Investitures - Dunedin

  • <span class="title">Alf's Imperial Army</span><br/><p> Members of Alf's Imperial Army escort the Wizard of New Zealand into Dunedin's Larnach Castle for his investiture with the Queen's Service Medal. </p>
  • <span class="title">The Wizard of New Zealand</span><br/>Christchurch's Wizard, pictured after the ceremony with the Governor-General, Hon Sir Anand Satyanand, and Lady Susan Satyanand, and family and friends, received the Queen's Service Medal for services to the community. The Wizard of New Zealand has been an icon of the Christchurch region for more than 30 years.  He is a performer and a public speaker, who is notable for reviving the ancient art of rhetoric and was most often seen in The Square in Christchurch synthesising the ideas of famous philosophers.  He is considered a tourist attraction and was recognised by the New Zealand Art Gallery Directors Association as a living work of art in 1982.
  • <span class="title">Larnach Castle</span><br/>Larnach Castle was the venue for the investiture ceremony in Dunedin on 8 September 2009.
  • <span class="title">Richard Stark</span><br/>Richard Stark, Gore, received the Queen's Service Medal for services to the community.  He is a member of Grey Power, the zone director for the Otago and Southland Grey Power associations and a member of the New Zealand Grey Power Federation Board.  He has sat on various government committees, including the Disability Advisory Council, the ACC Hearing Loss Reference Group and was chair of the Grey Power Health Portfolio.  He has consistently worked to improve the health and well being of the elderly through the improvement of health services and has served on the Eastern Southland Primary Health Organisation.  Mr Stark has also served on the Deep Cove Outdoor Education Trust as a volunteer and has been involved with St Andrew's Presbyterian Church.
  • <span class="title">Shirley Rudkin</span><br/>Shirley Rudkin, Christchurch, received the Queen's Service Medal for services to to the community.  Mrs Rudkin was involved in the Christchurch community for more than 25 years.  She was involved with the local branch of Save the Children for 28 years, where she organised the annual fête for 20 years, raising in excess of $40,000 a year, which has been donated to many projects.  She has been an elder at St Ninians Presbyterian Church for more than 20 years and was the first woman president of the Rangi Ruru Parent Teachers' Association.  Mrs Rudkin was also involved with the Rangi Ruru School Development Trust.
  • <span class="title">Peter McMillan</span><br/>Peter McMillan, Christchurch, received the Queen's Service Medal for services to the community. He worked as an electrician at the former Templeton Hospital, where he was also involved in voluntary work, including helping to fundraise and organise events and patient trips.  He was also involved with the Special Olympics for many years.  He formed the Templeton Tigers Special Olympics team, which he took to the Australian Special Olympics, and was instrumental in the organisation and fundraising for a team of athletes from the hospital to go to the international Special Olympics in the United States of America in 1984.  He was the assistant team manager and baggage manager of the New Zealand Special Olympics Team at the Special Olympics in 1995 and was the chairperson of the Canterbury Special Olympics for more than 10 years. 
  • <span class="title">Leslie Johnston</span><br/>Leslie Johnston, Tuatapere, received the  Queen's Service Medal for services to the community.  He has been a member of the Hump Track Charitable Trust since its inception in 1995 and is the Teasurer.  He was involved in building a section of boardwalk for the Hump Ridge track and viaducts restoration and has spent a considerable amount of time assisting with the construction of other buildings and projects.  He is a founding member of the Western Southland Deerstalkers Association and the Waiau Town and Country Club.  He has been involved with the Tuatapere Bowling Club for more than 20 years and  has been involved with the Tuatapere District Lions Club for more than 35 years.  Mr Johnston has also been a member, treasurer, and the patron of the Southland Locator Beacon Charitable Trust since its inception in 1996 and has served 18 years on the Tuatapere Community Board.
  • <span class="title">Elisabeth Cunningham</span><br/>Elisabeth Cunningham, Dunedin, received the Queen's Service Medal for services to the community.   She has been a member of the board of trustees of the St Johns Parish Friends of the Aged and Needy Society for 25 years and oversaw the establishment of day centre and home support services.  She was also involved with buying and developing a 60 bed facility on the Wakari Hospital site for elderly and psycho-geriatric patients needing care, establishing a unit for young people needing long-term care, and the upgrade of the rest home with the addition of a new wing.  She is active in the development of plans for upgraded and new hospital and day centre facilities and residential units.  She has also been involved with the National Council of Women for more than 20 years and has held all offices at the Dunedin branch. 
  • <span class="title">Norm Withers</span><br/>Norm Withers, Christchurch, received the Insignia of a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to sport and the community.  He has been active in sports, in particular soccer, cricket, and boxing.  He has been an accredited judge for New Zealand Boxing for more than 20 years and was a New Zealand Team Manager in 1984 and 1985.  He was a voluntary ringside announcer and reporter for local media on boxing.  He was a player and administrator with cricket and soccer and is a member of the board of the Canterbury West Coast Sports Trust.  For more than 25 years, he has been involved in fundraising for young sports people, sports clubs, and those with disabilities or in ill-health.  He also supported the New Zealand Rugby Paraplegic Team to attend World Championship tournaments.  Mr Withers advocated for a referendum on the justice system in 1999.  He has been a member of the Christchurch City Council since 2001 and is the deputy mayor.
