Inspirational alumni and staff recognised in King’s Birthday Honours

From snow sports to archery, law to orthopaedics, 19 University of Otago alumni and staff have been recognised in the King’s Birthday Honours for their exceptional contributions to their communities and professions.

The recipients include those recognised for services to the Pacific community, to seniors, and to the New Zealand Defence Force. They have made their mark in the tourism industry, in apiculture, wildlife conservation, food waste rescue, sculpture and netball. In the health arena, they have contributed to Māori health, radiology, and orthopaedic surgery. Current and former Otago staff have been recognised for services to law, theatre, education, and governance. (See the full list of alumni and staff recipients at the end of the story).

Among those recognised is Mrs Mary Lee, Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit (CNZM) for services to snow sports and tourism.

Mrs Lee, who graduated with a Certificate in Physiotherapy (Otago Hospital Board), developed Cardrona Ski Field, Snow Park and the Snow Farm in the Cardrona area, with her husband John Lee.

From 1987 to 2008, Mrs Lee managed and developed Snow Farm, New Zealand's only dedicated cross-country ski-field, and continues now in voluntary roles. Her efforts have provided employment opportunities and attracted national and international ski tourists, with trails providing off season business.

Mrs Lee teaches cross country skiing on a voluntary basis and set up Wanaka Nordic Ski Club’s Youth Development Group in 1999, to help young people compete in overseas competitions. She founded Snow Girls, a cross country skiing and social network for women of all ages. In 2022, she was the first person to receive the NZQA Snowsports Instructor Award – Cross Country Skiing Level 4. Mrs Lee also volunteers with SeniorNet, Cardrona Heritage Trust, and has held founding and executive roles with New Zealand Cross Country Ski Association and Biathlon New Zealand.

Professor Emerita Nicola Peart, Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit (ONZM).

Professor Emerita Nicola Peart.

A member of Otago’s Faculty of Law, and an Otago alumna, Professor Peart is recognised for services to the law. She is estimated to have taught Property Law to more than 6,000 students and is a supervisor of masters’ and PhD students.

“I am overwhelmed and extremely honoured to receive the award,” Professor Peart says. “I never saw this coming! I am thrilled that my contributions to the law have been recognised.”

She says it is the students, helping the legal profession with legal issues they face, and contributing to law reform that has kept her engaged with the law throughout her career.

Professor Peart graduated from Leiden University in The Netherlands, with a law degree majoring in International Law. An LLM in African Customary Law at the University of Cape Town followed, and she then taught in the University’s Law Faculty.

She immigrated to New Zealand in 1986 and, after a year of study at Otago, took up a lectureship in the Faculty of Law in 1987. She has taught Property Law, Wills and Trusts and Advanced Family Property Law, and medical law to medical students. Her work has been widely cited by the judiciary with more than 120 citations of her work by the courts, and her work and advice has contributed to form judgements.

Professor Peart has also been a member of expert panels, including for the Law Commission between 2010 and 2013, Relationship Property between 2016 and 2019 and Succession since 2020. She provided advice to the Minister of Justice on the establishment of the Trusts Act in 2015 and was the Convenor of New Zealand Law Society’s Relationship Property Standing Committee between 2008 and 2014. She has an active role with the Otago Women Lawyers Society, of which she is a life member.

She retired in 2020 but continues to teach some Property Law and has just completed a legislative commentary on the Trusts Act 2019, which is due to be published this month. She is also writing two chapters for books on succession law edited by overseas academics.

Lisa Warrington, ONZM, for service to theatre and education

Celebrated theatre director and educator Lisa Warrington (credit: Lara Macgregor).

Ms Warrington has been part of Dunedin’s theatre scene since arriving from Australia in 1981 to take a teaching position at Otago, when she was the only lecturer in Theatre.

Over her 37 years of service to the University, she was appointed to Associate Professor and helped foster a successful theatre programme that is well regarded for - amongst other things - its acknowledgement and support of New Zealand theatre, including Māori and Pacific theatre. As an academic, she published three books and sundry papers, and spearheaded the revival of Allen Hall as a working theatre space, including its long-running Lunchtime Theatre programme.

“I have been passionate about the role of theatre in society, and its creative joys, for virtually my entire life,” she says. “Directing a play is not an easy task, but it provides great creative satisfaction. I also maintain a strong interest in the history of theatre in New Zealand.”

