Alumni and staff celebrated for outstanding service in New Year Honours

Ngā mihi nui to the 25 University of Otago alumni and staff who have been recognised in this year’s New Year Honours list.

From world leaders in health to rural and food industry entrepreneurs, to trailblazers in the arts and those who have spent their lives enriching and supporting their communities, the alumni and staff celebrated for their exceptional service come from a diverse range of professions, communities and interests across Aotearoa New Zealand.

Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit (CNZM)

Five Otago alumni were named Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit, including Graeme Blick for services to geodesy, Esther Fung ONZM for services to the Chinese community, Fred Graham (Ngāti Koroki Kahukura) ONZM for services to Māori art, Professor Helen Pilmore for services to nephrology and transplantation, and Emeritus Professor Murray Thomson for services to health.

Emeritus Professor Murray Thomson has contributed to oral health in New Zealand for more than 40 years, working in University of Otago roles since 1996.

He is an extensively-published and multi-award-winning oral health researcher in New Zealand and led the dental component of the Dunedin Multidisciplinary Study from 1998 to 2015. His contributions have been vital to understanding oral health of the ageing population and the effectiveness of dental care in improving the lives of children and families.

Murray has taught and mentored more than 30 years’ worth of dental students and his teaching of dental epidemiology and public health dentistry has been sought after for national and international conferences.

“It's very pleasing for my work – and that of my colleagues – to be recognised in this way,” Murray says.

“It's been an enormous privilege to have an academic career and be able to contribute to knowledge of oral health as we go through life – and to be able to work for so long with so many very clever and hard-working people.

“I think the award is further evidence – if any more is actually needed! – for the importance and impact of the Dunedin Study and our Faculty of Dentistry.”

He says the honour is also recognition of the importance of dental epidemiology and health services research.

“Particularly when health inequalities continue to widen and we are confronted with a situation we have never before encountered – a rapidly increasing older population with more and more New Zealanders transitioning into old age with poor oral health.”

Professor Helen Pilmore is a transplant nephrologist at Auckland Hospital, having helped establish the simultaneous kidney/pancreas transplantation service in 1999. She helped drive growth of transplants at the Auckland unit from 20 to more than 130 per year and has been instrumental in developing systems that have seen patient and kidney survival rates in Auckland exceeding global benchmark standards.

Helen is a pioneer and world expert in the field of cardiac disease in patients with kidney failure, with her research helping change clinical management protocols for these patients.

“I was surprised and delighted to receive the honour,” Helen says. “It was not something I ever thought of achieving.  I’m also extremely humbled as there are so many New Zealanders working in healthcare who contribute so much more than I do.

“Personally, it’s been lovely in particular for my parents, husband and children. Professionally, I’m so happy to see renal medicine and kidney transplantation recognised – there are so many people in Aotearoa who are affected by kidney disease and it is great to see recognition of the field.”

Helen says she loved her time at Otago and in many ways it shaped a lot of her adult life.

“Studying in Otago meant I ended up staying in Dunedin for my junior doctor years where I had amazing role models and mentors, in particular Professor Rob Walker who was the first renal physician I ever worked for.”

Fred Graham (Ngāti Koroki Kahukura) ONZM has been involved in New Zealand art since the 1950s and has contributed to the growth, development and promotion of Māori art nationally and abroad. He graduated from the Dunedin College of Education in 1950.

Fred was an art adviser to Māori primary schools throughout Rotorua and Northland. He has been Head of the Art Department at various schools throughout the North Island and has played a key role in inspiring and developing the next generation of artistic talent. He was a pioneer of the Contemporary Māori Art Movement.

Fred has represented New Zealand at many international exhibitions throughout his career, including the 1986 Te Ao Marama (‘Seven Māori Artists’) exhibition that toured Australia and a 1992 United States tour showcasing contemporary Māori art. More recently he has exhibited at the Venice Biennale. Since 1996 he has served on the Haerewa Māori Cultural Advisory Group at the Auckland Art Gallery.

He mentors young sculptors and artists. He has produced sculptures that are displayed in many New Zealand cities and towns, as well as galleries in Seattle, Vancouver and South Korea. Most recently, Fred was commissioned to create sculptures for the new Catholic College in Drury and a roundabout south of Tirau.

Fred says he is very grateful to the people who nominated him for the award. His aim has always been to encourage people to get into and stay working in the arts.

“I’ve tried hard to encourage the arts and if this award helps people to decide to stay on with their art, I think that’s important.

“We’re very sports orientated in New Zealand . . .  my rugby days finished when I was 28 and at 96 I’m still working on my art.”

He says he enjoyed his time at the College of Education in Dunedin and made many lasting friendships.

Esther Fung ONZM is a leading senior elder of the Chinese New Zealand community and, at 94, continues to be a voice for the community and its future.

Esther was involved in government consultation for a reconciliation package following the poll tax apology in 2002, which led to formation of the Chinese Poll Tax Heritage Trust to support Chinese New Zealand heritage and culture. She was an inaugural Trustee from 2004 to 2008 and served as Trustee again from 2011 to 2017. Esther was key in guiding the Trust’s early direction to ensure support for future generations of Chinese New Zealanders. She supported the Trust’s commissioning of several histories of New Zealand’s Chinese community.

