oral pathology reports to dentists, dental specialists and anatomical pathologists nationally.
After working at the University of Melbourne, in 1998 Professor Rich took up a senior lectureship at the University of Otago and is now Leader of the Oral Molecular and Immunological Group at the Sir John Walsh Research Institute and Head of the Oral Pathology Diagnostic Services in Otago University’s Faculty of Dentistry. In 2016, she was appointed Chief Examiner for the Faculty of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology, Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia, and in 2020 became Head of Pathology at the University of Otago Dunedin School of Medicine, providing a link between the Dental and Medical schools. She is the first female President-Elect of the International Association of Oral Pathologists. She has given her expertise to numerous organisations and projects, including working with colleagues in 2011 on a clinical teaching programme for all health professionals in rural environments with a high proportion of Māori patients, which was introduced and continues today in Tairawhiti. Professor Rich has produced more than 100 research publications and has recently been placed within the top one percent of researchers in New Zealand by the Performance-Based Research Fund.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
RIKIHANA, Mr Jack Michael
For services to Māori, health governance and the community
Mr Jack Rikihana (Ngāti Raukawa, Te Atiawa ki Whakarongotai, Ngāti Toa Rangatira) is a Māori community and public health advocate.
Mr Rikihana has served as Chair of the (then) Te Rununga a Ati Awa ki Whakarongotai, Chair of the Aratahi Iwi Advisory to the Greater Wellington Regional Council and Deacon of Rangiātea Church in Ōtaki. He has given a voice to iwi aspiration for health as a member, Chairperson and Deputy Chair of the Māori Partnership Board for the Hutt Valley and Capital and Coast District Health Boards between 2003 and 2022. He played a pivotal role in guiding the DHBs to meet the needs of Māori and partner with mana whenua. He led the creation of the Taurite Ora Māori health strategy and the development of Te Wao Nui, the new integrated children’s health service. Since 2011, Mr Rikihana has served as Chair of Hora Te Pai Health Services Charitable Trust, a Māori primary healthcare service in Paraparaumu.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
RONALD, Ms Shae Maria
For services to youth
Ms Shae Ronald has dedicated 29 years of service to youth and marginalised communities, including through leadership roles at YouthLaw, Rainbow Youth, Youthline, Mental Health Foundation and Human Rights Commission.
Ms Ronald practiced as a family and youth lawyer, co-authored six publications on youth rights and mental health and authored “Let’s Talk Court” in 2003, a ground-breaking resource for young people, still in use today. She was Mental Health Foundation’s Northern Regional Manager from 2003 to 2006, delivering the national campaign “Like Minds Like Mine”. As an elected member of the Health Promotion Forum Council, she organised symposia including “Everyone’s Right” and “Hauora – Health and Wellbeing”. As Manager External Relations, Human Rights Commission, from 2006 to 2014, she worked locally and internationally to improve communities’ access to human rights. She was youth sector representative and Chair of the Public Advisory Committee to the Legal Services Agency, member of Auckland Sexual Abuse HELP Board, Lotteries Youth Committee and the Ministry of Youth Development’s Youth Sector Leadership Group. She was Senior Solicitor of YouthLaw when it received a Human Rights Millennium Award and Coordinator when Youthline received a Commonwealth Youth Services Award. As CEO since 2018, Ms Ronald has navigated Youthline through the COVID-19 pandemic in the face of increased demand and funding shortfall, ensuring Youthline’s ongoing sustainability.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
RUSSELL, Mr Bruce Ronald
For services to the New Zealand Police and the community
Mr Bruce Russell joined the New Zealand Police in the early 1970s and has spent 47 years working in the Criminal Investigation Branch, conducting investigations across the spectrum of criminal offending.
