The 2011 New Years Honours
December 31st, 2010 at 10:34 am by David FarrarThe full list is here.
The top honour – membership of the Order of New Zealand – goes to golfer Bob Charles. I doubt few would say he is not very worthy.
The rare senior knighthood of Grand Cross Knight goes to New Zealander of the year Ray Avery – a scientist who established Medicine Mondiale, creating affordable products to improve access to quality healthcare globally.
Alison Holst becomes Dame Alison Holst. This will add currency to the rumour that Dame Alison has been picked to become the next Governor-General.
Five Knight Companions – Justice David Baragwanath for his services as a judge. businessmen Michael Hill and Bill Gallagher, educationalist Tamati Reedy and rather deliciously James McNeish becomes Sir James. McNeish is the author of the book that advocates that David Bain did kill his parents, and why.
Tags: honours
December 31st, 2010 at 10:49 am
You’re living in the past DPF. The recipient of GBE was a Knight (or Dame) Grand Cross.
The Recipient of a GNZM is a Knight (or Dame) Grand Companion.
Vote:December 31st, 2010 at 11:00 am
This will add currency to the rumour that Dame Alison has been picked to become the next Governor-General.
Picked already? Shouldn’t we be having a public discussion first, about things like whether she looks and sounds enough like a New Zealander? Some of her tucker looks a bit flash.
Maybe she will pass muster – woman, married, kitchen will keep some happy, woman, entepreneur will enthuse others, and magazine and tv “celebrity” will look after the cheap seats.
Seriously, I’d be more than happy with this pick, a good and very familiar kiwi. It’s just a pity we still have to have some old stranger lurking in the background (actually at the back side of the world to us).
Vote:December 31st, 2010 at 11:01 am
Roger Sowry? What a fucking joke! The man doesn’t deserve anything, let alone an ONZM.
A case of Labour-lite rewarding its minions, as it was before with socialist Labour paying back its acolytes.
Utter disgraceful.
Vote:December 31st, 2010 at 11:06 am
Where did that rumour spring from?
She is eminently qualified though. So useful for her to be able to wip up a bunch of scones at a moment’s notice when visiting dignatories drop in unannounced.
Vote:December 31st, 2010 at 11:26 am
The top line up are very worthy of their honours, and Dame Alison would be acceptable to me as Governor General.
Vote:December 31st, 2010 at 11:31 am
DPF ” I doubt few would say he is not very worthy.”
I’m still trying to parse this horrifically constructed sentence and work out if it resolves to a negative or positive…
Vote:December 31st, 2010 at 11:51 am
Out of interest, who pays for these things?
I sure as hell hope it’s the celebrity chefs and sportspeople who are given these awards.
Vote:December 31st, 2010 at 12:26 pm
This is a good thing. At state functions she can self-cater. It will reduce costs.
Vote:December 31st, 2010 at 12:43 pm
Could someone please explain why services as a member of Parliament could possibly justify inclusion in the New Year Honours list?
How do they rank alongside other inclusions, say, for services to the community and services to medicine?
And without wanting to personalise the discussion too much, how is for services as Chief Executive of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry justified? Shall we just give everyone an award and be done with it?
Vote:December 31st, 2010 at 12:57 pm
Beat me to it Nome^^^
WTF have Sowry or Laban done which is worthy of any kind of reward?
Both troughers and time-servers which achieved nothing of note in their years in Parliament
Vote:December 31st, 2010 at 1:34 pm
Couldn’t agree more about Sowry. It is awards like that which devalue the integrity of the NZ award system. It’s a bloody insult to all other Officers of the NZ Order of Merit to be ranked alongside a former shoe salesman and a failed MP who contributed NOTHING. He was paid to trough. The last thing he deserves is any sort of award.
Vote:December 31st, 2010 at 1:44 pm
I thought McNeish’s book on Bain was awful, to be honest. A rambling, disorganised book that didn’t know if it was a personal reflection or an account. I got the sense it was banged out in short order from a collection of notes.
Vote:December 31st, 2010 at 2:09 pm
I wouldn’t say Sowry contributed “nothing”, he was a reliable slogger in thankless boring responsiblities, but such people are rewarded with their pay packet alone, the medals should go to those with a bit more star quality.
