Pat George is one of this year's recipients in the King's Birthday Honours Photo / Michael Cunningham
This year the King’s Birthday Honours List contains 176 recipients, who have been recognised for their contributions to various areas including education, health, sport and recreation as well as community, voluntary and local services.
Of this year’s recipients, seven hail from Northland and the Advocate caught up with them to see how they feel about the honour.
The announcement of the King’s Birthday 2024 Honours List marks the first occasion where appointments have been made to the “King’s Service Order” (formerly the Queen’s Service Order). The change of name to the King’s Service Order and King’s Service Medal acknowledges the new Sovereign.
Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit: Fleur Corbett, for services to conservation
Bay of Islands conservationist Fleur Corbett has been recognised for services to conservation in this year’s King’s Birthday Honours.
Corbett said it was “a lovely surprise” to be made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit [MNZM] in recognition of her work with Project Island Song, an ambitious programme to restore native flora and fauna in the eastern Bay of Islands.
The community-driven, mostly volunteer-run project, works in partnership with Ngāti Kuta and Patukeha hapū from Te Rawhiti, and the Department of Conservation [DoC].
Corbett, the former DoC Bay of Islands community senior ranger who has now retired, said it had been “an incredibly rewarding 15 years”.
“There are so many amazing people in our district doing incredible work.
“The best thing for me is that I’ve been able to work with these people - it’s fantastic.”
Corbett was chair of Guardians of the Bay of Islands, the community group that leads Project Island Song, for 15 years from 2007 until 2022.
Together with mana whenua and DoC, the Guardians spearheaded Project Island Song which has worked to restore seven islands of Ipipiri in the eastern Bay of Islands by eradicating pests from the islands, keeping them pest-free, restoring habitat and reintroducing native species to the island sanctuaries.
Corbett was also instrumental in ensuring Project Island Song had a well-established learning programme in collaboration with local schools, so students had opportunities to participate in conservation work.
Her leadership has led to an active volunteer base dedicated to preserving the Bay of Islands’ natural heritage.
Along the way, Corbett has become a sought-after mentor, adviser and advocate for best practices in community-led conservation throughout New Zealand.
Corbett, from Kerikeri, said she was most proud of the collaboration between mana whenua, the community, and other landowners.
“It’s been a really successful partnership over the years and such an honour to be part of it.
“That’s something that’s very strong in Northland, the collaboration between the kaitiaki and the community has proven to be a very successful working model.
“It’s all the wonderful people you meet, and the generosity of the landowners. It’s wonderful to have those landowners on board as well.”
These days, Corbett volunteers closer to home in Kerikeri.
She is a trustee on the Kerikeri Peninsula Conservation Charitable Trust, works with the Kerikeri Shade house volunteers, and still has an active interest in Project Island Song.
Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit: Grant Harrison, for services to volleyball.
When he started out in volleyball, Grant Harrison wanted to help others enjoy the game. Receiving a King’s Birthday Honour for it was not on his cards.
He said to be made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit [MNZM] in recognition of his work with the sport was unexpected and humbling.
“I have received awards as part of team successes, I have been acknowledged for services to volleyball locally and regionally in particular in coaching - but the significance of this recognition is far wider. It makes me aware of an impact wider than who is in front of you at any given time.”
Harrison has been contributing to the development of volleyball for more than 40 years.
He has led Te Puke High School’s Senior Girls’ team to three national championships in the 1980s which led to his appointment as the coach for the Under-19 New Zealand Junior Women’s Volleyball team and served as head coach for NZ’s senior Women’s National team between 1991 to 1996.
He became the regional sport director of Sport Northland in 1994, holding the position for 26 years.
He oversees the development of beach volleyball, assisting with the National Beach Volleyball circuit, and coaches the Under-17 and Under-19 Northland Inter-Provincial teams, providing opportunities for player selection for national camps.
“I have been fortunate to work in sport and I am enthusiastic about that, and I am grateful to be acknowledged for doing something that is important to me. It also gives me cause to reflect on those who have supported and encouraged me on this journey and to those who I have impacted. It means a lot to me that I have had the impact on people to have them nominate me for recognition rather than the recognition itself.”
He said he developed his love for volleyball from his father and was also influenced by Phil Merritt, the first volleyball coach who was able to mentor him in the first few years of coaching and Keith Roberts who introduced him to the science involved in sport.
“I hope I have passed on a love of sport being more than just what you play, it’s about personal development. It gives you a greater understanding of yourself and your capabilities as well as an acceptance of differences. A personal focus of the work I have done has been coaching. I take pleasure in seeing athletes become better people as well as better athletes.”
Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit: Maureen Morris, for services in nursing.
Whangārei resident Maureen Morris has been made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to nursing and says she is most proud of helping families over her extensive nursing career.
Working as a nurse from 1966 until her retirement last year, Morris said one highlight was being the charge nurse manager of Auckland City Hospital’s Oncology Ward, which had to move everything - including patients in their beds - into a new hospital.
More recently, she was Northland’s colorectal cancer nurse specialist, walking patients and their whānau through the journey from investigations, through surgery, chemotherapy and recovery.