In Hamilton in 1988, Mr Russell established the first child abuse/child sexual abuse investigation unit in the Waikato, building strong relationships with partner agencies. He established the first Waikato-based Proceeds of Crime Unit in New Zealand under the Proceeds of Crime Act 1992, leading ground-breaking investigation methodology and developing and delivering training to Police in Waikato/Bay of Plenty. Since 2009 he has since been a non-sworn Specialist Investigator, currently with the Tauranga-based unit of the Asset Recovery Unit (ARU). He has been a ‘go-to’ leader for serious and organised financial crime matters in the Waikato and Bay of Plenty Police Districts, leading numerous successful operations tracking the proceeds of crime. Since 2009, he has been officer-in-charge of restraining property pursuant to the Criminal Proceeds (Recovery) Act 2009 with a value totalling more than $48 million. He was engaged by a joint Commonwealth Secretariat/United Nations initiative in a role across the Pacific Islands and later in the United Nations, involved in capacity building in financial crime investigations, the proceeds of crime and anti-money laundering from 2002 to 2006. Mr Russell developed and delivered training in developing countries globally.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
SCHUSTER, Mr James (Jim)
For services to Māori arts and heritage preservation
Mr Jim Schuster (Te Arawa, Ngāti Pikiao, Ngāti Hinekura, Tuhourangi, Ngāti Wahiao, Ngāti Tarawhai, Tuwharetoa, Ngāti Umutahi) is an expert in Māori conservation techniques and has restored Māori buildings of national and historical significance in New Zealand and overseas for 20 years.
Mr Schuster is a specialist carver, kowhaiwhai painter and tukutuku weaver. He was a teacher for 30 years at schools throughout the Bay of Plenty. He has been a Māori Built Heritage Advisor – Traditional Arts for Heritage New Zealand since 2003. He has contributed to the restoration of numerous marae and wharenui of regional and national significance, recently completing work on the former Māori Affairs Committee Room at Parliament. As kaitiaki of all three whare whakairo (carved houses) located overseas, he has advocated for the protection and restoration of buildings of international significance. He was a major contributor in discussions leading to the agreed return of the Hinemihi Meeting House in England to New Zealand. He led a restoration project of the Rauru Meeting House in Für Völkerkunde Museum in Hamburg, hosting workshops to train future generations of Māori traditional arts practitioners. He was one of many weavers who created more than 40 tukutuku panels installed in the United Nations General Assembly Building in New York in 2015. Mr Schuster is a member and trustee of numerous land and ahu whenua trusts in the Rotorua region.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
SILIPA, Mrs Nua (Nua Semuā Silipa)
For services to Pacific education
Mrs Nua Semuā Silipa has contributed to Pacific and Māori education for over four decades.
As an immigrant, Mrs Silipa recognised the importance of one’s identity and sense of belonging as foundational for Pacific and Māori learning success and well-being. In 1988 she began teaching at Avondale College and later became a school counsellor. She pioneered the Samoan Cultural Group and introduced Gagana Samoa to integrate language and cultural values. As a Trustee she established and chaired for 10 years the Māori and Pacific committee to prioritise academic success, which saw Pacific achievement in NCEA lift from 51 percent to 90 percent. She launched community dinners with kaumatua, whānau, church leaders and other sector leaders. This work was recognised as a finalist for the Prime Minister’s Pacific Excellence Award. As a Pacific leader in the Ministry of Education, her work was critical in informing key policy initiatives related to Pacific students. She has lectured university counselling students, presented to school staff and external agencies and contributed to academic publications on the Pasifika worldview. She is Co-Chair of the Pasifika Counsellor’s Collective, a professional body supporting indigenous practice. She supervises and mentors Pacific counsellors. Mrs Silipa has counselled Pacific peoples on various issues such as family violence, sexual abuse, addictions, anxiety, depression and suicide.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
SUTHERLAND, Mrs Suzanne Findlay (Sue)
For services to library and information services
Mrs Sue Sutherland has made a significant contribution nationally to the modernisation of library services in New Zealand.
Mrs Sutherland was Libraries Manager at Christchurch City Council from 1994 to 2005. During her tenure, she appointed the first Digital Services manager in a New Zealand public library and led an initiative to introduce a network of more than 500 public access computers in Christchurch’s libraries, allowing patrons access to the internet. She held several senior leadership roles at the National Library of New Zealand for six years, including Acting Chief Executive, National Librarian, and Deputy Chief Executive. She led the implementation of the government’s digital content strategy, which was adopted in 2007 and shaped the approach to digital content management in New Zealand. She was responsible for the establishment of three national digital projects, the Aotearoa People’s Network Kaharoa, a government funded service providing free public access to the internet in public libraries, Kōtui, a consortium of public libraries enabling access to affordable library software and DigitalNZ, an online metadata platform granting public access to more than 30 million New Zealand digital objects. She has authored several publications and contributed to national frameworks developing strategic direction for libraries for many years. Mrs Sutherland has provided consultancy services to libraries and cultural organisations since 2011.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
TAYLOR, Mr John Frederic
For services to disabled people
Mr John Taylor has been supporting the disability sector for 35 years, for the betterment of the disability community in New Zealand.