Vote:December 31st, 2010 at 3:25 pm
Agree with Nomestradamus… doing your job – even doing it well – isn’t something deserving of an honour. But nor, come to that, is playing sport, whether as an amateur or a professional. You presumably do it because you like it and, if you’re a professional, you take home a large sack of money as well. Plus there are plenty of other awards to collect.
New Years and Queens Birthday honours should be reserved exclusively for those who do something they don’t have to do, and which benefit others, not themselves.
Bob Charles is a fine bloke, but he has enough accolades to last two lifetimes. What about the hundreds of people who give up their time (and often contribute their money) to teaching and coaching the thousands of youngsters who play sport on the weekends? Alison Holst is a wonderful woman but she’s made a fortune out of her various activities and is already well-regarded. What about the hundreds of people who volunteer in foodbanks and soup kitchens? And so on.
These things have turned into yet another excuse for the elites to back-slap one another. Time it was put to a public vote each year.
Vote:December 31st, 2010 at 3:53 pm
Honours for Sowry and Laban has to be a sick joke.
Justice David Baragwanath gets one for doing his job. Pathetic, but not as sick as those above.
The sickest joke in the history of awards has to bestowing the highest honour of all to Jonathon Hunt. Nice one Helen and Margaret.
Can anyone top that ?
Vote:December 31st, 2010 at 4:02 pm
One of the best cartoons the Herald ever printed was when Hunt got his award and he was depicted arriving at the summit of Everest to greet Sir E Hillary who was still alive at that time, and a genuine recipient.
Hunt was passenger in a taxi.
What did Hunt do to Earn his award again? i forget.
Vote:December 31st, 2010 at 4:14 pm
“I doubt few would say he is not very worthy.” From context, I think that you are saying that you approve, but it reads as if you think that there are many who would say he is not very worthy.
Vote:December 31st, 2010 at 4:15 pm
Oh Yeah, i remember now, services to sucking on the public tit for over 40 long years
His greatest achievment, as judged by himself in all those long, pittiful years was the adoption act he sponsored.
Also, the second most useless and partisan speaker of the house ever after Margaret Wilson.
I suspect the real reason for his award was knowing the personal proclivities of some of his colleagues and keeping quiet. Dont ask dont tell Jonathon.
Vote:December 31st, 2010 at 4:20 pm
TrueblueNZ has its own Award up today-
http://truebluenz.wordpress.com/
Vote:December 31st, 2010 at 4:22 pm
Will John Key appoint Dame Alison Holst as GG on the condition that every Executice Council meeting includes a batch of her muffins?
Vote:December 31st, 2010 at 4:54 pm
I am more worried that the order of new Zealand is worthy og sir bob Charles. It is stuffed with former politicians.
Vote:December 31st, 2010 at 5:02 pm
DPF ” I doubt few would say he is not very worthy.”
I’m still trying to parse this horrifically constructed sentence and work out if it resolves to a negative or positive…
Put It Away:
If I can help … David Farrar appears to be saying ‘many would agree [with Farrar] that he [Charles] is worthy’.
Vote:December 31st, 2010 at 5:33 pm
I wonder when Marcia Proctor will ever get her New Years Honours award? Not sure if she is even alive, was only last year I last saw her.
Must be well into her 80′s, possibly even 90′s and was delivering Meals on Wheels to oldies and others as recently as last year! Just a smidgen of what she did for the Shannon community over her whole lifetime.
Don’t know her? Thought not! These are the people who are deserve honouring!
Vote:Geoff Thompson….urk, Roger Sowry. Didn’t he lose his cool and cry like a stuck pig majorly during his last term?December 31st, 2010 at 5:42 pm
Whereas there have been many worthy recipients of awards over time in New Zealand can anyone nominate a more useless and undeserving person than Jonathon Hunt ?
Can anyone give the real reason why such a nonce was elevated ?
Happy new year and good luck to your families.
Vote:January 1st, 2011 at 6:51 am
Good on Bob Charles….
Twicw a knight at his age? Well done.
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