The Queen’s Service Medal:
ANDREWS, Ms Victoria Louise
For services to heritage preservation and conservation
Ms Victoria Andrews has led significant efforts for the recognition of Akaroa as an area of cultural and historical significance for 28 years.
Ms Andrews has been a member of the Akaroa Civic Trust since 1996. She was Secretary from 2004 to 2012 and has been Deputy Chair since 2019. For many years she has advocated for the historic importance of Akaroa from a cultural and environmental perspective, contributing to the region’s recognition as Historic Area by Heritage New Zealand in 1999. She led a campaign for the establishment of Takapūneke as a Historic Reserve, an area of tapu land which holds significant historical importance to Ōnuku Rūnanga and their hapū Ngāti Irakehu and Ngāi Tawera. The land had previously been used as a rubbish dump and wastewater treatment plant and was initially identified as the potential location for a sub-division. She has since made a significant contribution to the development of the Reserve’s Management Plan in conjunction with Ōnuku Rūnanga and Christchurch City Council. An unveiling and celebration of the first stage of the Reserve’s opening took place in 2022. Ms Andrews was the Civic Trust’s representative on the Akaroa Design and Appearance Advisory Committee for more than 20 years and has been on the Akaroa Design Review Panel since its inception in 2019.
The Queen’s Service Medal:
BAILEY, Mr Lyall Ashley
For services to the community and local government
Mr Lyall Bailey is a former Southland District Councillor who has chaired several council and community boards for many years.
Mr Bailey is a former farmer who ran a rural mail service with his wife in Southland. A member of the Rotary club in Winton for 50 years, he was Chair of the Winton Community Board from 1989 to 2001. As Chair, he led a major infrastructure project to redevelop Winton’s main street. In 2001 he was elected as a Councillor to Southland District Council, serving until 2016. He chaired several of the Council’s committees and was involved in several community initiatives, which included upgrades to many of Winton’s amenities including the town’s memorial hall, swimming pool and skate park. Under his leadership, Southland District Council won an excellence award for best practice in Infrastructure Management in 2016. He was Chair of the Central Southland Hospital Charitable Trust from 2013 to 2020. Under his leadership, he improved the Trust’s fiscal position, securing funding for Winton’s maternity hospital and medical centre which provide vital services to Winton’s rural farming community. Mr Bailey was a Justice of the Peace from 2005 until retiring in 2023.
The Queen’s Service Medal:
BURNETT, Mr David Alan (Ginge)
For services to multisport
Mr Ginge Burnett was a member of the Southland Triathlon and Multisport Club Committee for 24 years and President of the Club from 2005 to 2019.
Mr Burnett frequently organises races for the Club, including independently scouting locations for various adventure races through challenging terrain. Long-standing events that he has organised include the Southland Summer Challenge, the Southland Schools’ Triathlon Championships, the Ascot Park Triathlon, the Riverton to Zookeepers Race, and the Total Life Kids’ TRYathlon. He was made a Life Member of the Club in 2012. He was a member of the committee, as well as coach, of the Woodlands Schoolboy Rugby Club from 2005 to 2016, and again in 2021, and was President of the Southland BMX Club from 2009 to 2018. He was a Trustee on the Sport Southland Board of Trustees from 2008 to 2013 and on the Southland Indoor Leisure Pursuit Centre Board of Trustees from 2015 to 2018. Mr Burnett helped fundraise for the sensory playground at Waihopai School’s Park Unit by cycling 3,3015 kilometres of the Te Araroa Trail.
The Queen’s Service Medal:
CARR, Mr Ian Peter (Peter), JP
For services to the community
Mr Peter Carr has been contributing to his local communities for more than 40 years.
Mr Carr has been a Justice of the Peace since 1973, active in the communities of Khandallah in Wellington, Auckland and in Cambridge. He has been a member of and held several positions with the Khandallah Lions club, including as President, Zone Chair and Deputy District Governor for Zone 202B. He was a member of Rotary in Auckland from 1987 to 2000 and is a Life Member of the Cambridge Chamber of Commerce. He was a member of the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron from 1981 to 2007, serving as Chair of the Race Committee and Course Marshall during the 2000 and 2003 America’s Cup Race. He was Chair of New Zealand Field Days between 2016 and 2019, meeting international visitors and travelling overseas to promote New Zealand. He is Life Member of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport and received the Waipa Networks Award for services to business in 2013. Mr Carr served as President of the Retirement Villages Residents of New Zealand between 2020 and 2022, serving 45,000 residents of Retirement Villages in New Zealand.
The Queen’s Service Medal:
CARTER, Mr Neville Albert
For services to Fire and Emergency New Zealand and rugby
Mr Neville Carter has given more than 50 years’ service to the Southbridge Volunteer Fire Brigade and other community groups in east Canterbury.
Since joining the Brigade in 1973, Mr Carter has held a variety of leadership roles and supported its rural firefighting skills development. In 2009 he was promoted to Station Officer, a role he still holds today. He was instrumental in the planning, fundraising and building stages of a new Southbridge Fire Station in 2013/2014, for which the Brigade raised more than $200,000. Since 1973 he has attended 78 percent of the Brigade’s calls and 87 percent of weekly trainings. He has been a member of the Southbridge Rugby Football Club committee since 1976, volunteering his time to undertake coaching, refereeing, managing the bar and organising events. He helped establish the club’s Golden Oldie and women’s rugby teams, and donated items to be auctioned for its annual fundraising events. He was made a Life Member of Southbridge Volunteer Fire Brigade and the Rugby Football Club in 2001. Mr Carter volunteers his time and resources to support the Southbridge School through groundskeeping and maintenance and as a Committee member of the Southbridge Reserves Board since 1976.
The Queen’s Service Medal:
CLEMENTS, Mr Paul
For services to Fire and Emergency New Zealand and the community
Mr Paul Clements worked as a career Firefighter from 1967 until 2012 and from 1978 was simultaneously a member of the Waitati Volunteer Fire Brigade, where he remains a volunteer.