Ms Warrington has remained a practitioner and constant champion of New Zealand theatre; over half of the 130 plays she has directed are New Zealand works.  Her contributions to the wider Dunedin theatre scene include directing 37 plays for Dunedin’s professional theatre company The Fortune and commissioning new works for performance at Allen Hall and beyond.

She set up the Theatre Aotearoa Database in 2004 to serve as a permanent record of theatre activity since 1840 nationally. She has entered and maintains more than 20,000 records of productions in the country, to date.

Ms Warrington remains an active member of Dunedin’s theatre scene with the professional co-op company she co-founded, Wow! Productions, and occasionally with Dunedin’s Summer Shakespeare company.

Dr Colin O’Donnell, ONZM, for services to wildlife conservation

Dr Colin O’Donnell with a mouse-eared bat, while on sabbatical at the University of Greifswald in Germany.

Zoology PhD graduate, Dr O’Donnell has been a scientist with the New Zealand Wildlife Service and the Department of Conservation (DOC) since the 1980s, carrying out many studies of the distribution, habitat use and populations of aquatic birds, and is recognised as the country’s leading expert in New Zealand long-tailed and short-tailed bats.

Dr O’Donnell has contributed significantly to the protection of Canterbury’s braided river systems, home to gravel ridges exclusively used for breeding by the endangered New Zealand black stilt, wrybill plover and black-fronted tern. He leads DOC’s Threatened Species Research workstream.

“Receiving this honour was a complete surprise and incredibly humbling. It took some time to process!” says Dr O’Donnell.

“The honour means a great deal to me. It not only reflects recognition of my contribution to wildlife conservation, but the contribution of those I currently work with and have worked with in the past.

“My time at Otago was foundational. My citation includes the topic of my Otago University PhD – the first study of the critically endangered long-tailed bat – which is the contribution to the conservation of bats that I am most proud of. The staff and students in the Zoology Department were inspirational to the success of that PhD and my subsequent work figuring out how to recover these threatened species from the risk of extinction.”

Deborah Manning, ONZM, for services to the community and the environment.

Ms Manning, who graduated with an LLB from Otago, founded KiwiHarvest Food Rescue charity in 2012 to combat food waste and pollution to the environment. Since then, the charity has collected and donated 12 million kilograms of food to more than 220 charitable organisations.

KiwiHarvest Food Rescue founder Deborah Manning.

Now located in Dunedin, Auckland, North Shore, Queenstown and Invercargill, KiwiHarvest Food Rescue has distributed the food equivalent of more than 27 million meals, diverted from landfills to those in need. This has avoided the creation and release of nearly 33 million kilograms of carbon dioxide into the environment. Ms Manning also founded the New Zealand Food Network in 2020, which distributes to 65 food hubs nationally, with more the 655,000 people receiving assistance each month.

“I'm truly honoured and humbled to receive this recognition, which reflects the teamwork and support of so many people and organisations who share my vision for a sustainable and inclusive future,” says Ms Manning.

“My work with KiwiHarvest Food Rescue and the New Zealand Food Network has always been driven by a passion for social justice. I believe every Kiwi should have access to nutritious food, and that we shouldn't throw away food that's still good to eat. The impact of greenhouse gas emissions from food waste is huge, and planting trees isn't enough to offset it – we need to focus on preventing waste in the first place.”

Ms Manning says she is deeply grateful to her family, friends, colleagues, and community members for their incredible support and encouragement.

“This award is a shared achievement. It recognises all the amazing food rescue organisations, volunteers, and champions across the country who work tirelessly to reduce food waste and hunger. This honour highlights the spirit of collaboration and commitment in this essential mission.

“I hope to keep making a meaningful impact and inspire others to join in these crucial efforts to create a more sustainable food system.”

The Very Reverend Taimoanaifakaofo Kaio, ONZM, for services to the Pacific community

The Very Reverend Taimoanaifakaofo Kaio.

The Very Reverend Kaio graduated from Otago with a Bachelor of Theology and has held prominent positions within the Presbyterian Church of New Zealand. These include leading the Church through the COVID-19 pandemic with online pastoral messages and regular online sermons which were attended by thousands of people worldwide.

Reverend Kaio says he was surprised and feels very honoured to have been recognised. “When I thought about it, it goes back to the people who guided me here, back to my parents. It’s their recognition, for everything they poured into me as a person. I felt very emotional, as they’re not here to see this.”

He is still in touch with the principal of his high school, Mr Cyril Hicks, who is now aged 103. He recently learned  that when he was in the fifth form he said he was going to leave school and start a carpentry apprenticeship, but Mr Hicks said ‘hold on’. He talked to my father and Dad said to convince me to stay in high school, which he did. “It’s the village mentality.”