Mr Taylor has been leading the establishment of the Enabling Good Lives approach in the New Zealand disability sector and led the integration of disability services into the New Zealand Disability Support Network (NZDSN) in 2010. He has been the CEO of Community Connections since 2007, helping improve capabilities through a Level Three Certificate in Human Services, making this qualification compulsory for staff to complete. He was Chair of the NZDSN and a member of the National Reference Group for the Ministry of Health. He has developed his Te Reo Māori to develop Community Connections into a bicultural service provider, developing hapū-based disability services in Eastern Bay of Plenty. He has contributed to international conferences, network events, and facilitated employment opportunities for disabled people. He is a member of the Whaikaha Disability Funding Consultation Group and Advisor to the Health and Disability Commissioner for Disability Support Services. Mr Taylor is a member of the steering group for the High and Complex Framework Review, which looks at the operation of the Intellectual Disability Compulsory Care and Rehabilitation Act.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
TAYLOR, Mr Peter John Morgan
For services to business
Mr Peter Taylor has been contributing to business, governance, and accountancy for more than 40 years.
Mr Taylor led the establishment of the Darden Business School Executive Leadership Programme in New Zealand, a partnership between Ernst & Young, the University of Virginia and the Darden Business School. More than 1,400 business leaders from New Zealand attended the two-week residential programme across 29 years. He has mentored and coached several incoming CEOs, Directors and Chief Executives across several organisations and the public sector. He was a partner of Ernst & Young between 1986 and 1998, during which time the organisation offered pro-bono services to Ngāti Porou and other iwi. He assisted Ngāti Awa Group Holdings from 2006 to 2019. Following the settlement of the Ngāti Awa Rauputu Claim, he provided guidance during the establishment of the organisation through to its settling down. He served as Commissioner of the Commerce Commission between 2001 and 2010. During his appointment the Commission achieved major cost savings for New Zealanders through the establishment of input methodologies, the rules that regulate the prices for the transmission and distribution of electricity and gas bills. Complex issues including the allowable rate of return, taxation and the allocation of common costs were addressed. Mr Taylor chaired the Dame Malvina Major Foundation from 1994 to 2000.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
TIPPETT, Professor Lynette Joy
For services to neuropsychology and people with dementia
Professor Lynette Tippett is a leader in neuropsychology and dementia research, whose work has had important implications for New Zealanders affected by dementia and Huntington’s disease.
During almost 30 years in the School of Psychology at the University of Auckland, Professor Tippett has provided training in neuropsychology to thousands of undergraduates, supervised more than 80 postgraduate students and played a major leadership role in the promotion of women and Māori at the University. Her innovative research has carefully mapped psychological, emotional and cognitive changes in Huntington’s disease to cellular changes in specific brain regions. She has published more than 90 articles and chapters, and regularly gives public lectures and public panel discussions about brain health and dementia. Since its establishment in 2014, she has been National Director, largely on a voluntary basis, of a network of Dementia Prevention Research Clinics located in Auckland, Christchurch and Dunedin, guiding them in building research excellence, and effective partnerships with the community and Māori. Since 2019, Professor Tippett has volunteered as a member of the Alzheimer’s New Zealand Clinical and Scientific Advisory Board, providing expert opinion and advice to Alzheimers New Zealand on a range of clinical and scientific issues.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
TOWNS, Emeritus Professor David Robert (Dave)
For services to conservation
Emeritus Professor Dave Towns is regarded as one of New Zealand’s most influential conservation scientists for his work on the taxonomy and ecology of mayflies, his research on eradicating introduced rats from islands in New Zealand and for initiating science of restoration on New Zealand islands.