Mr Clements helped establish one of New Zealand’s first peer-support programmes to assist Firefighters following traumatic events in their professional and personal lives. This programme is now considered the cornerstone of support mechanisms available to serving firefighters and has since been rolled out nationwide. He was deployed to Christchurch following the 2010 and 2012 earthquakes to provide peer support to emergency responders supporting the city’s recovery efforts. For more than 30 years he has been involved in community initiatives in the coastal Otago and Southland regions, including historical conservation work at Port Craig and leading heritage restoration work on Quarantine Island / Kamau Taurua. He is a lead member of the Blueskin Youth and Amenities group, helping to create a new walking track near Orokonui. Mr Clements has volunteered with several other community organisations including Victim Support, Habitat for Humanity and Special Rigs for Special Kids.
The Queen’s Service Medal:
COLEMAN, Mr Ewen Douglas Phillip
For services to theatre
Mr Ewen Coleman has been involved in theatre as a director and producer for more than 40 years.
Mr Coleman has served on several committees in various positions including secretary, president and treasurer. He has been a member of the Wellington District Theatre Federation since the 1970s and has held all executive committee member positions. He has been a member of the Wellington Repertory Theatre since 1976, was made a Life Member in 1989 and is the current Secretary. He has been involved in the executive committee of Theatre New Zealand and the Association of New Zealand Drama Adjudicators. He was made a Life Member of Theatre New Zealand in 1996. He travels to direct shows for societies and runs technical workshops to help hundreds of actors. Mr Coleman has been a trustee and current Treasurer of Theatre Archives New Zealand since 2007.
The Queen’s Service Medal:
COUNSELL, Mr Lawrence John (Laurie)
For services to rowing
Mr Laurie Counsell has volunteered in the Wellington rowing community for more than 30 years, through a variety of roles with the Wellington Rowing Club (WRC) and the Wellington Rowing Association (WRA).
Mr Counsell was Club Captain from 1996 to 2004, Vice President from 2005 and President from 2008 to 2010 of WRC. He oversaw coaching, fundraising, recruitment and capital works. During his tenure the club saw growth from 40 rowers to more than 200. He introduced the Corporate Rowing Challenge in 1998, an annual programme over two months that introduces participants to the basics of rowing and water safety, culminating in a regatta on Wellington Harbour. The Challenge has been valuable in introducing new rowers and building the financial stability of the clubs involved. Since stepping down from leadership positions, he has been voluntary boatman maintaining boats, equipment and club premises. He has been a Board member of the WRA since 2008 and was Treasurer between 2010 and 2021. He has been involved in a major project since 2019 to build a dedicated rowing facility for the combined use of Wellington clubs on the Petone foreshore. Mr Counsell worked with Wellington City Council on the redevelopment and revitalisation of the waterfront around Whairepo Lagoon, including the earthquake strengthening and upgrading of the rowing club rooms.
The Queen’s Service Medal:
CRAWFORD, Mrs Alison Eleanor
For services to the community
Mrs Alison Crawford has been a member of the Women’s Institute (WI) and involved in numerous community initiatives in the Gisborne region for more than 50 years.
Mrs Crawford joined the Puha WI in 1973, holding several roles including Treasurer and Secretary and was President from 2000 to 2004. She has been a member of the Poverty Bay Wairoa Federation for 48 years and is current President. From 2008 to 2012 she served on the National Executive of the New Zealand WI. She has been a friend and supporter of the Alzheimers Society Gisborne for 25 years, supported the Poverty Bay A&P Show and been on the organising committee of the Relay for Life for Cancer event held in Gisborne since 2004. From 2010 to 2017 she served and prepared breakfasts for the 1,500 participants and through her involvement with the WI has raised more than $20,000 for cancer research. She has organised fundraising events for several other charities including Gisborne Women’s Refuge and Hato Hone St John. She has provided baking to seniors and to promote WI activities, including the provision of 70 fruit cakes to be distributed following the Christchurch earthquakes, and has organised various meals for organisations and events. Mrs Crawford has been a Trustee of the Tairawhiti Positive Aging Trust since 2006.
The Queen’s Service Medal:
GEANGE, Mr Russell George
For services to swimming and rugby
Mr Russell Geange has dedicated 50 years to swimming and rugby in the Carterton area.
Mr Geange has taught generations to swim, to be confident in the water and training them to be their competitive best. He has served as a Carterton Swimming Club office bearer, fundraiser and builder of the club’s indoor pool during the 1980s. He has held positions of Club Captain, Chairman, and President with the Carterton Amateur Swim Club since 1980. He has organised Masters competitions and been selector, timekeeper, referee and judge. He established Russell Geange Swim Academy in 1998, with several of the swim teams and individuals he has coached reaching success in regional, national and international competitions. He has been engaged by Carterton schools to provide learn to swim lessons for young children. He was awarded a Service Award by Wairarapa Swimming in 1981, Life Member in 1996 and a Service Award from Swimming New Zealand in 2001. In 2023 he won Coach of the Year and Peoples Choice Award at the Wairarapa Sports Awards. He has played rugby and coached for the Carterton Rugby club for several decades. Mr Geange was awarded the Distinguished Service Award from the Carterton Rugby Football Club in 2021.
The Queen’s Service Medal:
GORDON, Mrs Helen Alison
For services to the community
Mrs Helen Gordon has been contributing to the Girls Brigade and the visually impaired community in the Kapiti Coast for 50 years.
Mrs Gordon has been the Chair of the Kapiti Coast Community Committee since the early 1990s, providing services for the Members of the Royal New Zealand Foundation of the Blind (now Blind Low Vision New Zealand (BLVNZ)). Under her leadership, the Committee provides the 227 BLVNZ members in the community with regular check-ins, assistance with specialised equipment, talking book services, driving to appointments, and providing emotional support. She has hosted four social events annually and provide the members with assistance to attend these events. She has been a leader with the Girls Brigade since the 1970s and established the first Waikanae Company in 1975 which had up to 90 girls attend. She has taken groups of girls on camps to Ohau and Havelock North and helped fundraise to take 30 girls and leaders to the ‘Brigames’, a weeklong camp in Dunedin. She has helped guide girls through the Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme and helped six girls through the Queen’s Award, the highest international award in Girls’ Brigade. Mrs Gordon served as the Wellington Area Commissioner for five years and assisted with several national conferences.
