Tim Shadbolt among new Knights and Dames as New Year Honours recognise outstanding Kiwis

December 31, 2018
Sir Tim Shadbolt.

Invercargill's colourful mayor Tim Shadbolt will now be Sir Tim and filmmaker Gaylene Preston will be a Dame, among four new Dames and four Knights named in the New Year Honours.

The Warehouse founder Sir Stephen Tindall becomes a Knight Grand Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to business, the community and the environment.

Sir Stephen has contributed to the community, business, international trade and commerce, and the environment in New Zealand for more than 40 years.

He founded the Warehouse Group in 1982 and established the Tindall Foundation, one of New Zealand’s leading philanthropic foundations that has since donated more than $145 million towards strategies to improve communities and the environment. 

Tim Shadbolt has become a Knight Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to local government and the community.

He's the longest serving Mayor in New Zealand and is described in the citation as an inspirational leader for both Invercargill and the Southern Region. 

Sir Tim was first elected as Mayor of Waitemata City for six years. Then in 1993 he was elected to serve as Mayor of Invercargill City until 1995. He was re-elected in 1998 and is now serving his eighth term in office. 

He campaigned for the Zero Fees scheme at the Southland Institute of Technology, which encouraged youth to remain in the region or migrate South to study. This has led to an increase in the population and stimulated economic growth in Southland. 

Gaylene Preston becomes a Dame Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to film.

She has continued to contribute New Zealand stories to global cinema and her award-winning work has screened extensively at international festivals including Venice, Sundance, Toronto, London, Fantasporto, Chicago, San Francisco, and Munich. 

Most recently, Dame Gaylene made the documentary film ‘My Year with Helen’ in 2017 on Helen Clark’s bid to become the United Nation’s first female Secretary-General. 

Dame Gaylene was the writer, producer and director of the 2010 film ‘Home By Christmas’, a narrative documentary based on her father’s recollections of his service during World War II, which received international acclaim and was in the top 15 highest grossing New Zealand films ever in its year of release. 

Former Wellington Mayor Kerry Prendergast is made a Dame Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to governance and the community.

Dame Kerry concluded three terms as Mayor of Wellington in 2010 and has since made significant contributions in a range of other positions.  She chaired the establishment board that set up the Environmental Protection Authority in 2011, completing her term as Chair in September 2018. 

She is also currently the Chair of the New Zealand Film Commission and the New Zealand Conservation Authority.

Distinguished Professor Margaret Brimble of Auckland becomes a Dame Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to science.

The citation states she has made world-class contributions to research in medicinal chemistry and has been a key driver of the creation of a nascent drug discovery and development industry in New Zealand.

Professor Brimble is Chair of Organic Chemistry and Director of Medicinal Chemistry at the University of Auckland. She discovered the drug candidate  named Trofinetide by the World Health Organisation, which is currently in phase three human clinical trials for treatment of Rett Syndrome and Fragile X syndrome. 

She established New Zealand’s first Good Manufacturing Practice Peptide Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient Manufacturing Facility that was licensed by Medsafe NZ and produced clinical grade antigens for the MELVAC melanoma vaccine trial in 2014. 

Former Retirement Commissioner Diana Crossan is named a Dame Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to the State.

Dame Diana has provided leadership in the public service, working hard to enable equal employment opportunities and retirement savings.

She was the first manager of the Equal Employment Opportunities Unit at the State Services Commission. In this role she helped shape legislation on equal work opportunities for women, Māori, other ethnic groups, and people with disabilities. 

She was the Retirement Commissioner from 2003 to 2013, developing a national strategy for financial literacy that incorporated practical strategies such as the sorted.org website, multimedia campaigns, and education in schools. Her work contributed to the development of Kiwisaver. 

New Zealand's first Commissioner for Children, Dr Ian Hassall, is made a Knight Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to the welfare of children.

The citation says Dr Hassall has spent his career championing children’s rights and to this day his work continues to impact on child welfare services, practices and research. 

He contributed to a major world-first cot death study that has been directly credited with reducing cot death and initiated a successful campaign to reduce the drowning rate of children at home. He has been responsible for medical oversight of the nationwide network of Plunket/Karitane Family units. 

He established the Child Abuse Prevention Society (Parent Help) in 1977. He was appointed as the first Commissioner for Children in 1989 and has been a member of a number of ministerial advisory committees on various issues affecting children. 

Rob McLeod is named a Knight Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to business and Māori.

Sir Rob was Chief Executive Officer and Managing Partner from 2010 to 2014 of Ernst and Young Oceania, and retired as Chairman of Ernst and Young in 2015. 

He has been a specialist tax practitioner for more than 25 years, was appointed as a member of the Capital Markets Taskforce in 2008 and has been Lead Negotiator for Te Haeata (Ngati Porou Treaty Settlement Committee). 

Sir Rob chaired the New Zealand Business Roundtable from 2002 to 2010 and was Chair of the Government Tax Review 2001. 

In 2006 he was appointed to the Hui Taumata Taskforce to increase Māori workforce participation, promote entrepreneurship, and enhance Māori leadership and governance. 

Prison reform advocate Kim Workman becomes a Knight Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to prisoner welfare and the justice sector.

Sir Kim stepped down from his role as National Director of Prison Fellowship New Zealand in 2008 and then served a three-year term as Families Commissioner from 2008 to 2011. 

He founded the Robson Hanan Trust, of which he remains a Trustee, Strategi Advisor, and spokesman. The Trust oversees the Rethinking Crime and Punishment strategy, which he helped launch in 2006, and in 2011 founded JustSpeak, a non-partisan network of young people speaking up for change in the criminal justice system. 

Christchurch surgeon Philip Bagshaw , a key driver of the establishment of the Canterbury Charity Hospital who remains a volunteer specialist General Surgeon is made a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit

Dr Philip Bagshaw

Carmel Fisher who founded Fisher Funds Management Limited in 1998 and as Managing Director has steered the company to become one of New Zealand’s largest investment management and KiwiSaver providers, also becomes a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit.

That same honour also goes to Lieutenant General Tim Keating , who was appointed Chief of Defence Force for a three year term in January 2014 and had his appointment extended until 2018. 

Lt Gen Tim Keating has spoken today about a raid in Afghanistan in 2010 involving NZ SAS that saw civilians killed.

The honour is also awarded to Barbara Kendall , the only New Zealand woman to have competed in five Olympic Games, winning gold in 1992, silver in 1996, and bronze in 2000 in boardsailing. 

Also made a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit is Major Campbell Roberts who has contributed to community organisations and been an officer with The Salvation Army since 1970. 

The honour also goes to actor Jennifer Ward-Lealand who has worked extensively in theatre, film and television for more than 35 years.

Journalist Fran O'Sullivan becomes an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to journalism and business.

Dr Siouxsie Wiles , a microbiologist at the University of Auckland since 2009 and head of the University’s Bioluminescent Superbugs Lab becomes a  Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to microbiology and science communication.

With winter flu season looming, we take a look at what anti-germ measures are worth following.

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