Professor Towns joined the Wildlife Service where he led projects that in 1986 eradicated all rats and rabbits from Korapuki Island in the Mercury islands. Between 1988 and 1993, and in collaboration with ICI Crop Care Division, he was lead researcher for field tests of the efficacy of different rodenticides, ultimately leading to the extermination of rodents from more than 90 New Zealand islands. He was science advisor for pest eradications in the Bay of Islands, Hauturu, Taranga and Rangitoto-Motutapu. Monitoring after these eradications showed recovery of up to eight populations of tuatara, as well as the successful introduction of rare Whitakers’ skink to three islands. In total, he has been involved in sixteen successful translocations of six species of skinks and one gecko to predator-free islands. He has published 83 papers in peer-reviewed scientific journals and has edited or written seven books. As a result of Professor Towns’ research and trials, hundreds of native species are now recovering on islands, many of which were on the verge of expiration.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
WEARING, Dr Christopher Howard (Howard)
For services to entomology and the fruit and orchard industries
Dr Howard Wearing is an entomologist and pioneer of sustainable pest management in New Zealand’s fruit and orchard industries.
Dr Wearing worked for the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (DSIR) from 1967 to 1990, undertaking extensive research into innovative pest management techniques in apple orchards nationally. He played a key role in the implementation of best-practice modern apple production in New Zealand to minimise damage to fruit while maintaining high yields. His programme ‘Biological Orchard Production Systems’ and the associated Integrated Fruit Production programme, which operated from 1992 to 2001, reduced the use of insecticides by 90 percent and led to a significant increase in New Zealand’s fruit exports, including organic apples. He was Team Leader of the Ecology and Horticulture Groups from 1972 to 1984 and then Assistant Director of Entomology Division DSIR until 1990. He oversaw teams of scientists whose research made significant contributions to government funded science nationally, including gaining access of pip fruit and summer fruit to the Japanese market. Since retiring in 2001, he has continued to publish significant research, providing new insights guiding the use of biological control in New Zealand’s low pesticide input and organic fruit production systems. Dr Wearing has published more than 150 scientific papers and the 2019 book ‘Farewell Silent Spring: The New Zealand Apple Story’.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
WHARE, Mrs Te Maari Anahera
For services to Māori language education
Mrs Te Maari Whare (Ngāti Parua, Ngāti Pikiao, Tuhourangi Te Arawa, Rangitane, Ngāti Kahungunu) has been contributing to the revitalisation of te reo Māori through the Te Kōhanga Reo Movement for 40 years.
Mrs Whare was a founding member of the Kōhanga Reo movement in the South Island and the first Kaiako of Te Kōhanga Reo o Hohepa in Christchurch in 1984. She was employed with Te Kōhanga Reo National Trust from 1990 until moving to Te Arawa in 1997, teaching children at Ngongotahā Kōhanga Reo in Rotorua, before becoming a Regional Manager for the Trust for the Waiariki/ Tūwharetoa region from 1999 until retiring in 2023. She has remained active as a volunteer for kōhanga reo in her area and on Ngāti Pikiao marae. In 2018 she worked with the Education Review Office to review Kōhanga Reo and Kura in New Zealand. She is a Kuia and Council Elder for Ngāti Pikiao, performing Kai Karanga for the marae and across the region, and helped through her iwi during the COVID-19 pandemic. Mrs Whare was acknowledged by Te Kōhanga Reo National Trust at its 40-year anniversary for her contributions.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
WILLIAMS, Emeritus Professor Paul Worthing
For services to geoscience and environmental science
Emeritus Professor Paul Williams has undertaken world-leading research in geomorphology, hydrology, karst and paleoclimatology for more than 50 years.
