Investitures - Tuesday 1 September 2009 (morning)

  • <span class="title">Brian Flintoff and Richard Nunns</span><br/>Richard Nunns (left) and Brian Flintoff, both of Nelson, received the Queen's Service Medal for services to taonga puoro.  Mr Flintoff (carver) and Mr Nunns (musician) have been recreating and promoting the art of taonga puoro (researching the traditions and reviving the playing of Māori musical instruments) for more than 20 years.  Together they established Haumanu, a group dedicated to spreading the knowledge about taonga puoro, which has recreated instruments that were previously only talked about.  They have been involved in projects that promote the traditions of these instruments, including recording the album Te Ku Te Whe: The Women Mat of Sound; which is regarded as the definitive recording of taonga puoro.  With others, they have re-discovered long-forgotten sources of pakohe and pounamu at the top of the South Island.  They have had much of this stone fashioned into instruments.  They developed the Māori musical instruments display at the Mana Whenua exhibition at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa and acted as mentors to it’s taonga puoro group, that performs at museum ceremonies.
  • <span class="title">Thomas Allen</span><br/>Warrant Officer Thomas Allen, of Porirua, received the Distinguished Service Decoration for services to the New Zealand Defence Force.  Since being made an Additional Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 1998, Warrant Officer Allen has continued to contribute to the Royal New Zealand Navy as an electronic warfare specialist.  He has completed four operational deployments under the Operation Enduring Freedom umbrella.  He has been cited in several Allied reports for his outstanding impact in getting the most out of intelligence systems for coalition operational requirements.  The level of respect with which he is held by the Allied forces, in particular those of the United States, has been such that he has been specifically requested on a number of occasions because of his understanding of the operational support required in a military operations environment.  Warrant Officer Allen's contribution to the Allied intelligence cause has been significant in a highly specialised and technically challenging discipline.
  • <span class="title">Solomon Purcell</span><br/>Solomon Purcell, of Havelock North, received the Queen's Service Medal for services to martial arts.  He was the team manager for a number of World Kyokushin Tournaments, and chairman of the New Zealand Kyokushin Blackbelts.  He is the New Zealand Branch chief and country representative of the New Zealand International Karate Organisation Kyokushin-Kaikan Matsushimal.  He organised the first New Zealand Karate championships in 1969, which have been held annually for more than 40 years.  He was the president of the New Zealand Martial Arts Association of New Zealand Kyokushin Karate.  He also arranges self-defence courses for all ages in his local community.  Mr Purcell is a part time guidance counsellor and is involved with the local truancy services.
  • <span class="title">Ellen Stevenson</span><br/>Ellen Stevenson, of Hastings, received the Queen's Service Medal for services to kindergarten administration.  She was elected president of the Hastings Kindergarten Association in 1956, established the first kindergarten in Hastings and was involved in establishing several other early kindergartens.  The association, now known as the Heretaunga Kindergarten Association, has 15 established Kindergartens in the region.  She was also instrumental in getting kindergartens in the lower North Island to be levied and using the money to support the training of teachers at the Wellington Kindergarten Teachers' College.  Mrs Stevenson was also involved in lifting the benchmark of entry to train at the College and campaigned for the recognition of kindergarten teachers and an increase in their remuneration.
  • <span class="title">Francis Gibbs</span><br/>Sister Francis Gibbs, of Wellington, received the Queen's Service Medal for services to the community. Sister Frances has provided support to the sick and isolated in Wellington for more than 30 years.  She has been a parish assistant at St Mary of the Angels Parish in Wellington for all this time and is an ‘onsite’ sister.  She makes pastoral visits six days a week to those in the inner city that are unwell or isolated.  She was also involved in the Faith &amp; Light Movement, which caters for people with intellectual disabilities, and was instrumental in organising the St Mary of the Angels Conference of the St Vincent de Paul Society.  She was also a long-time blood donor and plasma donor and made some 180 blood donations until she reached the maximum age for making donations.
  • <span class="title">Kindra Douglas</span><br/>Kindra Douglas, of Nelson, received the Queen's Service Medal for services to the community.  She was the founding chair of the Nelson Tasman Housing Trust and the Healthier Homes Nelson Tasman Project. She was instrumental in the development of a community centre which provides health services, including a free counselling service and a Be Well community nurse.  The centre also provides other free and regular recreational activities, social programmes, and community services.  Ms Douglas is a volunteer with Nelson Women’s Support, where she offers a regular personal development group. 
  • <span class="title">Mike Brooke</span><br/>Mike Brooke, of New Plymouth, received the Queen's Service Medal for services to sport and the community. He was a founding member of Sport Taranaki, where he has been a trust board member for 20 years and has also been the chair of the Taranaki Sportsperson of the Year Awards for 10 years.  He was the charter president of the Pukekura Lions Club and established the Lions Clubs National Christmas Cake and Hamper Project, which he has organised for some 40 years.  He is also notable for working with youth; he was the national chairman of the Lions Clubs Youth Committee for 10 years.  He instituted the Young Organist Scholarship and the Young Speechmaker Contest, initiated many youth exchange programmes and established Camp Quality in New Zealand.  He is a member of the Woodleigh Sports and Social Club and has coached junior soccer and has overseen the development of the club's facilities.
