To be a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
BARCLAY, Mr Gregor John (Greg)
For services to sports governance
Mr Greg Barclay has held influential roles in sports administration and governance since the 2000s and was the Independent Chairperson of International Cricket Council (ICC) from 2020 to 2024.
Mr Barclay was Chairman of Northern Districts Cricket before being appointed to the New Zealand Cricket Board in 2012, becoming Chair in 2016. He was a Board member for the 2015 Cricket World Cup co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand. He played a pivotal role in strengthening these organisations during their own periods of change, delivering sustainable business practices, and leading the implementation of new organisational strategies. He was appointed as the New Zealand representative to the ICC Board of Directors in 2014, before being elected Chair in 2020. He helped bring the ICC together again at governance and management level, and oversaw the most lucrative broadcasting agreement in cricket’s history. He has promoted gender equity in world cricket across increasing female participation and competitions and greater representation of women in governance positions. He founded Capital Events (now The Experience Group) the official corporate hospitality provider to many rights holder organisations in New Zealand and has been operating official corporate hospitality programmes since 1999, including All Blacks hospitality from 2005 to 2024, Americas Cup, Lions Tours to New Zealand, and various Cricket and Rugby League World Cups. Mr Barclay in 2025 became a Board member of New Zealand Rugby.
To be a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
BATEUP, Mr Neil Frank, ONZM
For services to the rural sector
Mr Neil Bateup has served New Zealand’s rural sector over decades of leadership spanning governance roles, community engagement and adverse event response, and was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2018 for his contributions.
Mr Bateup has continued his involvement as Chairperson of the Waikato Hauraki/Coromandel Rural Support Trust since 2018 and served as Chairperson of the New Zealand Rural Support Charitable Trust (NZRST) from 2017 to 2024, having played a key role in establishing this national network. His work has helped ensure farmers and growers nationwide have a dedicated, confidential and effective support network. He initiated the Waikato Primary Industry Adverse Events Cluster, bringing together people from across the sector along with Civil Defence and welfare agencies. He has chaired this Waikato group since inception and similar groups now operate across the country, providing support through numerous adverse events from natural disasters to mycoplasma bovis and the COVID-19 pandemic. He helped raise more than $3 million in private donations following Cyclone Gabrielle, personally ensuring funds and support were directed at the worst-hit regions. Mr Bateup was involved with Community Trusts in Care Aotearoa from 2016 to 2021 and continues as Chair of the Northern Waikato Veterinary Services Trust Board.
HONOURS
Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit, New Year 2018
To be a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
COMER, Mr Leith Pirika, QSO
For services to Māori, governance and education
Mr Leith Comer (Te Arawa - Ngāti Rangitihi, Ngāi Tahu, Ngāti Māmoe, Ngāti Pāhauwera) was appointed a Companion of the Queen’s Service Order in 2018 for his service to Māori, the State, and local government.
Mr Comer continues to serve as Chair of his iwi, Ngāti Rangitihi, leading negotiations culminating in their Treaty Settlement in 2022. He was appointed Chair of the Tarawera Awa Restoration Strategy Group, established under the settlement. He served as a member of the Ngāti Rangitihi, Ngāti Tarāwhai, and Tuhourangi Iwi Consortium, advancing iwi-led tourism opportunities in Tarawera. He served as an inaugural Trustee of the Fallen Heroes Trust and Chair of the Veterans’ Affairs Board from 2018 to 2024. He is currently a member of the Te Arawa Returned Services League. His broader governance and community roles include membership of the Te Arawa Wallaby Kahui, Rotorua Area Primary Health Services Board, Te Arawa Emergency Housing initiative, Chair of Rotorua Golf Club, member of the New Zealand Parole Board from 2014 to 2021, and of the Oranga Tamariki Chief Executive’s Complaints Panel. He is an advocate for regional and Māori economic empowerment, contributing to research on place-based learning and tertiary education equity across New Zealand. Mr Comer currently serves as a Community Adviser, guiding the re-establishment of Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology as a viable, stand-alone polytechnic.