The Queen’s Service Medal:
HAWKINS, Mr Trevor John
For services to the community
Mr Trevor Hawkins (Ngāti Kahungunu) was the founder of Martinborough Transport Ltd and is Owner Operator of Hawkins Contracting Ltd and through his businesses he has sponsored a range of community organisations and sports teams.
Mr Hawkins has been a player and coach and has held key committee positions with the Martinborough Rugby Club. He has donated both labour and machinery for various club building and maintenance projects. He provided significant financial assistance and donated his own labour and machinery for the establishment of the Martinborough Gym. He has sponsored the club programme and the annual Christmas Tournament for the Martinborough Golf Club. He served on the Club’s Committee and was course convenor for four years. In 1996 he was involved in a major project to remove pine trees from the course and replant specimen trees. He is a past Chairman and is a current member of the Hau Ariki Marae Trustees Committee. He has been a member of the South Wairarapa District Māori Standing Committee for several terms. Mr Hawkins has been the organiser and leader of Martinborough Night Patrol, which he helped establish with Police support.
The Queen’s Service Medal:
HAWLEY, Mrs Katherine Jane (Katie Terris)
For services to the community and the arts
Mrs Katie Terris is a pottery teacher and has been involved in several community initiatives in Lower Hutt for 45 years.
Mrs Terris became involved in the Play Centre movement in Lower Hutt in the 1970s and was a supervisor from 1979 to 1984. She was an art tutor for adults at the former Hutt Valley Memorial College and Petone College until 1999. She was President of the Hutt Art Society from 2000 to 2004. During her tenure, she led a working collaboration with Hutt Valley High School to deliver a series of community education art classes and workshops for adults. She encouraged themed exhibitions at the Odlin Gallery, enabling it to widen its appeal. She has been patron for more than 25 years of the IHC Hutt Valley Association, an organisation supporting disabled people living in the community, and ran pottery classes for people with intellectual disabilities. She was Mayoress of Lower Hutt from 1995 to 2004. She was employed as office manager at Volunteer Hutt from 2006 to 2020. Mrs Terris has been Patron of the Hutt Valley Horticultural Society since 2004.
The Queen’s Service Medal:
HAY, Ms Barbara Mary
For services to the community and education
Ms Barbara Hay has supported youth and community development in Stokes Valley, Lower Hutt for more than 30 years.
Ms Hay was Principal of Stokes Valley School for 12 years and a founding Principal of Koraunui School from 2005 until her retirement in 2017. As Principal, she was committed to supporting and developing her staff and students and created a variety of programmes and events to engage children from a diversity of backgrounds. In 2012, she played a key role in organising Huttfest (formerly Polyfest), a large-scale event to provide a platform for students at schools throughout the Hutt Valley to celebrate their cultures through performance. She established the Huttfest Trust in 2019 to secure the event’s future. Since 2017 she has been a Board Member for Arohanui Strings-Sistema, which won the 2022 Wellington Airport Regional Community Award for Wellington City Education and Child/Youth Development. She has been on the Hutt City Council Northern Ward Funding Panel since 2019 which works to distribute funds for community projects in the region. She remains involved in several community initiatives in Stokes Valley including leading environmental work to restore Mawaihakona stream in Silverstream and is a supporter of Friends of Horoeka Reserve. Ms Hay volunteers weekly at the Stokes Valley foodbank.
The Queen’s Service Medal:
JOHNSTON, Mrs Kristeen Elizabeth
For services to the community
Mrs Kristeen Johnston has been supporting women and girls through her involvement in several organisations in the wider Wellington community.
Since 2007, Mrs Johnston has taken on leadership roles in several organisations and charities, including as President of Wellington Soroptimists from 2014 to 2015 and again in 2019, and Soroptimist International National President from 2020 to 2022. She has worked to educate, empower and enable women and girls in a variety of ways, including fundraising to donate period products to the City Mission and sitting on the International Women’s Caucus facilitated by the Ministry for Women. She has helped Soroptimist clubs around New Zealand to raise $25,000 to combat ovarian cancer. She has been involved with Dress for Success Wellington since 2007, serving as President from 2010 to 2012, and was National President of the Dress for Success Alliance in 2012. She was made a Life Member of Dress for Success in 2014, and in 2022 she helped establish the organisation’s Dressed in the Hutt Charity Shop. Since 2012, Mrs Johnston has been involved with Bellyful, dedicating her time to cook over 100 frozen meals per month for distribution to families with new babies or young children and little or no family or social support.
The Queen’s Service Medal:
KAIWAI, Mr Eruera Taihaere (Eru)
For services to the community
Mr Eru Kaiwai (Ngāti Porou, Te Aitanga-a-Hauiti) has been contributing to the Tolaga Bay community since the 1950s.
Mr Kaiwai has been a volunteer with the Tolaga Bay Fire Brigade since 1957 and is currently the oldest living member. He was a member of the Tolaga Bay Civil Defence between 1985 and 1990 during Cyclone Bola. He is Kaumatua of Puketawai Marae and served as Treasurer between 1959 and 1965, has been a member of the Korowai Aroha Committee since 1992 and has been a Minister for tangihanga, weddings and hui since 2005. He helped establish Ngati Radio, serving as the first live broadcaster and sports reporter and was a radio operator of Tolaga Bay Search and Rescue between 1985 and 2010. He was a trustee of the Tolaga Bay Area School between 1997 and 2013 and serves as the current Chair of the Tolaga Bay Golden Oldies. He has been a Chair of the 28th Māori Battalion of the Tolaga Bay Branch, Chair of the O Kuri Marae and of the Harata Kirimana Land Trust. Mr Kaiwai was receipient of the Gisborne District Council’s Civic Award in 2000.