He says he didn’t realise to start with how much receiving the Honour would mean to people.

“To the church, to business, family, and friends. Recognition has come from all over the world. It’s a big deal.”

Reverend Kaio served as the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of New Zealand from 2018-2021, the highest position within the Church’s hierarchy. He has been a Minister with the Onehunga Cooperating Parish since 2005, multi-denominational, multicultural, and cross-culture faith community, preaching in multiple languages including Tokelauan, Samoan, Niuean, Cook Islands Māori, and English.

He has also represented the Presbyterian Church of New Zealand at numerous Global Assemblies and consultations across the Pacific, Africa, Europe, and the Caribbean regions.

Reverend Kaio says his time at Otago was life changing.  “It was exactly as I’d expected, and more. It was home and education and people. The pace of learning was suitable for me as an older student.

“I was on the edge of my seat, with lectures, with the whole set up. I was hungry for what I was taught. Otago as a whole and Knox [College] as part of that, to this day I say is the best university in the Southern Hemisphere.”

Adine Wilson, Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit (MNZM), for service to netball

Adine Wilson.

Otago alumna Adine Wilson (BPhEd/LLB 2004) says it’s very humbling to have been made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit (MNZM). She says since the award was announced on King’s Birthday she has received many lovely comments.

Adine found out about the Honour through the mail at work (since 2023 she has worked as an Associate at Meredith Connell’s sports law department in Auckland). She did a double-take as she regularly receives official documents through her role as a member of the Integrity Sport and Recreation Commission Board and assumed the letter was to do with that.

After attending Hāwera High School, Adine decided to head to Otago to study Physical Education. She spent her first year at Carrington College but says it was flatting that gave her the full Otago experience.

“I flatted in Castle and Dundas streets and all the usual places and in my later years I ventured out further into the city including time in St Clair.”

She went on to captain the Silver Ferns from 2005 to 2007, making her debut with the national team in 1999 following captaining the New Zealand U21 netball team. She was part of the Silver Ferns squad that won the Netball World Cup in 2003 before captaining the team to their historic first Commonwealth Games gold medal in 2006.

She retired from international play in 2007, following 79 test appearances. She was a Board member of the New Zealand Netball Players’ Association (NZNPA) from 2007 to 2023, chairing the Board from 2017 to 2023, with time as interim Executive Manager in 2015 and 2021. She was prominent in establishing the NZNPA, eventuating in netballers having a collective voice as the sport headed into the semi-professional era. She was a Board member of Auckland Netball from 2012 to 2022.

Domestically, she played for Southern Sting from 2001 to 2007 (helping win five titles) and captained Southern Steel in 2009. She has been an athlete mentor for the Tania Dalton Foundation since 2018, which supports young women in sport through a range of programmes and is currently a Trustee.

She met her future husband “Double All Black” and fellow Sky Sports commentator Jeff Wilson while they were both studying in Dunedin. They now live in Auckland with their sons Harper and Lincoln.

“I loved Otago, I still love it down there. Quite a few of our friends have moved back to Dunedin. It’s a cool place to be, there are so many new cafes and Jeff and I love getting down there when we can.”

After leaving Otago she worked in Christchurch for legal firm Anderson Lloyd, before a full-time netball career, followed by having her two sons. After more than 12 years as a Sky Sports commentator she still loves the role and says “you don’t have to be out there on court to pick up the adrenaline from a live match”.

Allen McCaw, MNZM, for services to the beekeeping and honey industry

Mr McCaw, who graduated from Otago with a BSc, has helped foster collaboration and formalise the apiary industry’s planning through a variety of leadership roles, including in the New Zealand Honey Packers and Exporters Association, Honey Industry Trusts, and Executive of the National Beekeepers’ Association, of which he was made a Life Member in 2007.

As a member of the Bee Products Standards Council between 2005 and 2016, he assisted in developing agreed industry procedures for food safety and exporting standards, including monofloral mānuka. He also volunteered on the Apicultural Industry Unification Project in 2015 and 2016, which brought beekeepers together in a new organisation, Apiculture New Zealand.

Mr McCaw invented an innovative honey drip tray pallet to store honey supers during the extraction process. A sought-after speaker at industry conferences, field days and seminars, Mr McCaw has received multiple awards in the ApiNZ National Honey Competition, including the Supreme Champion Award in 2016.