Graeme Blick has dedicated 55 years to improving the science of geodesy in New Zealand and has been New Zealand’s Chief Geodesist since 2009.

He has been a member of the National Institute of Surveyors and Spatial for more than 40 years and a member of the International Association of Geodesy for 25 years.

Graeme has represented New Zealand at the United Nations Global Geospatial Information Management Committee of Experts since 2013 and has co-chaired the geodetic working groups. He was key in the establishment of the United Nations Global Geodetic Centre of Excellence, which aims to strengthen and advance global geodetic co-operation and co-ordination.

Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit (ONZM)

Dr Margot Skinner received the ONZM for services to physiotherapy. Margot was one of a small group instrumental in physiotherapy gaining university status in 1996 and held several positions with the Otago University School of Physiotherapy from 1996 to 2021, including Deputy Dean.

She has held leadership roles with the New Zealand Society of Physiotherapists at the branch level and nationally, and served on the Physiotherapy Board of New Zealand from 1994 to 2002. Margot chaired the Asia Western Pacific Region of the World Confederation for Physical Therapy (WCPT, now World Physiotherapy), was Region Representative on the WCPT Executive Committee from 2007 to 2015, and was Vice President from 2015 to 2019.

She has helped World Physiotherapy to establish entry-level physiotherapy education in Asian countries, and was inaugural Chair of the World Physiotherapy Accreditation Committee from 2014 to 2019. She received the Mildred Elson Award, World Physiotherapy’s highest award, in 2023.

“I was quite overcome when I received the letter,” says Margot. “Then on reflection was delighted that the physiotherapy profession had also been recognised through the award. The contribution I have made to furthering physiotherapy education locally and internationally has just been part of a lifetime career which has provided me with many wonderful opportunities.”

Margot says the rewards are in seeing the contribution the profession plays internationally to health and rehabilitation. “I am truly honoured to be a recipient of the ONZM and I shall continue to give to the profession as well as other community organisations I am involved with.'

Emeritus Professor Murray Tilyard has been recognised for services to health. Murray has been a leader in general practice, producing research findings across a range of GP-relevant topics and publishing widely. He is a former Chair of General Practice at the Otago School of Medicine and was a Head of Department in the Dunedin School of Medicine from 1993 until retiring in 2022.

Murray says he was very surprised to be awarded an ONZM as he had no idea he was being put forward. He then felt “immense pride” on behalf of himself and his family, acknowledging all the times when he was working, on call or was called in and “couldn’t be there for my family”. Murray also sees the honour as recognition of his medical profession, in particular general practice, and the University of Otago and its medical school.

In 1995, Murray established South Link Health, initially an Independent Practitioners Association, which became the South Link Education Trust in 2003. He was the driving force of this development, along with the creation of other organisations including the Best Practice Advocacy Centre (BPACnz), InPractice which provides professional development programmes to medical practitioners, and BPAC Clinical Solutions, which provides innovative electronic decision support tools for primary care in New Zealand.

He worked for several years to help establish national funding and a partnership with the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain to achieve the first publication of the New Zealand Formulary (NZF) in July 2012. Murray was the Chief Executive Officer and Clinical Advisor to the NZF from 2011 to 2022 and remains Chair and Chief Clinical Advisor to the South Link Education Trust and all its associated entities.

Partners in life and in business, Nadia Lim and Carlos Bagrie met as students at Otago 20 years ago. They are recognised in the Honours for services to the food industry, and to the food and rural industries respectively.

Nadia became a household name in Aotearoa after winning MasterChef New Zealand in 2011 and has since contributed nationally as a chef and through business.

In 2013 she co-founded My Food Bag, and her show New Zealand with Nadia Lim, launched in 2014, reached more than 130 million people globally. During the Covid-19 pandemic she launched Nadia’s Comfort Kitchen, and subsequently, she published the show’s recipes into a cookbook, which raised more than $400,000 for Youthline and Women’s Refuge.

Nadia partnered with several notable New Zealand charities, including Diabetes New Zealand, the Cancer Society, The Blind Foundation, Garden to Table, and Cambodia Charitable Trust.

Together, Nadia and Carlos have created the television series Nadia’s Farm (2022), showcasing the challenges and successes of food production on their farm Royalburn Station.

Carlos is an entrepreneur and co-founder of My Food Bag, and in 2019, co-founded Royalburn Station, a regenerative paddock-to-plate farm that is committed to ethical and sustainable farming practices.

Royalburn Station focuses on restoring the land, supporting biodiversity, and ensuring the wellbeing of animals. Carlos received the 2024 Nuffield Farming Scholarship and spent six months travelling the world, studying innovative agricultural systems and exploring how New Zealand exporters can position themselves for success in global markets.

Carlos is committed to sustainability, ethical farming practices, and creating exceptional consumer experiences.

Dr Catherine Ferguson worked as an otolaryngology (ear, nose and throat) surgeon in Wellington for more than 30 years.