The Queen’s Service Medal:
KERR, Mr Allan John
For services to music
Mr Allan Kerr has been involved in choirs and musical productions throughout the South Island for more than 50 years.
Mr Kerr trained as a teacher in Dunedin in 1961 before establishing a number of school choirs in Otago and Southland. He organised two music festivals, which encouraged large numbers of local children to become involved in singing. In 1971 he was appointed the Head of the Department of Music at Fairlie High School/Mackenzie College, a position he held for more than 20 years. While in this role, he encouraged students to become involved in music and singing and played a key part in establishing the school’s orchestra. He helped establish the Young Performers Concert, which continues to run more than 30 years later and which recognises and encourages young musicians to demonstrate their musical abilities. He has also been musical director for a number of musical productions by the MacKenzie Theatre Group. He has conducted the Midland Choir for 20 years, a community choir in Timaru which fundraises for charity through its musical performances. Within his wider community, Mr Kerr has served on the Mackenzie Cooperating Parish Committee for many years and was on the Fairlie Community Board for three terms in the 1990s.
The Queen’s Service Medal:
LIENERT, Mr Geoffrey Ramon (Geoff)
For services to sports administration, particularly cycling and athletics
Mr Geoff Lienert has contributed to sporting and community organisations in Waimate over the past 40 years.
Mr Lienert’s involvement across a range of sporting codes and bodies has benefited the people in the Waimate district and wider South Canterbury region. He joined the Waimate Harriers Club in 1983 and has been Secretary since 1986, encouraging people of all ages to run and walk. He was a founding member of the Waimate Cycling Committee and the club’s handicapper. He has particularly encouraged younger riders during his involvement in the club and mentored several cyclists who went on to compete for New Zealand at several Olympic Games. As a member of the Sport Waimate Committee, he volunteers his time to support the delivery of sports programmes in local primary schools. Since 2008 he has been a member of the Waimate Trackways Committee, undertaking track maintenance for running and cycle races, and helping to select courses. He has been on the committee of the Whitehorse Big Easy Charity Run for five years. He is a Life Member of St Andrews Cycling Club, Waimate Caledonian Society and Waimate Harriers. Mr Lienert received a Waimate District Council Civic Award for his contribution to sport in the area and an Athletics New Zealand Long Service Award.
The Queen’s Service Medal:
MAAKA, Mrs Te Ao Marama
For services to the community
Mrs Te Ao Marama Maaka’s (Ngāti Hauā, Ngāti Wairere a Ngāi te Rangi) service with Morrinsville College has spanned 35 years.
Mrs Maaka was elected to the Morrinsville College Board of Governors (now Board of Trustees) from 1987 until 2001. She served as the Chair of the Whānau Support Committee for 25 years and was a Board representative on the Morrinsville District Schools’ Trustees Association from 1990 until its disestablishment. She was involved in the planning and organisation of Te Ao Whaanui Classroom to Ohope School in 1998 and was coordinator of the College Māori Culture Group tour to Rarotonga in 1993. She has been a member of the Tainui Education Iwi Committee since 1990 and assisted the Ministry of Education to help Māori Boards and schools with self-governance between 1999 and 2001. She has provided Morrinsville College and other schools with guidance and leadership on Māori culture and has provided a link for students to their marae and their local communities. She has been Cultural Advisor for the Morrinsville Kāhui Ako since 2018. She is a senior Kuia of Ngāti Hāua and as Ngāti Hauā Cultural Advisor she provides support to councils, organisations and schools on working with iwi. Mrs Maaka has been President of Morrinsville Māori Women’s Welfare League since 2005 and Vice President of the Tainui branch since 2019.
The Queen’s Service Medal:
MCCANDLESS, Mr Brian Campbell, CB, CBE
For services to the community
Mr Brian McCandless has been involved with a range of community organisations in Te Anau since the mid-2000s and has helped deliver a range of significant projects.
As Chairman of the Fiordland Retirement Housing Trust from 2017, Mr McCandless guided the Trust through challenges to establish the Murchison Villas retirement village in Te Anau, succeeding after previous attempts to establish a retirement village had fallen through. He is a member and current President of Te Anau Bowling Club and led the fundraising of hundreds of thousands of dollars and planning efforts to complete a rebuild of the club. He approached Te Anau Boating Club to install a personal hoist for disabled sailors to access their boats, and single-handedly raised the funds for completion of this project. He was on the Marakura Yacht Club Committee for four years and coached the children’s learn to sail programme for three years. He was a founding committee member of the Fiordland Probus Club in 2006 and was President in 2013. He helped guide the club through a name changing process to Frenz Fiordland in 2016, affiliated with New Zealand Friendship Inc. Mr McCandless was President of the local Bridge Club and guided the club through the transition from manual to computer-based systems.
HONOURS
Companion of the Order of the Bath (Military Division) as Air-Vice Marshall, Royal Air Force, UK Queen's Birthday 1999
Commander of the Order of the British Empire (Military Division) as Group Captain, Royal Air Force, UK New Year 1990
The Queen’s Service Medal:
MEADS, Mr Desmond Frank (Des)
For services to hockey and the community
Mr Des Meads has been contributing to the Waikato Hockey Association for 48 years.
Mr Meads helped amalgamate the separate Waikato women’s and men’s hockey groups into Waikato Hockey Association (WHA) in 1989, to share the same club room, playing grounds and resources for the benefit of all players and served as the inaugural President. He led fundraising efforts to turn the WHA into a world-class facility, successfully raising $2.5 million in the early 1990s, which included the regions first synthetic field. He has served as Chair and member of the Waikato Hockey Charitable Trust since its inception in 1989, managing the funds of the WHA and maintaining the international quality hockey facility at Innes Common in Hamilton. He has mentored players, officials and actively umpired hockey for more than 48 years, including operating a Junior Umpire Academy for four years. He founded and continues to be involved with the West Hamilton Probus Club, helping establish a place for local businesses to collaborate and share knowledge. He was a key driver in helping The Hamilton Caledonian Society acquire their premises to freely practice and play their bagpipes. Mr Meads was made a life member of WHA and of the Fraser Tech Club.
