White Ferns great Debbie Hockley has been named as a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit, headlining the recipients included in the New Year’s Honours list for services to sport.
Hockley, the current president of New Zealand Cricket, played 19 Tests and 118 one-day internationals for New Zealand in a career spanning from 1979 to 2000.
She was the first woman to reach the 100-ODI milestone and played in five World Cups, including the win over Australia in the final in 2000 in Christchurch, which was the last match of Hockley’s career.
The former White Ferns captain scored 1301 runs in Test cricket at an average of 52 and 4064 runs at 41.89 in ODIs and made eight international centuries.
The 58-year-old was also the first woman to score 4000 ODI runs and is a member of the ICC’s Hall of Fame.
She has also commentated on the game after retiring as a player.
Hockley became the first female president of the NZ Cricket board in 2016 and was elected to another three-year term in 2019.
Albert ‘Arch’ Jelley, OBE, was named a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to athletics and the game of bridge.
Jelley coached John Walker when he won gold in the 1500m in the 1976 Montreal Olympics and has continued coaching well into his 90s.
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Current Black Fern Kendra Margaret Cocksedge was made a member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to rugby.
William Trubridge and two-time world mountain running champion Melissa Moon received the same honour, for services to freediving and athletics, respectively.
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Burton Shipley, the new vice president of the Federation of International Basketball Association (FIBA), and champion jockey Lisa Allpress were named as ONZM recipients.
Shipley, the husband of former Prime Minister Jenny Shipley, was named vice president of FIBA in 2019, after a long career as a player with Canterbury and then as an administrator.
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Allpress, a four-time National Jockeys’ Premiership winner, was the first woman to ride 1000 winners on New Zealand soil.
Lisa Allpress became the first female jockey to win on Saudi soil last week.
Actor and Baseball New Zealand board member Peter Elliott received the ONZM for services to the performing arts and baseball.
Former Ombudsman Leo Donnelly received an ONZM for services to karate, having served as the sport’s president in New Zealand.
Ian Taylor, CNZM, was named a Knights Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to broadcasting, business and the community.
Taylor founded Animation Research Limited, which was of the pioneering developers of tracking technology used in cricket’s DRS system.
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