A number of Māori have been recognised for their tireless efforts serving both their people and the wider community in the New Year 2016 New Zealand Royal Honours list.
Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit (ONZM)
Professor Mere Anne Berryman has been awarded an ONZM for over 35 years of service to Māori and education. Professor Berryman has spent decades supporting students as a teacher, teaching mentor and academic.
Her career focus has been addressing disparities in education achievement of Māori students and she also helped establish Te Kotahitanga research and professional development programme. She has worked tirelessly with a number of educational institutes and initiatives and continues to do so.
She has published 10 books which include detailed outlines on culturally responsive teaching methodologies. In 2013 Professor Berryman was awarded the Te Kotahitanga Award at the World Innovation Summit for Excellence in Qatar.
Emeritus Professor Allan Russell Bishop has also been made a member of ONZM for services to Māori and education and is renowned nationally and internationally for his educational expertise.
Emeritus Professor Bishop has spent over 30 years as an educator focused on contributing and improving education outcomes for Māori and other indigenous population. He was the foundation Professor for Māori education at the University of Waikato and the architect and lead designer of the Te Kotahitanga research and professional development project.
When awarded the title of Emeritus Professor from Waikato University in 2014, the supporting statement asserted that ‘his work is viewed as one of the most significant contributions to educational research and practice in New Zealand in the last 50 years’.
Gilbert Ernest Enoka has also been recognised as an ONZM for his services to rugby and sport psychology.
Mr Enoka has played a key role in the All Blacks management team since 2000 as the Mental Skills Coach and Assistant Manager. He has been a part of four Rugby World Cup programmes which include the major victories for the team in 2011 and 2015.
He has over 15 years’ experience in the mental health area and has continuously implemented new ways to communicate with players and team management. Enoka was a former New Zealand volleyball rep and has worked with the Crusaders, New Zealand Cricket and the Silver Ferns.
Waimarama Taumaunu is another prominent sportsperson being recognised as an ONZM for her services to netball. Taumaunu was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire In 1992 and has continued her tireless contribution to the sport through coaching and administration roles.
From 1990 until 1998 she worked for the Hillary Commission developing and implementing strategies to improve and increase Maori participation in sport, during which time she helped establish the Maori Sports Awards.
Taumaunu became the head coach of the Silver Ferns in 2011 and retired in 2015 following the Netball World Cup and Constellation Cup.
Archbishop William Brown Turei is also being recognised for his contribution to Māori as an ONZM and has served the Anglican Church since he was ordained a Deacon in 1949.
Archbishop Brown is widely regarded as one of the pre-eminent leaders of Māori both within the church and beyond and at 90 years of age he is still very active in his capacity as Archbishop. He has held many prominent roles which include Archdeacon of Waiapū Diocese in Tairāwhiti, and as the Bishop of Tairāwhiti for 12 years. He has also served in the wider community as the Chaplain at Hukarere Māori Anglican Girls College for nine years, and as the Chaplain of the Napier Prison for four years.
Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit (MNZM)
John Te Manihera Chadwick has been recognised as an MNZM for his services to Māori and the law as a practising Barrister and founding President of the Māori Law Society. He was the managing partner of three all-Māori law firms in Rotorua from 1977 to 2002 and was the founding Chairman of the second Kōhanga Reo language nest in New Zealand.
Mr Chadwick is currently Chairman of the Rotorua Community Law Centre national body and has served on a number of committees with the New Zealand Law Society.
Henare Whitu Kingi has also been made an MNZM for 25 years of service to Māori and broadcasting and was the kaumatua and main broadcaster for Te Upoko o te Ika in Wellington.
Mr Kingi has always been a strong influence and has mentored many young Māori broadcasters and has been involved with Te Whakaruruhau o Ngā Reo Irirangi Māori and presented a Sunday Morning Māori Language service for 15 years on a voluntary basis. He has been a cultural advisor to a number of government offices including the National Library of New Zealand, National Archives and the State Services Commission. He has been Kaumatua to the New Zealand Māori Language Commission.
Te Aroha Paenga has also been honoured as an MNZM for services to Māori and a lifetime of supporting the preservation of and teaching Te Reo Māori.
She has judged Kapa Haka national competitions at all levels and played a significant role in the first national Kapa Haka competition in Rotorua in 1972. She was a founding member of Manutaki Kapa Haka and is a respected exponent of poi and other performing arts. Paenga is currently a Senior Kaiako at Te Kōhanga Reo o Hoani Waititi Marae.
Wharemawhai Mina Timutimu has also been made an MNZM for for more than 50 years of service to Māori and midwifery.
Mrs Timutimu was the first Māori representative on the National Committee of the New Zealand College of Midwives. In 2003 she was appointed to the first Midwifery Council of New Zealand and was instrumental in ensuring Turanga Kaupapa standards for cultural safety were approved by the council and incorporated into the New Zealand College of Midwives Handbook for Practice. She also played a key role in setting up a marae-based Kaumatua support programme for the elderly.
Companion of the Queens Service Order (QSO)
Heta Kenneth Hingston has been made a QSO for over 40 years of service to Māori and the judiciary and his legal career has seen him sit as a former judge of the Cook Islands High Court and Chief Justice of the High Court of Niue.
Hingston was a judge of the Māori Land Court and was previously a legal advisor for the New Zealand Māori Council, the Te Arawa Māori Trust Board and the Tūhoe/Waikaremoana Māori Trust Board. He was also involved with the incorporation of the Te Arawa Māori Returned Services League.
Queens Service Medal
Mereana Crawford will receive a Queens Service Medal for her commitment to the community and has been involved with numerous community organisations in Tolaga Bay for over 35 years.
Crawford has led a Victim Support Group in Tolaga Bay and has supported the local Volunteer Fire Brigade while serving on the Uawa Safer Community Team.As well as serving on a number of other community groups Crawford is a trustee for the restoration of Reynolds Hall and the Save the Wharf Charitable Trust.
Kataraina Hodge will also receive a Queen's Service Medal for services to Māori particularly her iwi Ngāti Raukawa. She has been the Chair of the Whakamārama Marae for over 15 years and has been actively involved in the advancement of Treaty claims for Raukawa.
She is a strong supporter of conservation effortsfor the Waikato River and been an active participant in the Waikato River Iwi Accord and governance and co-management arrangements related to the river.
Anne Marie Rotarangi-Kendall has also been awarded a Queens Service Medal for services to Māori and the community. Rotarangi-Kendall is a Life Member of the Māori Wardens and has been involved with the New Zealand Māori Council and the Māori Women's Welfare League.
She has been an Executive member of the Papakura Marae Society Inc and wrote the Mokai Marae charter and facilitated its consultation process.
A Queen's Service Medal will also go to Te Uranga O Te Ra Tuwhakairiora (Toti) Tuhaka for services to veterans and the community. Toti Tuhaka is an ex-Navy diver, teacher, search and rescue worker, and supporter of veteran welfare in the community and is currently acting as a 2nd New Zealand Expeditionary Forces Advisor.
Tuhaka has been awarded the Korean Medal by the Korean Government and is a Patron and Life member of the Korean South East Asia Forces Association of New Zealand.