Catherine was a pioneer female surgeon of otolaryngology in New Zealand and has contributed significantly to the development of otolaryngology training in New Zealand and Australia.

She has held several roles with the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (RACS) since 1997, including Vice President in 2018. She was the first female Chair of the Aotearoa New Zealand National Committee of RACS in 2006 and chaired several committees of the RACS Council.

She has received several awards, including the RACS Colin McRae Medal in 2023, recognising an outstanding contribution to the art and science of surgery and surgical leadership in New Zealand.

Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit (MNZM)

Professor Louise Parr-Brownlie (Ngāti Maniapoto, Te Arawa) has been recognised for services to neuroscience. Louise is internationally recognised for her pioneering research that has provided insight into treatment and care for people with Parkinson’s Disease. She is a neuroscientist and Professor with the Biomedical Sciences’ Anatomy Department at the University of Otago.

Louise says being awarded an MNZM was a huge surprise. “My flight had just landed when I opened the email and I couldn’t believe what I was reading. I thank the neuroscience, Parkinson’s Disease and kaumātua communities who trusted me to serve them,” she says.

“My whānau was very excited when I shared the news with them on 31 December. We have a strong ethos to serve others so they were thrilled to hear that I had received a New Year’s Honour.”

Louise is an expert in understanding how activity in the motor thalamus, motor cortex and basal ganglia, control normal movements and is altered in the disease. Her published work is widely cited, and she has been an invited speaker at several international conferences, including at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Gordon Research.

As Deputy Director, then Director of the Ageing Well National Science Challenge from 2018, she helped transform the Challenge into the first Te Tiriti o Waitangi-led Challenge. She was a member of the Biomedical Research Committee with the Health Research Council of New Zealand.

Louise has held several national leadership roles, including as Chair of Rauika Māngai (Māori Leaders across the National Science Challenges) and as Deputy Chair of the Neurological Foundation of New Zealand’s Science Advisory Committee. She has been a Science Advisor for the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment since 2023.

Dr Malcom Legget was awarded the MNZM posthumously for services to cardiology. (His Majesty’s approval of this award took effect on 31 October 2024).

Malcom made a significant contribution to cardiology and cancer treatment and research, ensuring access to world leading treatments is available through New Zealand’s public health system.

Professor Rawinia Higgins (Ngāi Tūhoe) received the MNZM for services to Māori language, education and governance, and Shelley Katae (Te Rarawa, Ngāti Porou) for services to Māori and Pacific communities.

Dr Kate Colgan and Janice Molloy were both recognised for their services to wildlife conservation, Lachie Marshall for services to water polo, Sarah Rae for choral music, Michael Styles for people with dyslexia and Belinda Walker for services to the community.

Companion of the King’s Service Order (KSO)

Associate Professor Tristram Ingham (Ngāti Kahungunu ki Heretaunga, Ngāti Porou) ONZM received the KSO for services to survivors of abuse in care.

Tristram has used his personal experience as a disabled person to advocate for the rights of Tāngata Whaikaha Māori and to address inequities. He has drawn on his and other survivors’ experiences of abuse in care and led the development of Whaia Te Ao Marama, the Māori Disability Action Plan 2018-2022. He serves as Chair of Te Ao Marama Aotearoa Trust, a nationwide organisation representing Tāngata Whaikaha Māori.

Tristram has supported other survivors of abuse in care to engage with the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Historical Abuse in State Care and in the Care of Faith-based Institutions. He served on the inquiry’s Māori Panel for the Disability, Deaf and Mental Health hearing and has worked with agencies to advocate for generational transformation of the system.

Tristram says he had mixed reactions to receiving this as he is both honoured to have his contributions recognised and to receive this award, but also couldn't help but reflect on the innumerable others who have also contributed to this work – the unsung heroes.

“Whether through the bravery of survivors coming forward to disclose their history of being abused, the numerous advisory groups who helped steer and validate the actions of the commission, or the teams of staff who immersed themselves in these narratives over many years; all of those involved with this work have been altered by it,” Tristram says.

“Confronting the mere fact that it occurred here, in New Zealand, and under our noses, was hard. Then the stark realities of the scale and depravity of the abuse that occurred, along with the recognition that this abuse was systematised, normalised, well-recognised, and intentionally covered-up over decades made the work particularly unpalatable.”

“My only hope is that these awards draw some further attention to the work of the commission because, now that the report is complete and has been tabled, we are very dependent on the public not losing sight of the importance and implications of this work as it fades from the short-term news cycle.”

Tristram hopes the report, and the abuse it uncovered, will be meaningfully addressed and require review of government mechanisms which tolerated this abuse and fundamentally set the conditions for it.

He thanked the Royal Commission for its groundbreaking work and for the opportunity to be involved in something “so meaningful and important”.

In 2024, Tristram received the ONZM for services to the disability community.

Jocelyn Armstrong also received the KSO for services to interfaith communities.

King’s Service Medal (KSM)

Michael Buick received the KSM for services to performing arts, David Richmond for services to sport and Barbara Simpson for services to conservation.