HONOURS
Companion of the Queen’s Service Order, Queen’s Birthday 2018
To be a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
DE VILLIERS, Professor Charl Johannes
For services to accountancy
Professor Charl de Villiers has made a significant impact as a global leader in sustainability accounting and integrated reporting.
Professor de Villiers has led an influential career, with a Stanford University study ranking him in the top 50 of all accounting academics globally and also placing him in the top two percent of scientists worldwide. His work has been instrumental in corporate accountability and the development of sustainability reporting standards, guiding organisations and governments to adopt more rigorous reporting practices. He has been transformative in his role as Editor of Meditari Accountancy Research (Meditari), elevating the journal from relative obscurity to one of the top-ranked publications in the field. He initiated the Meditari Conference, which has been hosted annually since 2014. He has fostered the next generation of researchers in his academic roles, including professorships at the University of Auckland and the University of Pretoria, as well as an honorary professorship at the University of Cape Town. He was President of the Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand (AFAANZ) from 2018 to 2020. He has been granted several fellowships, including with AFAANZ, and has been inducted into two prestigious academic Halls of Fame. In 2024, Professor de Villiers won the Sustained Research Excellence Award from The University of Auckland Business School.
To be a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
HAYWARD, Dr Bruce William, MNZM
For services to geology, particularly micropaleontology
Dr Bruce Hayward is an internationally recognised micropaleontologist with more than 40 years of research contributions.
Dr Hayward is a respected specialist on Formaminifera, one of the most abundant, pervasive and widely used microfossil groups preserved in marine sediments. He has been Principal Scientist of the independent Geomarine Research team since 2003. He has written and presented extensively and has used this knowledge to contribute to better understanding of problems and processes of global importance including climate and sea level change, ocean development, biotic extinctions and evolution, seismic history, environmental degradation, and volcanic hazards. Since 2006, he has authored 24 books on New Zealand geology and history, and nine notable monographs for the international geological community. He has been the taxonomic editor for the Foraminifera, Cephalopoda and Polythalamea on the World Register of Marine Species since 2010. In his studies, he has named 129 new species, 26 new genera and 1 new family, mainly in Foraminifera, but also in Polychaeta and Molluscs. He has been President of the Geological Society of New Zealand, member of the New Zealand Conservation Authority, a James Cook Research Fellow, and founder and convenor of the New Zealand Geopreservation Inventory. Dr Hayward engages people with their local geology, regularly hosting field trips nationally and advocating for protection of New Zealand’s unique geoheritage.
HONOURS
Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit, Queen’s Birthday 2006
To be a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
LAWTON, Professor Beverley-Anne (Bev), ONZM
For services to women's health
Professor Bev Lawton (Ngāti Porou) has led significant work and research to improve health outcomes for women and children across New Zealand and internationally and has received wide recognition and various awards for her contributions.
Currently a Professor at Victoria University of Wellington, Dr Lawton is founder and Director since 2008 of Te Tātai Hauora o Hine, the National Centre for Women’s Health Research Aotearoa (the Centre). The Centre brings together a group of world-renowned scientists, researchers and fellows with expertise in maternal and infant health. She has undertaken a range of research into human papillomavirus (HPV) screening to prevent cervical cancer, leading the Centre to undertake significant work on HPV vaccines, self-testing, cervical screening and maternity care. She has also led research into Severe Acute Maternal Morbitity, and the impact of methamphetamine on the health and wellbeing of Māori pregnant women, their infants and whānau. She holds appointments to the Maternity Commissioning Framework Technical Advisory Group, the National Cervical Screening Programme Advisory Action and Equity Group, and the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Māori Health Committee He Hono Wāhine. She has been a key advocate for recent changes to cervical screening to ensure it is safe and equitable for wāhine Māori. Professor Lawton co-chairs the International Indigenous HPV Alliance and the Alliance for Perinatal and Reproductive Justice.
