DAVISON, The Honourable Paul Joseph, KC
To be a Companion of the King’s Service Order
For services to public service and the law.
The Honourable Paul Davison was a Judge of the High Court from 2015 to 2023 and has been involved with several high-profile inquiries.
Mr Davison represented the estate of the Air New Zealand pilot before the Royal Commission into the Mount Erebus disaster. He was Counsel Assisting the Commission of Inquiry into a patient death at Oakley Hospital. He has appeared as counsel before the Privy Council in the United Kingdom, and in courts in the United States on behalf of New Zealand Vietnam Veterans in the Agent Orange class action, and in civil proceedings arising from the Mt Erebus disaster. In 2025 he was appointed as the Independent Arbiter for the Lake Alice Torture Redress Scheme. In this role, he developed a framework to support the allocation of available funds, met with and heard from survivors and completed his assessments to ensure prompt delivery of outcomes. He has undertaken varied work on Boards, Panels and tribunals, including appointments as a Police Tribunal to review police conduct. He has contributed to law reform committees and was President of the Auckland Medico-Legal Society in 1996, having been Secretary and on the Executive from 1981 to 1996. Mr Davison has undertaken pro bono work for the SPCA Prosecution Panel and the New Zealand Spina Bifida Trust.
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HUNT, Ms Robyn Mary, ONZM
To be a Companion of the King’s Service Order
For services to people with disabilities and the arts.
Ms Robyn Hunt has made key contributions to accessibility for disabled people, particularly to the arts.
As a Human Rights Commissioner from 2002 to 2010, Ms Hunt led a consultation with the disability community that determined disabled people as a priority group in New Zealand’s first ever Human Rights Action Plan. She was a key member of an inquiry into accessible public transport. She contributed to the case for an international human rights convention for disabled people and represented New Zealand and Asia-Pacific human rights institutions at negotiations that created the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, adopted by New Zealand in 2008. She established her own accessibility company and has had varied involvement with accessibility policy, media and the arts, receiving several sector awards for her contributions. She has provided expertise to Creative New Zealand’s Manga Tipua Deaf and Disabled Leadership Rōpū, the Arts Council, and Arts Access Aotearoa. She has helped develop the Arts Council’s Tapatahi Accessibility Policy and Action Plan 2023-2028. Her involvement with the Arts for All Network since 2010 has supported arts venues to increase accessibility. She advised on the establishment of Taha Hotu the Deaf and Disabled Artists Initiative, supporting artist development. Ms Hunt co-established ‘Crip the Lit’ in 2016, promoting the work of disabled authors in New Zealand.
HONOURS
- Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit, Queen’s Birthday 2001
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TREMAIN, Ms Carolyn Doreen
To be a Companion of the King’s Service Order
For services to the Public Service.
Ms Carolyn Tremain has had a public service career for more than 20 years and was Secretary and Chief Executive of the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) from 2018 until 2025.
Ms Tremain acted in these roles from 2017, assuming leadership of one of the largest and most complex public service departments. She played an integral role in the leadership and coordination of the Government’s COVID-19 response and recovery. This included mobilising MBIE teams to develop and implement new systems and initiatives, supporting businesses through lockdowns and assuming leadership of Managed Isolation and Quarantine (MIQ). Her tenure at MBIE has also included leading establishment of the Pike River Recovery Agency, Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, and three functional Development Boards to support leadership development in the Public Service. She oversaw delivery of major events including the 2021 America’s Cup and 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup. During her time, MBIE launched the Digital Boost programme to support small businesses and ran the Afghanistan Resettlement Response for more than 1,700 evacuees arriving in New Zealand. She has supported the Government’s Going for Growth economic agenda and the National AI strategy. Ms Tremain was previously Comptroller of New Zealand Customs Service from 2011 to 2017, a Deputy Commissioner at Inland Revenue from 2004 and Head of Human Resources and Organisational Change for Air New Zealand.