The expansion of Northland’s cancer services - including the Jim Carney Cancer Treatment Centre in 2014 and a new purpose-built endoscopy suite in 2020 - is “fabulous” and helps patients have better outcomes, she said.
As well as nursing, Morris volunteered her time with numerous organisations helping patients and their families, including the Child Cancer Foundation, hospice, Breast Cancer Support Northland, the National Association for Loss and Grief, and Blind Low Vision NZ.
Morris said as a nurse, she volunteered because she saw gaps in the service offered.
The voluntary roles were the ones that gave the most reward, such as when she was chair of the Child Cancer Foundation, she said.
“One of the things I did was spend the day at a fundraising garden party dressed in a Pink Panther outfit … It was those things that you got involved in that you wouldn’t otherwise do.”
Morris also helped establish specialist care clinical standards, plus helped with the professional development of nurses.
She received the New Zealand Nurses Organisation’s Cancer Nursing Innovation and Excellence Award and was made a Fellow of the New Zealand College of Nurses Aotearoa.
Morris “officially” retired in June 2023 but continued nursing until the end of the year because of staff shortages. She is now focused on her garden and writing her life story for her two children and five grandchildren to read.
Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit: Merrick (Bill) Sanderson, for services to orthopedic surgery
It was a “total surprise” and “quite overwhelming” to be made a member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for his services to orthopedic surgery, Merrick (Bill) Sanderson, 82, says.
Sanderson, who retired from clinical practice in 2021, was involved in surgery in Northland for more than 50 years – the first two decades at Whangārei Hospital and the latter part of his career at Northland Orthopedic Centre.
He credits the success of his career to the world-class surgeons under whom he trained in Auckland, Oxford and London.
Sanderson was the first of a new age of orthopedic surgeons in Northland who were trained in joint replacement and arthroscopy (diagnosing and treating joint problems by inserting a narrow tube attached to a fiber-optic camera through a small incision in the joint).
“Those were the two major developments that happened during my working life so we built up from there and the aim of the exercise was really to develop as big a group of orthopedic surgeons as we possibly could in Northland.”
“And we pretty much achieved that and we now really have a real centre of excellence in Northland – we’ve got some of the best orthopedic surgeons in New Zealand working here,” Sanderson said.
He co-developed the Northland Orthopaedic Centre and later added the Day Surgical Centre, enhancing opportunities for clinicians in the region and encouraging mentorship.
Also, during his career, Sanderson campaigned for high standards in operating theatre conditions, including pushing for the introduction of laminar flow technology to reduce surgical infection rates. And he was involved in the development of Kensington Hospital to improve access for patients eligible for ACC treatment.
He chaired the Northland branches of the New Zealand Arthritis Foundation and the New Zealand Sports Medicine Foundation in the 1980s and was a member of the Northland District Health Board between 2001 and 2016 and deputy chair from 2007 to 2010.
Seduced by the lifestyle on offer in Whangārei, he and his first wife brought their young family here in 1976. They appreciated being able to live rurally but within easy reach of work in town and being able to indulge their love of sailing in their time off.
The Bay of Islands is still one of Sanderson’s favourite getaways.
Bill married his second wife Rosie in 1984. Between them, they had five children and 13 grandchildren. Rosie, who died in 2021, also made a great contribution to the local community, Sanderson was proud of the civic honour she was awarded in 2020.
Nowadays, Sanderson keeps busy on his avocado orchard, travelling and cycling.
Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit: Akinihi Miraka Smith, for services to Māori and the Anglican Church
After a lifetime of serving her communities, Kaitāia’s Akinihi Smith doesn’t think she has really done anything special that deserves too much recognition.
But, just like many selfless people who dedicate themselves to others who do not do it for any accolades, somebody thought she was pretty special and Smith has been made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the King’s Birthday Honours for services to Māori and the Anglican Church.
Smith, known to most as Aunty Aggie, said all her work - her and husband Edward Mutch-Smith - dedicated themselves to helping others their entire life was simply about helping people and she did not do it for any recognition.
She said she just enjoyed helping people and giving back to her communities - that was reward enough.
But Bishop Kito Pikaahu the Anglican Bishop of Te Tai Tokerau, said Smith was fully deserving of any accolade she got as her outstanding work made a huge difference to so many.
Smith (Ngāti Kuri, Te Aupōuri, Ngāi Takoto, Ngāti Kahu, Te Paatu, Te Rarawa, Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Kahungunu) is a revered kuia of Ngāi Takoto, Ngāti Kuri and Te Paatu, the most senior elder of her marae in Waimanoni, Awanui, and a senior elder of several other Far North marae.
She has served her hapū, iwi, marae and the community of St Joseph’s Māori Anglican Church in Awanui. She is highly respected for her knowledge of iwi customs and traditions and has been involved with kohanga reo and kura kaupapa, youth and sports groups. She has managed various marae and church fundraising efforts.