The Queen’s Service Medal:
MEROITI, Mrs Ngahiwi Takamore
For services to netball
Mrs Ngahiwi Meroiti (Ngāti Toa, Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Raukawa, Ngāti Tama) is a Life Member of the Kapi Mana Netball Centre, having been a member for more than 30 years.
Mrs Meroiti is a qualified Umpire and has been the Umpire Coordinator, Coach and Assessor for the Centre intermittently since the late 1990s. Following the COIVD-19 pandemic she resumed this role and was instrumental in revitalising the umpire cohort and growing the number of qualified umpires in the Centre. She served as Board member from 2002 until 2012 and was the President between 2012 and 2016. She has held various positions with the Centre including Draw Convenor and responsibility for finances and grant funding. She has coached at Premier 1 Level and has led her Club team to eight Premier 1 championships. She has successfully coached and managed Kapi Mana representative teams, coached at secondary school levels for Tawa and Mana Colleges and coached and managed at regional levels as well. She served as Assistant Coach of the Capital Shakers in 2005 and as a representatives selector. Mrs Meroiti has also been involved in Māori netball for more than 15 years as a Coach, Manager, and now Treasurer for lkaroa ki te Tonga.
The Queen’s Service Medal:
MILLER, Dr Michael John Hugh
For services to rural health
Dr Michael Miller has been a general practitioner in Whangamatā for 33 years, advocating for improved health outcomes for patients living in rural communities.
Dr Miller acquired the Whangamatā Medical Centre in 1990, developing it into the town’s first purpose built medical facility which opened in 1995. As clinical lead, he expanded and improved the medical services available to the community by establishing modern, integrated primary health care services at the practice. In 2005 he founded Whangamatā Community Health, a charitable trust, which raised funding for radiology and ultrasound services to be delivered locally. He successfully secured additional funding for after-hours medical care and the establishment of primary care beds in the town’s aged residential care facility. He has been a strong advocate for the provision of comprehensive 24/7 care and the training of medical students, postgraduate doctors and GP registrars in rural practice. He was a founding member and Treasurer of the Rural General Practice Network and the rural electorate representative of the Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners Council. He has been a member of several GP and rural advisory groups, including the Pinnacle PHO management group and Midland Health Network rural advisory group. Dr Miller champions the use of point of care ultrasound in primary care for rural communities in particular.
The Queen’s Service Medal:
MORAR, Mrs Manisha
For services to the Indian community
Mrs Manisha Morar has been a prominent leader and respected voice in the Indian community, and as a member of the New Zealand Indian Central Association national body since 2001, she held offices for seven years including Vice President.
Mrs Morar has organised conferences, written submissions and developed frameworks and strategies to raise the profile of the New Zealand Indian community. For more than 25 years, she has served the Wellington Indian Association, holding several voluntary roles including President, Gujarati language teacher and Historian since 2010. In promoting Indian culture, she organised numerous events, including leading the city’s Diwali celebrations Namaste Wellington. She was instrumental in curating two national exhibitions, ‘MOKAA: The Land of Opportunity’ a photographic exhibition celebrating 125 years of Indian diaspora in New Zealand and an exhibition acknowledging the contribution of Chinese and Indian ANZACs held at Pukeahu National War Museum. In 2018, she led the publication of the book ‘Invisible’ detailing Indian migrant experiences, and later incorporated New Zealand Indian narratives and developed school resources for the New Zealand history curriculum. She has been a member of the Multicultural Council of Wellington for nine years. Mrs Morar is a member of the Migrant Community Reference Group, providing cultural advice on Immigration, and the New Zealand Police Wellington District Ethnic Advisory Group.
The Queen’s Service Medal:
NAIRN, Mr Bruce Alexander
For services to the community and sport
Mr Bruce Nairn has contributed to the rural Waikato community for more than 50 years.
Mr Nairn was appointed a Justice of the Peace in 1990, becoming a Judicial JP in 1996 and served on the Bench in the Tokoroa, Taupo and Rotorua District Courts until retiring from JP duties in 2023. He was the Tokoroa JP branch President and Rotorua and Districts JP Association President from 2008 to 2010. He has been a member and Trustee of the South Waikato Sports and Leisure Board for 17 years, which creates greater local sporting and leisure opportunities. As Chairperson, he led the Board’s Tokoroa Sports and Events Centre Steering Group, working collaboratively with the South Waikato District Council to open the South Waikato Sports and Events Centre in 2016. He has been involved with the Tokoroa Hospice Trust since 2007, holding several governance roles including Treasurer, helping fundraise for equipment and support for palliative patients and their families. He was voluntary Secretary of the Log Transport Safety Council from 1996 to 2020, establishing driver safety guidelines and education programmes for the industry. He organised nationwide roadshows including the ‘Share the Road’ road safety campaign delivered in rural schools. Mr Nairn has variously been a member, Secretary/Treasurer and President of the Tokoroa Axemen and Bushcraft Association over 52 years.
The Queen’s Service Medal:
NARAN, Mrs Hansaben Dhanji (Hansa), JP
For services to the Indian community
Mrs Hansa Naran has been contributing to the Indian community in various capacities over 30 years.
