Community heroes recognised in Queen's Birthday Honours List

Many of their names won’t be widely known.

Among Sirs and Dames this Queen's Birthday are members of local communities whose names you might not recognise, but have extraordinary passions.

One duo's charity doesn’t appear fit for royalty at all – Good Bitches Baking .

It was borne from one rash decision, between two old friends, over a glass of sparkling wine.

"We just had an idea, five years ago now, under the influence of a few glasses of pink bubbles," said Marie Fitzpatrick, who founded the charity with Nicole Murray.

"We woke up the next morning and our Facebook feeds had gone berserk."

The pair say they never expected the explosion of interest from right around the country.

"Turns out, thousands of people felt the same way we did, wanting to reach out to the people in their community who they saw in distress and looking for a fun and creative, easy, non-threatening way to show caring to a stranger," Ms Murray said.

Today, the two friends became Members of the New Zealand Order of Merit.

They began baking for the Wellington Night Shelter just under 5 years ago. Now, there are 'Good Bitches' baking treats for those less fortunate in towns from the top of the North Island, to Invercargill.

"You just see the guys smile and they go 'oh wow!'" said Don O'Neill, coordinator at the Wellington Night Shelter.

"They make lovely banana cakes and all different types of cakes, carrot cakes - not one of my favourites but it goes down a treat here," he said.

Also on the Queen's list of honours this year is Wairarapa man Eddie Fawcett, who's received a Queen's Service Medal for services to woodchopping.

He's made axes and saws for woodchopping competitors in 30 different countries, and even for the United States' Army.

Services to folk dancing and the arts are also being recognised, with a Queen's Service Medal for Rae Storey. She has taught maypole and international folk dancing in Auckland for 40 years.

"I love the fun that the kids get out of it. And that later maybe they will realise that it's fun that's been going on for generations," she said.

"I brought it home, I was one of the pioneers here - this was in the 60s.

"There were two or three of us around Auckland who started international folkloric dancing then. And mine grew into a club and it survived! We're having a 40th anniversary party in September this year."

There were 180 honours announced today, all New Zealanders doing good work now recognised by the Queen.

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