HONOURS
Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit, New Year 2004
To be a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
MARTIN, Distinguished Professor Gaven John
For services to mathematics and education
Distinguished Professor Gaven Martin is one of New Zealand’s most prominent mathematicians, with an award-winning career spanning more than 40 years.
Professor Martin’s research has solved some of mathematics’ most challenging problems, his advocacy has strengthened the New Zealand curriculum and his mentorship has helped shape the next generation of mathematicians. He has been co-founder and Director of the New Zealand Mathematical Research Institute since 1998 and Director of the New Zealand Institute for Advanced Study from 2007 to 2019. He has held appointments at prestigious international institutions, including the Mathematical Sciences Research Institute in Berkeley, Gibbs Instructor at Yale University, and research roles at Mittag-Leffler Institute in Sweden, the University of Helsinki, and the Free University of Berlin. He has authored or co-authored several influential books, which have become essential reading for teachers and students. His publications such as ‘Introduction to the Theory of Quasiconformal Mappings’ and ‘Analysis on Fractals’ have been widely cited and deepened understanding of complex mathematical structures. His ability to translate intricate concepts into accessible texts has made him a vital contributor to the global mathematical community. Professor Martin was elected as Chair of the expert education panel for the Royal Society Te Apārangi in 2021, producing a report with recommendations for ensuring mathematics education in New Zealand remains rigorous, relevant and accessible.
To be a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
MOUGHAN, Distinguished Professor Paul James
For services to science
Distinguished Professor Paul Moughan is one of New Zealand’s foremost scientists in the areas of growth biology, digestive physiology and metabolism, and food chemistry.
Professor Paul Moughan was appointed as the Foundation Professor in Monogastric Biology at Massey University in 1990 and has served as Distinguished Professor since 2005. He is an expert on mammalian and human protein metabolism and his published work has led to a deeper understanding of the causal principles of mammalian growth and development, the mechanisms of nutrient absorption and metabolism. His work has impacted New Zealand’s primary industries, including the development of the Digestible Indispensable Amino Acid Score, which describes the protein quality of ranking foods, and was globally implemented in 2013 by the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organisation. He has founded three Massey University Research Centres, the Monogastric Research Centre, the Milk and Health Research Centre and the Alpha-Massey Natural Nutraceutical Research Centre of which he has remained Science Director. He served as a Board member of Ralston Purina International’s Scientific Advisory Board for 12 years, was the Foundation Head of the Institute of Food, Nutrition and Human Health and founded the Riddet Institute, a multi-disciplinary National Centre of Research Excellence, focused on food and nutrition. Professor Moughan has been National Director of the Geoffrey Gardiner Foundation for 16 years, the fourth largest philanthropic organisation in Australia.
To be a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
QUINN, Mr Anthony Zan (Tony)
For services to motorsport and the community
Mr Tony Quinn has profoundly transformed New Zealand motorsport since 2012 through his investments and expertise.
Mr Quinn’s development of the world-class Highlands Motorsport Park in Cromwell, opened in 2013, revolutionised the motorsport sector. He then acquired and upgraded Hampton Downs Motorsport Park in 2015 and Taupō International Motorsport Park in 2021. These facilities have delivered substantial regional benefits, including jobs, tourism, events, and economic growth. He was instrumental in securing the Australian Supercars Championship's return to New Zealand in 2024, with a three-year deal at Taupō. In 2021, he established the Tony Quinn Foundation and Hampton Downs New Zealand Racing Academy, nurturing young talent to succeed on the world stage, with Formula 1 driver Liam Lawson being the first to benefit from the foundation. Mr Quinn is heavily involved in Cromwell community initiatives including funding mental health workshops and a school social worker in 2022, and a $750,000 investment in 2024 to revive the Street Smart defensive driving program, enhancing road safety for learner drivers in New Zealand.
To be a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
ROA, Professor Thomas Charles (Tom), JP
For services to Māori language and education
Professor Tom Roa (Ngāti Maniapoto, Waikato, Ngāti Apakura) has made a significant contribution to the revitalisation of te reo Māori and public understanding of tikanga Māori, over more than 50 years.