Mrs Naran has used her professional skills as an accountant to contribute to her community organisations. She computerised the accounting systems for the Manukau Indian Association Inc. (MIA) and the New Zealand Indian Central Association (NZICA) amongst others, creating a chart of accounts for better financial reporting and in compliance with reporting standards. She has been an executive member of the NZICA’s Women’s subcommittee for 11 years. She organised an 125th Women’s Suffrage anniversary event, with more than 100 people in attendance at Waiau Pa. She has written many articles for event programmes including ‘Self-Empowerment’, ‘Grieving – A Myth or a Reality?’ and ‘How to age gracefully’. She was treasurer of MIA from 2007 to 2015 and of NZICA since 2015. She helped manage more than $500,000 in funds raised for India during the COVID-19 pandemic. She has been treasurer of the National Council of Women Manukau branch since 2015. She has been a Justice of the Peace since 2014, a Victim Support volunteer and a Kiwani. Mrs Naran has donated incubators, children’s stationary, and clothing to children’s missionaries and traditional sarees for women who cannot afford bridal clothing in India.
The Queen’s Service Medal:
NGATAI, Ms Karen Gaye
For services to the community
Ms Karen Ngatai has been an elected representative on the Ruapehu District Council for 18 years, including five years as Deputy Mayor.
Ms Ngatai chaired the Taumarunui Ohura Ward Committee for six years and was a Ruapehu District Māori Council member. She was an inaugural Trustee on the Taumarunui Museum Trust formed in 1989. She has been the Taumarunui coordinator for the Pink Ribbon Street Appeal for 12 years, raising funds for the New Zealand Breast Cancer Foundation through organising various activities and displays. She chaired the Waikato Community Heated Pool Trust from 2006 to 2016, gaining annual funding from Trust Waikato and negotiating cheaper power rates. She was a member of Enterprising Taumarunui Inc. for 10 years and coordinated the Taumarunui Christmas parade during that time. In 2019 she was a leading team member that organised the week-long festival for Matariki, now an integral Taumarunui winter event. She project-managed and obtained funding for several Taumarunui beautification projects, including the planting of 140 Rhododendrons along the State Highway, improvements to the railway station and rail lines, 16 painted art panels on the flyover, and town information boards. Most recently, Ms Ngatai engaged a master carver to carve 10 native birds from native trees, now installed in the town centre gardens.
The Queen’s Service Medal:
OAKLY, Mrs Joy Margaret
For services to women and education
Mrs Joy Oakly has advocated for greater educational opportunities for women and young girls in the Nelson Tasman region for more than 40 years.
Mrs Oakly was Captain of the Third Nelson Company of Girls Brigade Company from 1970 to 1993 and a member and President of the Nelson West Rotoract between 1974 and 1980. In 1981 she joined Soroptimist International Nelson. She has held several roles on the Executive Committee, including as President from 1989 to 1991 and 2010 to 2012. She has led several initiatives to support women and girls regionally, including securing funding from the Ministry of Education for a Young Parents’ School to provide learning assistance to complete NCEA courses. She is current Chair of the Nelson Soroptimist Education Trust, which provides scholarships to women and girls experiencing financial hardship. She has supported numerous campaigns in schools including ‘Students Against Violence’ and anti-bullying campaigns. She has been involved with several events to raise awareness of family violence in the region, including supporting the annual White Ribbon Riders and ‘Walk the Talk’ marches. Since 1970 she has worked as a scientist at the Nelson Cawthron Institute and has been involved in the Institute’s Annual School Science Fair for many years. Mrs Oakly was a Trustee of the Betty Loughhead Soroptimist Trust from 2014 to 2017.
The Queen’s Service Medal:
O'DONNELL, Mr Gavin John
For services to the rural community and conservation
Mr Gavin O’Donnell is a member of a range of environmental groups in the Nelson/Tasman areas, including the Tasman Environmental Trust, Waimea Fresh Water and Land Advisory Group, biodiversity fora, regional pest management, and Tasman Bay Guardians.
Mr O’Donnell played a key role in setting up the Ministry for Primary Industries Rural Advisory Group and has been on the Committee since 2018. He has held various roles with Federated Farmers, including as Chairman from 2011 to 2014, Treasurer from 2014 to 2022, and previously Meat and Wool Representative from 1996 to 2000. He is a member of the Nelson Tasman Primary Cluster Adverse Events Network representing Fire and Emergency New Zealand and Federated Farmers. He provided assistance following 2017 Cyclone Gita, contacting people affected by slips and flooding in the area, and the Pigeon Valley fires where he provided on-the-ground information to the Network during the event. In 2011 he organised teams to repair fences following an adverse weather event hitting coastal Nelson. He has been a volunteer firefighter since 2006, a member of the Waimea Rural Fire Emergency Management Team and a committee member of Ngatamoti Volunteer Rural Fire Brigade. Mr O’Donnell was involved with the Canterbury Agricultural and Pastoral Association’s planning and development of the new Canterbury A&P showgrounds from 1992 to 2000.
The Queen’s Service Medal:
PEGLER, Mr Brian Ernest Gladstone
For services to social work
Mr Brian Pegler was a social worker with various agencies from 1971 and worked as the Mayor’s Welfare Fund Administrator at Christchurch City Council from 2002 until retiring in 2023.
With the Mayor’s Welfare Fund, Mr Pegler was recognised for his abilities to form strong relationships and to put packages of support together to help people out of their challenging situations. He was known for looking at longer term solutions for vulnerable people such as negotiating removal of overdue fees or finding out a person’s needs and referring them to appropriate agencies, rather than simply approving grants for short term needs. He built two-way relationships with local Members of Parliament and electorate staff who would refer people to him, or he would bring people’s needs to the attention of MPs. He was the main organiser of the West Coast Lifeline in 1987, which allowed toll free calls to the Christchurch Lifeline system, which continues today. He was a founding member of the Family Help Trust in 1990, a child abuse prevention service in Christchurch. He convened the Age Care Forum from 1991 to 2001. He co-wrote the booklet ‘A Question of Care’, a free guide to residential care options distributed nationally. Mr Pegler was a member of the Council of Social Services from 2004 to 2009.
The Queen’s Service Medal:
PINER, Mr James Harry (Harry), MStJ
For services to Fire and Emergency New Zealand and the community
Mr Harry Piner was a member of the Runanga Volunteer Fire Brigade from 1968 until retiring from his role as Station Officer in 2023.