  • <span class="title">Rosalie Sampson</span><br/>Rosalie Sampson, Karamea, received the Insignia of a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to conservation and the community. She has been a Buller District Councillor since 1989 and is the deputy mayor.  She has been a member of the Karamea Medical Association Trust for 25 years; driving recruitment processes to attract doctors to the area.  She was a member of the Nelson-Marlborough Conservation Board, where she was a key player in the consultations over the formation of the Kahurangi National Park.  She was instrumental in co-establishing the Oparara Valley Project Trust and is the chairman.  Under her leadership, the trust secured sponsorships and grants to invest in tourism opportunities for the park and has successfully completed key projects, such as the restoration of the Fenian Historic Track and the mountain bike track.  Mrs Sampson is a member and treasurer of the Karamea Information and Resource Centre and is the project manager for the refurbishment of the centre.  Mrs Sampson was a member of the Karamea Arts Council.
  • <span class="title">Cheung-Tak Hung</span><br/>  <p> Dr Cheung-Tak Hung, of Dunedin, received the Insignia of a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to philanthropy and the Chinese community.  He is a member of the Dunedin Chinese Garden Trust and has been instrumental in building relationships with Dunedin's sister city of Shanghai.  He has contributed to the development of Chinese language and culture at Columba College in Dunedin and facilitated the establishment of a sister school relationship between the College and Datong High School in Shanghai.  He is also a supporter and facilitator of the Columba College Mandarin teaching programme, the first Chinese language programme offered in a Dunedin school.  In addition, he has financially supported the Columba College Gymnasium Building Fund, the Marama Strings Charitable Trust, and the Queenstown Violin Summer School.  Dr Hung is also involved with the Shanghai-Dunedin Friendship Society, the Dunedin Chinese Presbyterian Church, the Otago-Southland Branch of the New Zealand Chinese Association, and the Otago Chamber of Commerce. </p>
  • <span class="title">John Gilks</span><br/>John Gilks, Wanaka, received the Insignia of a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to business and the community. He was the Chief Executive of Frontline Finance Holdings and Motor Trade Finances for more than 30 years.  He has held some 15 directorships, including The National Bank and Dunedin City Holdings.  He is  chairman of Port Otago, where he has been instrumental in the transition of the port from the Otago Harbour Board.  He is the deputy chairman of Radio Otago and other companies.  He has been involved in the community as chairman of the Dunedin Rhododendron Festival Trust, as a trustee of the Otago Air Ambulance Trust and the Leukaemia and Blood Foundation, and as a member of the Advisory Board of the University of Otago.  Mr Gilks is also involved with Angels Upstart Advisory Board and New Zealand Business Mentors. 
  • <span class="title">Lester Flockton</span><br/>Lester Flockton, Dunedin, received the Insignia of a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to education and pipe bands.    He played a prominent part in the development and introduction of the New Zealand Curriculum and was one of the designers of New Zealand's nationally and internationally recognised National Education Monitoring Project.  He co-established the Māori Immersion Education Advisory Committee and the Māori Reference Group to guide assessment for Māori students.  He is the emeritus director of the Educational Assessment Research Unit at the University of Otago and the National Education Monitoring Project.  He has also been involved with pipe bands as a player and administrator for many years.  He was a piper in the City of Dunedin Highland Pipe Band and is the President.  Mr Flockton was Vice-President of the Royal New Zealand Pipe Band Association and was the founding director of the association's education group.
  • <span class="title">Francis Farry</span><br/><p> Dr Francis Farry, of Queenstown, received the Insignia of a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to rural medicine.  He has been involved with education for general practitioners since the 1970s and was the regional director of the Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners Registrar Training Programme.  He was also involved with the formation of the University of Otago Te Waipounamu Rural Health Unit for the education of rural doctors, founded the Matagouri Club for undergraduate students with an interest in rural medicine, and was the rural medical director for the South Island.  In 2007, he developed the first one year Rural Medical Immersion Programme for medical students in New Zealand.  </p>
  • <span class="title">David Elms</span><br/>Emeritus Professor David Elms, Christchurch, received the Insignia of a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to civil engineering.  He was a leader in environmental thinking for engineering education and practice while teaching at the University of Canterbury for some 40 years.  He has contributed extensively to journals on his area of expertise.  He was involved in a number of inquiries, including the 1992 Inquiry into the Safety of Nuclear Powered Ships and the New Zealand Police INCIS Inquiry and has served as a commissioner on a number of major environment hearings.  He played a substantial role in the founding of the Centre for Advanced Engineering and served on its governing board for many years.  Professor Elms is a Fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand and a Distinguished Fellow of the Institution of Professional Engineers in New Zealand. 
