WAIKATO’S HONOURS

Member of New Zealand Order of Merit:

❚ Professor Roger Moltzen, for his leadership and advice provided to educational institutions.

❚ Maxine Moana-Tuwhangai, for her work in Māori business, education and the public sector.

Queen’s Service Medal:

❚ Coromandel volunteer firefighter John Bull, for 52 years service to Fire and Emergency New Zealand.

❚ Businesswoman Lynette Flowers, for providing her expertise to the not-for-profit sector in the Waikato for 15 years. She has held many community governance roles.

❚ Lesley Gordon, for her contributions to the Hauraki Plains St John and East Waikato Life Education Trust.

❚ Former Hauraki District councillor Bruce Gordon, for his long local government career which included the Hauraki deputy mayorship from 2010 to 2016.

❚ Diane Brown, for her commitment to the Te Akau community.

❚ Cynthia Brown, for her work in children’s care. Brown founded True Colours.

Companion of the Queen’s Service Order:

❚ Former MP Lindsay Tisch, for his work as a minister of Parliament from 1999 to 2017.

❚ Evelyn Weir, for contributions to organisations in both Christchurch and Hamilton.

Along with chairing the region’s Rural Support Trust, Bateup founded the Waikato Primary Industry Adverse Event Cluster, is a Rural Health Alliance Council member, and has been involved with Young Farmers, Waikato Federated Farmers, and the Livestock Improvement Association – to name only a few.

‘‘Farming’s been pretty good to me, it’s just an opportunity to give something back to the community’’.

He’s also been on the board of the Te Kauwhata Retirement Trust, which manages the Aparangi Retirement Village. It sounds a deviation from the rural theme, until Bateup explains why.

The village provides a retirement option for farming families who want to settle for their golden years in a familiar community, without the need to ‘‘go to town’’.

It’s all about the rural community’s welfare. Bateup said the accolade was entirely unexpected.

‘‘I don’t know why I’m picked for this, because I know a lot of people who would have equally been eligible. It’s nice to be acknowledged, but I think it also acknowledges the organisations I’ve been involved with.’’