Professor Roa is a founding figure and nationally recognised orator involved in the Māori language movement. He was a prominent leader in the 1972 Māori Language Petition, the subsequent recognition of te reo Māori as an official language of New Zealand and the launch of Te Wiki o te reo Māori. He is a Professor in Te Pua Wānanga ki te Ao, The Faculty of Māori and Indigenous Studies at the University of Waikato. He is internationally recognised for his scholarship on translation theory, practice of Māori to English - English to Māori translation, and Māori linguistics, contributing to global conversations about indigenous language systems. His contributions to Kaupapa Māori research, education governance and tikanga-based practice have helped institutions engage more meaningfully under Te Tiriti o Waitangi. His work highlights mātauranga Māori as an evolving and living knowledge system. He has served on the governance boards of Waikato-Tainui, Maniapoto and the Apakura Runanga Trust. In 2016, he became a Crown-appointed member of the Waitangi Tribunal. Professor Roa has been on the Māori Heritage Council, the New Zealand Māori Tourism Board, and is a Principal Investigator with Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga and Te Pūnaha Matatini.
To be a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
TAULELEI, Ms Rachel Emere, MNZM
For services to business, Māori and governance
Ms Rachel Taulelei (Ngāti Raukawa ki te Tonga, Ngāti Huia ki Katihiku, Ngāti Rārua) is an award-winning leader and entrepreneur who has made an enduring contribution to New Zealand through her leadership in sustainable enterprise, Māori economic development and international trade.
Since her appointment as a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2015, Ms Taulelei continued as Chief Executive of Māori food and beverage company Kono until 2021, before co-founding cultural design and brand strategy firm Oho. She has continued in or taken on new governance roles across a wide range of sectors, including as Chair of Moana New Zealand, Wellington Regional Stadium Trust (Sky Stadium), New Zealand Rugby Appointments and Remuneration Panel, and Fonterra’s Sustainability Advisory Panel. She has acted as a Director for Sealord, The Warehouse Group, Mercury New Zealand, ANZCO Foods and Wellington Airport. She chairs and co-owns the Tokomanawa Queens professional women’s basketball team. She represented New Zealand on the APEC Business Advisory Panel from 2019 to 2024 and chaired the Council during New Zealand’s 2021 hosting year. She has helped elevate New Zealand’s voice on sustainable trade, indigenous business and inclusive economic development. Her youth involvement includes time as a Trustee of the Young Enterprise Trust, Blake Trust and Queen Margaret College. Ms Taulelei advises Huia Publishers and the New Zealand Story Group on how to amplify indigenous narratives and New Zealand’s identity globally.
HONOURS
Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit, New Year 2016
To be a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
TROTT, Mr Donald Stanley Mackintosh, ONZM, JP
For services to opera
Mr Donald Trott has given more than 40 years’ voluntary service to the promotion of opera in New Zealand.
Mr Trott has been Founder Director and Executive Chairman of the New Zealand Opera School in Whanganui since 1994. Notably, the award-winning opera group Sol3 Mio formed at the School in 2012, among the more than 700 alumni, many others of whom have gone on to sing internationally. He was involved with the merger of Auckland Opera with Wellington-based National Opera to form the New Zealand Opera Company (NZO) in 2000 and has since continued to contribute to NZO’s development and reputation. He has been on the NZO Board since its formation and, in the role of benefactions manager, developed a successful system for securing public financial benefactions until 2015. He led the creation of the New Zealand Opera Foundation Trust in 2003 and has been the prime driver in encouraging donations and managing the distribution of funds to opera organisations and young singers for their development. He was Vice Patron of the Auckland and District Pipe Band until 2010 and Chair of the Board of Trustees of the former Perkel Opera, and Trustee of the Dame Sister Mary Leo Foundation. Mr Trott was an establishment member of the Auckland Town Hall Organ Trust from 2004, which oversaw a complete rebuild of the historic instrument by 2010.
HONOURS
Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit, New Year 2000