Professor Williams has held several roles at the University of Auckland since 1972, including Deputy Dean of Science and Head of the Geography Department. He led the establishment of Environmental Science teaching in 1975. He led the 1974 Waitomo Cave Research Project, creating sustainable management guidelines for the Waitomo Glow Worm Cave to operate as a tourist attraction. He directed the 1983 Upper Waitemata Harbour Study for the Auckland Regional Authority, providing guidelines for sustainable land and water management. He researched and assembled New Zealand stable isotopic data spanning the last 125,000 years, which is used to inform climate change models. He is a world-leading expert in karst landscapes, landforms and aquifers formed by the dissolution of soluble rocks that occur across 13 percent of the Earth’s continental area. He became a member of the World Commission for Protected Areas in 2001, an expert specialist since 2008 for the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and Councillor since 2018 of the IUCN Geoheritage Specialist Group. His input on international conservation has contributed to many sites being awarded natural World Heritage status. Professor Williams has authored books which remain foundational texts for geological and geographical research and teaching.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
WYN-HARRIS, Mr Steven (Steve)
For services to the farming industry and rural communities
Mr Steve Wyn-Harris is an advocate for sustainable farming practices and has worked to raise awareness of farmers’ wellbeing in rural Hawke’s Bay.
Mr Wyn-Harris owns a dry-stock farm in the Central Hawke’s Bay district, widely perceived as a role model of New Zealand’s Beef and Lamb industry through the farm’s successful harnessing of technology transfer. He has been recognised with several awards for livestock production and environmental stewardship. He served as a director of Pāmu Farms of New Zealand (formerly Landcorp) from 2002 to 2008 and Farmlands Co-Operative for nine years. He has been significant in raising greater awareness of the issues affecting farmers and rural communities, sharing his experiences in print and radio. He has written the column ‘From the Ridge’ for New Zealand Farmers Weekly since 1996, reaching a readership of 130,000 each week. He has hosted his radio programme ‘The Cockies Hour’ on Central FM for 25 years and is regularly interviewed on Radio New Zealand and Newstalk ZB, advocating on behalf of the rural sector. Mr Wyn-Harris was awarded Landcorp Agricultural Communicator of the Year in 2012.
To be an Honorary Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
PAU'UVALE, Mrs Meleane
For services to the Tongan community and education
Mrs Meleane Pau’uvale co-founded Akoteu Kato Kakala (AKK) in 1999, after noticing young Tongan children were having difficulty with their education.
Mrs Pau’uvale began AKK as a playgroup that has transformed into an Early Childhood Education centre, after receiving funding in 2006. She has been the head teacher of AKK since formal establishment until 2023, and has continuously encouraged parents, guardians and teachers to seek further education to continue to provide for the children, running regular fono and well-being workshops particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. She has helped publish three books consisting of stories, poems in Tongan to help children understand their heritage. She influenced the build of Alaha Manongi, a home-based education service and has committed resources for children to the Tongan Relief Fund amidst the Tongan tsunami event. She helped organise the Tongan Language week festivities and moved the programme online when the pandemic hit, with an online programme with talanoa, Tongan attire, lotu and mana, amongst other activities. She has collaborated with Pacific health providers to ensure the wellbeing and education around family health, helping design a Pacific Health Framework ‘Kato Kakala’. Mrs Pau’uvale continues to run programmes for children in primary, intermediate and high schools to encourage students to pursue careers as teachers.
To be an Honorary Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
SALAMA, Dr Maysoon Subhi
For services to the Muslim community and education
Dr Maysoon Salama has been co-founder and manager of the An-Nur Trust Early Learning and Childcare Centres since 2000 in Christchurch and 2014 in Dunedin, the first Muslim early learning service in New Zealand.
Dr Salama chaired the Islamic Women’s Council of New Zealand between 2012 and 2020 and is currently Emeritus National Coordinator. She was a spokesperson for the Muslim community following the 2019 Christchurch mosque attacks, in which her eldest son was killed and husband injured. She has co-written a series of children’s books, including ‘Aya and the Butterfly’ on dealing with loss and grief, made freely available online with a companion teaching resource. She was appointed to the Kāpuia Ministerial Advisory Group and the Collective Impact Board for the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Terrorist Attack on Christchurch Majisdain. Since 2021 she has been on the Board advising government on the implementation of the Royal Commission’s recommendations. She was a panel speaker at the 2022 United Nations Congress of Victims of Terrorism. She has been co-founder and Coordinator of the National Islamic Sisterhood Association (NISA) since 2000, organising events for key dates in the Muslim calendar. Since 2010, Dr Salama has supported international students from the Arabian Peninsula to study in Christchurch, helping them with local networks and New Zealand culture.