  • <span class="title">Terry Crooks</span><br/>Professor Terry Crooks, Dunedin, received the Insignia of a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to education.    He is recognised internationally as an expert in educational assessment and the monitoring of student performance.  He is one of the directors and prime developers of the New Zealand National Education Monitoring Project, recognised nationally and internationally, which was used to assess student outcomes at years four and eight for 14 years until 2007.  He was a board member and Treasurer of the New Zealand Council for Education Research and Vice-President and President of the New Zealand Association for Research in Education. 
  • <span class="title">Belinda Charteris </span><br/>Belinda Charteris, Christchurch, recevied the Insignia of a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for servcies to netball.  She played in the provincial netball competition for many years, including representing the Otago Rebels and the Canterbury Flames until 2004.  She made her Silver Ferns debut in 1994 against Australia and carried on to play 53 tests until she retired from international netball in 2002.  She also represented New Zealand at the 1998 Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur and the World Netball Championships in Birmingham in 1995 and in Christchurch in 1999.  Mrs Charteris was a National Bank Netball Ambassador from 2003 to 2007, which involved setting up coaching clinics for young players aged 8 to 12 years.
  • <span class="title">Norma Campbell</span><br/><p> Norma Campbell, of Christchurch, received the Insignia of a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to women's health, in particular midwifery.  She was a founding member of the New Zealand College of Midwives and is a midwifery advisor at the College.  She also writes a regular column for the Midwifery News and she is a guest lecturer at the Schools of Midwifery in Otago, Canterbury, Waikato, and Auckland.  She is involved with many Ministry of Health committees and was a member of the New Zealand Group B Streptococcus Consensus Working Party and the New Zealand Breastfeeding Authority Committee.  She is a member of  a number of organisations, including the Downs Syndrome Advisory Group.  Ms Campbell is the chair of the National Breastfeeding Advisory Committee and a member of the National Screening Advisory Committee. </p>
  • <span class="title">Jefferie Tippen</span><br/>Jefferie Tippen, Christchurch, received the Insignia of an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to tourism.  He has worked for Tourism New Zealand for many years, where he has been responsible for the introduction of a marketing focus for the organisation.  He helped establish the first network of visitor information centres.  He has been responsible for the development and promotion of the network for more than 10 years, including the re-branding of the network to i-SITE New Zealand.  He has held many other positions, including travel commissioner based in the United States of America, has marketed New Zealand in Australia and the United States of America and is the manager for the Christchurch/South Island office of Tourism New Zealand. 
  • <span class="title">Neil Collins</span><br/>Neil Collins, Dunedin, received the Insignia of an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to broadcasting, local body affairs and the community.  He has been a broadcaster in the region for 50 years and is the morning host of Radio Dunedin, where he established the commercial section of the station in 1990.  He hosted Southern Television's Marketplace from 1994 to 1996 and has written and produced television commercials for the station.  He has been a Dunedin city councillor for some 20 years.  He is a patron of the Otago/Southland Camellia Society.  Mr Collins is also a trustee of Age Concern and a board member of the Fortune Theatre, where he has also been involved in several productions.
  • <span class="title">Bruce Aitken</span><br/>Bruce Aitken, Dunedin, received the Insignia of a Companion of the Queen's Service Order for services to education and music. He has been involved with Knox College for some 30 years and is Master of the college.  He contributed to the governance of the University of Otago for over 20 years as a member of the University Council,  and as Pro Vice-Chancellor.  He has also contributed to church music voluntarily in Otago and Southland for more than 35 years in many capacities, including as the organist and choirmaster at Dunedin's Knox Church, where he established the choirboys' section of the choir, the Peter Warwick Scholarship Trust, and the Iona Choir for Girls.  At Knox College, he established  choral scholarships, the Ross Chapel Music Endowment Fund, and more recently the Fleming Galway Organ Fellowship and the Elman Poole Scholarship.   Mr Aitken is a member of both the vestry and the chapter of St Paul's Cathedral and was Chairman of the Foundation for the Dunedin Civic Orchestra and president of the Dunedin Sinfonia Board.
  • <span class="title">Alison Stewart</span><br/>Professor Alison Stewart, of Lincoln, received the Insignia of a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to biology, in particular plant pathology.  She has developed microbial technologies that reduce plant disease and stimulate plant growth and discovered new genetic pathways in Trichoderma biocontrol agents.   She was the first woman appointed a professor at Lincoln University in 1998 and became director of the Bio-Protection Research Centre in 2003.  Professor Stewart was the Vice President of the New Zealand Plant Protection Society, the Australasian Plant Pathology Society and was an Australasian councillor of the International Society of Plant Pathologists.

The Governor-General, Hon Sir Anand Satyanand, and Lady Susan Satyanand, hosted an investiture ceremony at Dunedin's Larnach Castle on Tuesday 8 September 2009