“It’s nice to have recognition from my peers for many years of dedication to the beekeeping and honey making industry. I am still involved and there have been many great days along the way,” he says.

After completing his studies at Otago Mr McCaw worked for two years in the University’s Biochemistry department before becoming a social worker and then a beekeeper. He originally got into beekeeping by buying into his father in laws’ Milburn business in 1977. He has worked to support and promote the marketing of New Zealand honey, including the growth of the fledgling mānuka honey industry in the 1980s and 1990s.

Elizabeth Cunningham, King’s Service Order (KSO), for services to governance

Mrs Elizabeth Cunningham (Ngāi Tahu, Ngāti Irakehu, Ngāti Mutunga ki Wharekauri) has had a career spanning more than 50 years, focusing on the intergenerational health and wellbeing of whānau.

Mrs Cunningham was formerly Research Manager – Māori at the University of Otago, Christchurch, the first to be appointed in the role.

“I worked alongside the late Virginia Irvine, Manager Research, who insisted we work together in a Treaty Partnership improving Māori Health. This decision was sanctioned by the Dean at the time, Professor Ian Town. My position was to give advice on all research before it went to the Ethics committee. There were a number of policies that were implemented regarding our partnership which I understand are still being implemented today.”

Mrs Cunningham says working alongside the science and data at the medical school helped shape her path as it inspired her to think about her wider interests at the time. “Where I lived at Port Levy/Koukourarata, our famous and very tasteful cockles were becoming sour and uneatable. What was the cause? That is why I campaigned to be elected on to the Regional Council.”

Mrs Cunningham served as President of the Māori Women’s Welfare League Rāpaki branch from 2009 to 2022, and chaired Te Waipounamu Māori Women’s Welfare League steering committee. She was the first Māori elected to the Canterbury Area Health Board and the first Māori elected as Canterbury Councillor for the Environment and chaired the Māori Advisory Committee for Environment Canterbury.

She has been the elected representative of Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu since 2006, supporting the economic and cultural investments of her iwi at a national level. She was Chair of Kawawhakaruruhau at Ara Institute’s School of Nursing/Midwifery from 2000 to 2012, and the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority Governor from 2011 to 2016. She has been a regional member of the Civil Defence and Emergency Management Group since 2020.

University of Otago alumni and staff King’s Birthday Honours recipients and citations

Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit (CNZM)

Mrs Mary Lee, of Wanaka. For services to snow sports and tourism.

CertPhty (Otago Hospital Board).

Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit (ONZM)

Ms Tanya Ashken of Wellington. For services to sculpture, silversmithing and jewellery. University of Otago Frances Hodgkins Fellow (1967).

The Very Reverend Taimoanaifakaofo Kaio, of Auckland. For services to the Pacific community.

BTheol.

Ms Deborah Manning, of Dunedin. For services to the community and the environment.

LLB.

Dr Colin O'Donnell, of Christchurch. For services to wildlife conservation.

PhD (Zoology).

Professor Emerita Nicola Peart, of Dunedin. For services to the law. COP Law / Otago staff.

Ms Lisa Warrington, of Dunedin. For services to theatre and education.

Otago staff (1981 – 2018).

Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit (MNZM)

Ms Jane Cartwright, of Christchurch. For services to health governance.

BSc; DipSci; MBA.

Mr David Henshaw, of Lyttelton. For services to archery.

CertOHP.

Dr Barbara Hochstein, of Rotorua. For services to radiology and education.

MB ChB.

Mr Allen McCaw, of Outram. For services to the apiculture industry.

BSc.

Miss Leitualaalemalietoa Pavihi, of Auckland. For services to Pacific education.

BEDTP (Dunedin College of Education).

Mr Merrick Sanderson, of Whangārei. For services to orthopaedic surgery.

MB ChB.

Ms Kris Tynan, of Christchurch. For services to people with long-term conditions and older adults.

DipPhEd.

Ms Adine Wilson, of Auckland. For services to netball.

BPhEd; LLB.

King’s Service Order (KSO)

Mrs Elizabeth Cunningham, JP, of Christchurch. For services to governance.

CComPsC / Former Otago staff (2018).

King’s Service Medal (KSM)

Mrs Marie Bennett, of Dunedin. For services to seniors.

DipSCWk.

Dr Matire Harwood, of Auckland. For services to Māori health.

PhD (Medicine).

New Zealand Distinguished Service Medal (DSD)

Wing Commander Mark Whiteside, of Feilding. For services to the New Zealand Defence Force.

BPhEd.