Mr Piner was a long serving volunteer St John Ambulance Officer from 1980 to 2011 and utilised his medical expertise in responding to medical assistance callouts with the Fire Brigade, also passing on his knowledge to mentor other Brigade members in dealing with trauma. He has been instrumental in providing fire safety advice and support to the Runanga, Coast Road, Rapahoe and Barrytown communities through open days, A&P shows and other events. He has supported the waterway competition teams and assisted when Runanga hosted these competitions. He has supported the Brigade’s local Cadets programme. He houses and has helped restore and maintain the vintage 1927 Dennis Fire Appliance owned by the Brigade. He was appointed Divisional Manager in Runanga from 2001 to 2004. Within the wider community Mr Piner was a Youth Club Leader at Runanga Hall for 10 years and was a member of the Runanga Miners Hall Committee and the Runanga Ratepayers Association.
HONOURS
Member of the Order of St John, 2011
The Queen’s Service Medal:
ROBERTSON, Mr Alister Douglas
For services to people with dementia
Mr Alister Robertson has contributed as an advocate since 2014 towards strengthening the voice of people living with dementia in New Zealand and helping to tackle the stigma associated with the condition.
Mr Robertson has been a Board Member of Alzheimers New Zealand and Dementia Alliance International (DAI) since 2018. He has been a member of the Alzheimers New Zealand Lived Experience Advisory Group since 2017 and is currently Chair of DAI. He played a leading role in the development and release of the Dementia Declaration, a statement of what living well with dementia looks like. He frequently acts as a media spokesperson on behalf of those living with dementia. As a member of the programme committee he was instrumental in the success of Alzheimers New Zealand’s 2018 Conference, having shaped the innovative second day of the programme ‘Living with Dementia’. He is a member of the national expert group that is working with the wider dementia sector to develop the first-ever New Zealand Dementia Plan. Mr Robertson often engages in local initiatives and events with Dementia Hawkes Bay, such as running online tutorials and support groups, gym sessions and speaking engagements.
The Queen’s Service Medal:
SAYWOOD, Ms Jennifer Mary Mayson, JP
For services to restorative justice and women
Ms Jennifer Saywood was a founding member of Restorative Justice in Whanganui in 1999 and has chaired Restorative City Whanganui Trust since 2012.
The Trust is a provider of a court referred restorative justice programme and has advocated for victim-centric and te ao Māori approaches. In 2012 Ms Saywood led a team to engage with local organisations, businesses and schools to provide training on how to implement restorative practices within their organisations. She was employed with the Department of Corrections from 1991 to 2015 and championed better reintegration pathways and a whole-of whānau approach. She was Justice Reference Group Leader for the Safer Whanganui Steering Group up until 2023, advocating for safe reintegration of prisoners in the community and issues of family harm and violence against women. She has been President of the National Council of Women, Whanganui Branch since 2006. She has been a trustee of CLAW, Whanganui’s Community Law service, since 2015. Ms Saywood is a trustee of Whanganui Welfare Guardian Trust and was a Trustee of Family Support Services Whanganui Trust (now Jigsaw) in the mid-2000s.
The Queen’s Service Medal:
SCHOLLUM, Mrs Jennifer Mary
For services to the community and heritage preservation
Mrs Jennifer Schollum has volunteered in Puhoi, Auckland for more than 50 years.
Mrs Schollum has been involved with the Puhoi Historical Society since 1985, now the Puhoi Heritage Museum. She has been past President and Secretary and is currently Treasurer, historian, museum coordinator, archivist and newsletter editor. She has worked on compiling folders for all of the families who came to Puhoi in 1863 from Bohemia and spends up to four days a week volunteering at the museum, helping families trace their ancestry. She founded and has led the Puhoi Bohemian Dance Group since 1987, which has performed for various community and school groups. She has been involved in organising an anniversary celebration marking 150 years since the arrival of Bohemian settlers in New Zealand. She contributed her knowledge of Bohemian settlers and appeared on an episode of the television show ‘Passengers’ in 2023. She was Puhoi Public Cemetery Secretary from 1986 to 2004 and has been Treasurer of Puhoi Community Forum since 2014. She was on the Puhoi Centennial Hall Committee and Secretary and Treasurer from 1992 to 1996. She has organised ANZAC Day commemorations between 2015 and 2017. Mrs Schollum received a Rodney District Council Community Award in 2005 recognising her contributions.
The Queen’s Service Medal:
STEVENS JORDAN, Ms Susan Gay (Susan Jordan)
For services to seniors and dance
Ms Susan Jordan has spent five decades contributing to dance as a performer, choreographer, teacher, writer, and academic.
Ms Jordan founded the programme of Dance Studies at the University of Auckland and set up the Auckland DANZ office. She established SeniorsDANCE in 2011, offering dance classes for those aged above 60 in Auckland, providing a space for positive ageing and supporting the health and wellbeing of older people. She is the curator of Aspire Dance Show which provides a platform for older dancers to be able to perform and contribute to the performing arts. In 2018 she was awarded a Creative New Zealand grant for the research of ‘creative ageing’, which she has used to promote the arts as an important means of creative expression for older people. Ms Jordan is one of the founders and immediate past President of the Northern Dance Network, a charitable organisation that provides dance pathways and opportunities for the community.
The Queen’s Service Medal:
TANA, Mrs Rowena Ngaio, JP
For services to the Māori community
Mrs Rowena Tana (Ngāti Hine, Ngāti Manu, Te Kapotai, Ngāti Kawa, Te Orewai, Ngāti Te Ara, Ngāpuhi) joined the Ngāti Hine Health Trust Board in 2017 and became its Chair in 2021.