Smith has organised the maintenance of St Joseph’s church and cemetery and was a senior member of the Auckland Anglican Māori Mission from the 1960s through to the 1990s, when she moved to Kaitāia. She has represented her Far North pastorate at every gathering of the Hui Amorangi, the Māori Anglican Diocesan Synod, since 1963, making her the longest-serving representative of the Māori Anglican community. She is well regarded for her leading knowledge of Te Rawiri (the 1662 Anglican Book of Common Prayer and Hymnal). Smith is an active member of the Mother’s Union and is a Board member of her church’s local residential care unit.
Bishop Kito said the honour was to recognise Smith’s many years serving her communities, church and people.
“Everybody deserves recognition at some point in their lives, especially if they do great work, and this is also something that recognises her family. It’s recognition for her life of helping others, caring about others, and giving so much to everybody who knows her. I’ve known Aunty Aggie for about 45 years and she just gives so much to help others and the church. She’s one of the last real salt of the earth people.”
King’s Service Medal: Pat George, for services to mosaic art and the community
Northland mosaic artist Patricia (Pat) George (Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Manu) first thought she was being scammed when she got a phone call announcing she would be a recipient of a King’s Service Medal.
“I said I think you’ve got the wrong number,” she laughed.
When the Advocate visited, the news was still sinking in.
George has been a respected member of the art community in Northland for over 20 years after moving to Matakohe in the Kaipara district in 2002.
Home-based Foxhanger Studio is a mosaic artist’s haven, with containers piled high with old china, mirror tiles, glass, beads, stone pebbles, shells and more.
A table spreads far across the studio – enough room for her when she works on bigger pieces, but also for students whom she regularly hosts.
George has contributed to the art world not just in Northland but across the country and globe.
Her striking work, often made alongside husband Steve, is featured at the entrance to the Maternity Ward at Whangārei Hospital, at the Kawakawa Te Hononga Community Hub and further afield.
Those two locations have been highlights of her career, she said.
To create the “Windows of Northland” at the entrance to the Kotuku Maternity Ward was particularly memorable because she was able to illustrate her home.
“Where my whānau, where I come from, everything could be put into that because I belong in Northland.”
The piece was put together in nine months – an accidental coincidence.
Working at the Te Hononga Community Centre was also a gratifying project because she was able to give back to the community, she said.
Her passion for the art community is also reflected in the time she spent working at Kaurilands Skills Centre at Tokatoka as well as tutoring at the Quarry Arts Centre in Whangārei.
She said she loves sharing her knowledge with others.
More recently she helped organise a fundraiser, in which one of her pieces raised $10,000 for Cyclone Gabrielle relief.
George is drawn to mosaic art because of the colours and materials.
“I go down to the waterfront and find old bits of china,” she said.
George often takes pictures of her view overlooking the Araparoa River to inform pieces that feature water.
She said it was no surprise mosaic art was now being used for therapeutic purposes.
“You can get lost in this world of colour and your design; it just absorbs all of you.”
Working on mosaic art is like “being set in stone”, she said.
“You leave a legacy behind.”
King’s Service Medal: Arthur Gregory Imms, for services to Fire and Emergency New Zealand
A Northland firefighter who volunteered over 50 years of service to protect and preserve the lives in his community has been honoured with a King’s Service Medal.
Arthur Gregory Imms, 73, from Kerikeri Fire Brigade, Far North, remembers being taken by surprise when he received his nomination for the award by letter.
“Never in a million years did I think this day would come,” he said.
Imms was 17 when he signed up for the brigade in 1968 and was the first in his family to join the service.
“I did so because heaps of my mates were in it. We got to participate in several competitions against other brigades, do courses together and have a few beers at the end of the day.
“It helped keep us out of trouble, that youngsters get into these days.”
In his early years of service, he played an active role in helping build the brigade. Through several fundraising, they purchased second-hand equipment, secured more trucks and doubled the size of the station by the 80s.
One of the highlights of his career was during the Kerikeri flood in 1981 that sent the district into a state of emergency.
He remembers seeing several houses get washed away and bridges crumble.
While they received multiple callouts to help the community at midnight on March 19-20, none of the firefighters could step out because of safety concerns.
It wasn’t until the next morning that they hopped on their trucks and saw the destruction.
“I remember this one guy had woken up in the middle of the night to find his house was moving as it kept filling up with water.
“So, he escaped to his roof and managed to hop onto a nearby floating boat. The good thing was that he was still alive after all that when we found him.”
Another incident he vividly recalls was tending to a scrub fire at a rural property multiple times over several weeks.
“He was burning his farm rubbish. And every time he did that, it went out of control. So, we spent many a night fighting fire. It was bloody ridiculous, and we told him off.”
Imms said during his half a century of volunteering for the brigade, he had observed the number of total callouts during a year increase.
When he started, the station had 11 callouts a year. This year they have already responded to about 170 callouts.
While the stress levels in his role were high, his comrades in the brigade ensured everyone was well looked after. Many young recruits are tasked to do traffic management before they get involved with all the “blood and guts” callouts.
Imms said the brigade has about 25 firefighters who volunteer, half of them women.
“It’s quite a success story in that regard and a big change since the late 60s.”
His message for young people is to try volunteering for the brigade. But keep in mind there’s a lot of hard work involved.
