Northlander Kevin Prime was "adamant" he was not going to accept his Queen's Birthday Honour but after Ngati Hine MPs, whanau and extended whanau told him it was "for the iwi", he said yes.
The Motatau father of 13 and grandfather of "about 22" has been made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for his services to conservation and Maori, but he is a reluctant recipient of the honour.
"I got pressured by different MPs who said 'it's not for you, it's for the iwi'. I was more inclined to say no. The family knew because I left the letter on my dresser and I was outvoted," he said.
There are several roles, honours and awards the Ngati Hine man has achieved in his lifetime. He is one of the founding members of Nga Whenua Rahui, established in 1990 to protect Maori land through the use of conservation covenants. It is one of the roles he is most proud of.
He has also been a commissioner of the Environment Court since 2003, ex-chairman and current kaumatua for Foundation North, formerly the ASB Community Trust, and he has been chairman of the Te Kahui Maori Advisory Bio-Heritage National Science Challenge.