Ngāti Hine Health Trust (the Trust) has served the community for many years and is a major employer delivering high quality health and disability, social, educational, youth, housing and broadcasting services from Kawakawa, Whangārei and throughout the North of New Zealand. Mrs Tana’s involvement in the Waitangi Tribunal claims process has spanned 17 years and in 2014, she presented to the Waitangi Tribunal and to the Minister of Treaty Negotiations on behalf of Ngāti Hine. She coordinates the Ngāti Hine Kaumatua Roopu, providing kai and a place for conversations between kaumatua and kuia on community issues. She served as Secretary of the Motatau Marae Trustees committee between 2007 and 2023 and was the Secretary for Te Runanga o Ngāti Hine from 2010 to 2023. She is involved in the re-conservation of historic sites including Te Ruapekapeka Pa and Battle-site and the Taumarere river catchment clean-up. She was a trustee for the Kawakawa Hundertwasser Memorial Park Trust from 2017 to 2022 and during its Te Hononga building development. Mrs Tana is a Justice of the Peace and has been a member of the Oranga Marae Committee since 2021.
The Queen’s Service Medal:
VAERUARANGI, Ms Rai
For services to the Cook Islands community
Ms Rai Vaeruarangi has contributed to the Wiri community since the 1980s through various organisations.
Ms Vaeruarangi was a committee member of the Wiri Whānau Support Group between 1984 and 2008, which included time organising the Wiri Neighbourhood Police Team. She established a Cook Island language nest, initially from her own home in 1991, which later operated from the Wiri Community House until 1996. She has been Cultural and Arts Community Trustee of Akatokamanava Mauke Enua Inc since 2009. She has been involved in a range of displays and performances, including organising the Cook Islands Mauke cultural group’s performance at 2022 Te Toki Māori festival and co-organising the Te Mekameka O Toku Ipukarea Treasure of My Homeland display at Auckland Museum in 2021. She is a Community Champion for the Wiri Neighbourhood for The Cause Collective’s One Love South Auckland initiative. She volunteers on the Board of Iramoko Marae and the committee of Mataatua Marae Mangere. Ms Vaeruarangi was on the Wiri Central Board of Trustees from 1988 to 1995, including time as Chair, and President of the Manukau Central Kindergarten Committee from 1988 to 1996.
The Queen’s Service Medal:
WALKER, Mr William Neil (Neil)
For services to outdoor bowls and smallbore rifle shooting
Mr Neil Walker has been involved in smallbore rifle shooting and outdoor bowls in South Otago on a voluntary basis for more than 60 years.
Mr Walker has been a representative shooter for South Otago for 47 years and joined the Tapanui Smallbore Rifle Club in 1962. He has since served as a participant, coach, selector, Vice-President and President for smallbore rifle clubs throughout South Otago, holding almost every administrative role for the Milton Smallbore Rifle Club, South Otago Smallbore Rifle Association and Otago Provincial Smallbore Rifle Association. He has held various roles for the South Island Smallbore Rifle Association and was President for three years. In 2006 he was awarded life membership of the South Otago Smallbore Rifle Association. He has represented South Otago in bowls since 1976, playing for the Waihola Club and has held multiple administrative roles for the South Otago Bowls Association. He is the current President of Waihola Bowling Club. In 2013 he qualified as a Level Two bowls umpire, later officiating at the New Zealand championships in 2017. He has been President of the Bowls South Otago Umpire Association for ten years. Mr Walker was awarded the Services to Sport Award at the Clutha Licensing Trust Sports Awards in 2021.
The Queen’s Service Medal:
WANASINGHE, Mr Athula Cuda Bandara, JP
For services to the Sri Lankan community and cricket
Mr Athula Wansinghe is currently Vice President of the Sri Lankan Association of New Zealand, having been President from 2014 to 2020, and as Treasurer improved the financial management of the Association’s funds.
Mr Wanasinghe was involved in coordinating support following the 2004 Boxing Day Tsunami, the Easter Sunday 2018 terrorist attack in Sri Lanka and during the COVID-19 pandemic. He was President of the Wellington Sri Lankan Buddhist Association from 2008 to 2013, helping purchase the property to establish the Sri Lankan Buddhist Centre in Wainuiomata. He has been on the Board of Community Languages Association of New Zealand since 2012 and has provided interpreting services for various agencies. He has provided his banking and real estate experience to help the community with financial and property advice, including workshops in Sinhalese. He has been a junior club cricket coach and is a senior umpire in the Wellington region. He is on the Board of the Cricket Wellington Umpires Association and is liaison officer between College Sport Wellington and the Association. He served on the Onslow College Cricket Board from 2013 to 2019. He initiated the founding of Sri Lankan Masters Cricket in 2010 and is Team Manager and administrator. Mr Wanasinghe established the popular Sri Lankan Annual Quiz Night, which has run since 2009.
Honorary Queen’s Service Medal:
KITHULAGODA, Mr Liyanage Sadun Sampath (Sadun)
For services to the Sri Lankan community
Mr Sadun Kithulagoda has contributed significantly to Wellington’s Sri Lankan expatriate community for more than 20 years.
Mr Kithulagoda has been a member of the United Sri Lanka Association (USLA) since emigrating to New Zealand in 1992 and has been pivotal in supporting USLA’s community events and fundraising activities. He was President of USLA from 2013 to 2016 and was instrumental in promoting a generational shift in the association’s membership towards younger migrants. He was the Programme Director of Lak Handa, Sri Lankan Community Radio for 25 years, creating a fortnightly programme to connect the Wellington Sri Lankan community. He has been an Events Coordinator for the Sri Lankan Dance Academy Incorporated for 20 years, creating stage sets and backdrops for the dance troupe’s performances at Diwali and multicultural festivals organised by Wellington City Council. He trained as a traditional Sri Lankan marriage celebrant, volunteering his services at weddings throughout New Zealand. He has organised the Sri Lankan float at Wellington’s Christmas Street Parade for more than ten years, bringing greater cultural enrichment to the event. Mr Kithulagoda volunteers with a group of medical professionals who travel to Sri Lanka annually to perform complex surgical procedures and organise shipments of equipment to hospitals.