  • <span class="title">Mike Aamodt</span><br/>Mike Aamodt, of Upper Hutt, received the Queen's Service Medal, for services to the community.  He has been involved with the Upper Hutt Citizen’s Advice Bureau, the New Zealand Centre for Photography, the Upper Hutt Library Archives, and the Friends of Expressions Arts and Entertainment Centre.  He is a life member of the Upper Hutt Fire Police and the Upper Hutt Volunteer Fire Brigade.  Since serving with the volunteer fire bridge, has has continued his inolvement with the brigade, including as secretary.  He has also served in a number of roles with the Hutt Wellington Kapiti Fire Brigades Sub Association and the Wellington Provincial Fire Brigades Association.  Mr Aamodt was also a member of the Arapawa Fire Region and the Wellington Free Ambulance Critical Incident Stress Management Peer Support Team.
  • <span class="title">Robin Oliver</span><br/>Robin Oliver, of Wellington, received the Insignia of a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to Inland Revenue.  Mr Oliver has overseen the development and implementation of a number of significant taxation reforms since 1985.  These reforms have included the accrual rules, work on the integration of the Companies Act 1993 and the taxation of life insurance and superannuation funds.  He is also a member of the Rewrite Advisory Panel, which was a 15-year project that culminated in the Income Tax Act 2007; the largest piece of legislation to be passed by the New Zealand Parliament.  He has been involved with the implementation of the introduction of the Generic Tax Policy Process and the organisational review of the department.  He is the co-author of The Accrual Rules: A Practical Guide. 
  • <span class="title">Leslie Lunny</span><br/>Leslie Lunny, of Wanganui, received the Insignia of a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to touch rugby.   He was the founder of the Wanganui Touch Association in 1987 and served as vice president and president for 10 years.  He was the coach and a selector for the Wanganui Touch Association Men's Team and in 1997 he formed the King Country Touch Association.  He was an organiser of the Touch NZ National Tournament held in Wanganui in 1989.  He organised the touch rugby component of the New Zealand Masters Games and has organised two touch tournaments in Wanganui for the Australian and New Zealand Police Games.  He also served as a Touch NZ selector and tour manger for the national team and tour manager for the Touch NZ National Secondary School Tour.  Mr Lunny has been the president of Touch NZ since 2001.
  • <span class="title">Richard Isaacs</span><br/>Dr Richard Isaacs, of Palmerston North, received the Insignia of a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to oncology.  He is involved in molecular oncology research and is notable for introducing translational molecular oncology research to Palmerston North.  He has been dedicated to breast cancer patient care and making sure that other New Zealand cancer patients have access to world class treatment and care.  He is the chair of the Breast Cancer Special Interest Group which he has encouraged to establish consumer representation, and to ensure effective interaction between patient representatives and clinicians.  He has also been an advocate to ensure clinicians are able to provide optimal care to their patients.  He is a member of the Scientific Advisory Panel of the Australian New Zealand Breast Cancer Trials Group and is Vice President of the Palmerston North Research Foundation. 
  • <span class="title">Robert Murdoch</span><br/><p> Robert Murdoch, of Wellington, received the Insignia of an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to manufacturing and the community.  He has worked to improve productivity and innovation within the sector and to increase the ability of local manufacturers to compete internationally.  He has held a number of roles in the industry, where he has designed and supplied new equipment to improve manufacturing in New Zealand and introduced machining centres and computerised numerical controlled technology.  He was the founding director of New Zealand Industrial Supplies Office, where he was the liaison between the industry and government and established the Government Electronic Tenders Service.  He has also been involved in his local community as member of the Rotary Club of Karori, where he is the convenor of the Karori play area and park redevelopment project.  He is also a member of the St Teresa’s Parish Council, was Chairman of the Wellington West Pastoral Area Council and a member of the national committee for Trees for Survival programme.  </p>
  • <span class="title">Diane Menzies</span><br/><p> Dr Diane Menzies, of Christchurch, received the Insignia of an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to the environment.  She is the world president of the International Federation of Landscape Architects, Life Member and was president of the New Zealand Institute of Architects and a Trustee of the New Zealand Insitute of Landscape Architects Education Foundation.  She is a member of the World Commission on Protected Areas of the World Conservation Union.  She was a director of the Christchurch Environment Centre, a member of the Keep New Zealand Beautiful Board, a councillor of the Royal Forest and Bird Protection Society of New Zealand, a Trustee of the White-Flippered Penguin Trust, and a director of the New Zealand Garden Festival.  Dr Menzies is a Commissioner of the Environment Court. </p>
  • <span class="title">Valerie Burns</span><br/>Valerie Burns, of Lower Hutt, received the Insignia of a Companion of the Queen's Service Order for services to early childhood education.  She was the first woman director of early childhood education at the Department of Education, where she was in involved in increasing funding for the sector.  She has also been involved in setting the direction of early childhood policy in New Zealand and internationally.  She worked at Wellington Teachers' College, where she implemented a kindergarten teacher education curriculum and introduced innovative subjects in early childhood teacher education, including family and community studies, baby studies, and Māori studies.  She contributed to the early childhood education reforms in 1989 and established a course on early childhood education ethics.  She initiated the World Organisation for Early Childhood Education.

The Governor-General, Hon Sir Anand Satyanand, and Lady Susan Satyanand, hosted an investiture ceremony at Premier House in Thorndon in the morning of Tuesday 1 September 2009