The QB Honours 2011
June 6th, 2011 at 1:56 pm by David FarrarThe full list is on the DPMC website.
Two dames and five knights. The top recepients are:
DNZM
To be Dames Companion of the said Order:
Mrs Rosemary Anne Horton, QSO, QSM, of Auckland.
For services to philanthropy.Dr Katerina Te Heikoko Mataira, CNZM, of Hamilton.
For services to the M�ori language.KNZM
To be Knights Companion of the said Order:
Mr David John Graham, CBE, ED, of Auckland.
For services to education and sport.The Honourable Justice Robert Grant Hammond, of Wellington.
For services to the law.Mr Graeme Thomas Harrison, of Wellington.
For services to business.Mr Daniel Patrick Higgins, ONZM, of Palmerston North.
For services to philanthropy and the community.Mr James Hay Wallace, ONZM, of Auckland.
For services to the arts.
Only heard of three of them myself.
June 6th, 2011 at 2:07 pm
Dame Rosie Horton and Sir David Graham are long overdue. But I imagine that had something to do with Helen Clark resisting both appointments for political reasons. But the one that interested me personally was the QSM for Gwen Fairbrother who has given generously to the Dannevirke Community. She was a former teacher of mine and we were all terrified of her. It just goes to show kids do not understand their teachers all that well. If I knew her now I would greatly admire her spirit and generosity. Warm congratulations to her.
Vote:June 6th, 2011 at 2:07 pm
No Lord Birkenhead the Second there then?
What a surprise.
Vote:June 6th, 2011 at 2:13 pm
Interesting to note that on Red Alert Trevor Mallard admits that stopping knighthoods was wrong
Vote:June 6th, 2011 at 2:17 pm
That goes to show how effective they are then. It’s usually those who are work hardest behind the scenes out of the limelight who are the true champions.
Vote:June 6th, 2011 at 2:22 pm
I’m guessing I’ll have to wait until next week before I get my peerage for services to the Australian red wine industry – or will that be the Order of Oz?
Vote:June 6th, 2011 at 2:24 pm
yes Fisiana .. and many are his friends .. I wonder if they know that
Vote:June 6th, 2011 at 2:27 pm
mm Sir Trevor Mallard, Sir Phil Goff and Dame Annette King .. the precedent has been set on gongs to long serving politicians so I wonder if that is why Mallard has changed his mind
Vote:June 6th, 2011 at 2:27 pm
Good to see that the recipients of the awards are people who have earnt them and deserve them it by doing the work and putting the effort with some degree of anonymity.
I cringe when I see the perennial suckers (judges and politicians) being rewarded, in some cases, for no reason at all.
Vote:June 6th, 2011 at 2:31 pm
Pleased to see Graeme Harrison score. We need more businessmen like him, especially for dealing with Asia. I note that Mr Higgins got his gong for philanthropy and the community which is nice because he is bloody slow and secondrate at fixing our roads.
Vote:June 6th, 2011 at 3:02 pm
F*ck! I missed again?
How about Dime – for services to the escort business? or should that be from the escort business.. either way, not happy
Vote:June 6th, 2011 at 4:04 pm
God knows dime. It sounds like you’ve paid enough to warrant a Nighthood.
Vote:June 6th, 2011 at 4:19 pm
I too am pleased to see Graeme Harrison be recognised.
In addition to being a helluva nice guy he has done a lot for New Zealand in the very non-sexy industry of agri-business.
I found this quote from the DomPost on his achievements very interesting,
“Of his generation, only two people had built a business of more than $1b from nothing – he and Sir Stephen Tindall, founder of The Warehouse.”
Vote:June 6th, 2011 at 4:23 pm
To those that received honours for community work etc, etc…… well done.
For those that received gongs for paid time serving…… Absolute bullshit.
Vote:Why Judges, Treasury Secs et al deserve gongs for doing work for which they have been well paid makes the whole system suspect…..irrespective of whether they are NZ or Royal (Anyway, the only real Royal Gongs are VO, Bath and Garter) gongs.
June 6th, 2011 at 4:25 pm
jaba (1,272) Says: June 6th, 2011 at 2:27 pm “mm Sir Trevor Mallard….”
Given Trevor’s propensity to fling crap around, his most obvious title should be ‘Lord Muck of Turd Island’.
Vote:June 6th, 2011 at 4:52 pm
Very interesting listening to Willie Lose interviewing Sir John Graham on the sports program. Prodded by Willie to comment on education (he was headmaster at Auckland Grammar, apparently a prestigious school) he commented that he was a long-time advocate of performance pay for teachers, although he knew the teachers union was 100% against it.
Vote:June 6th, 2011 at 4:55 pm
As someone who clerked for Sir Robert “Grant” Hammond, let me assure you the work of a High Court judge is hardly well-paid. Sir Grant could easily have made vast amounts more in the private sector but instead has used his formidable intellect as the Dean of Auckland Law School, a High Court judge first in Hamilton and latterly in Wellington and at the Law Commission. We as a nation need commonsense legal intellect sensibly to sort out civil disputes, administer the criminal law and consider new legal ideas in law reform, just as much as we need community workers. There are long hard hours of work being a judge, along with a loss of certain privileges taken for granted by private citizens; not to mention plenty of people on the sidelines ready to criticize – criticism to which a judge cannot respond, by the way.
Vote:June 6th, 2011 at 4:59 pm
Sir Grant’s knighthood will enthrall Vince Siemer.
Vote:I thought Johnboy would get something for services to animal husbandry.
June 6th, 2011 at 4:59 pm
Agreed Sean.
Vote:Most Judges take a pay cut to take up the role.
Please don’t let the Greens and Liarbour know however.
June 6th, 2011 at 5:08 pm
Howard Broad For Fucks Sake, the pathetic show that these awards have become is further downgraded by giving anything but a short sharp crack to the head to this man, this is the peice of shit than ran interferance for Klark and so conveniently managed to drop her out of any crap she dropped herself or her “friends” into during her reign of terror.
Vote:The other side is I am sure there are some very deserving people that both did and didn’t make it onto the list, to them, well done.
June 6th, 2011 at 5:27 pm
Sean/Blue coast …..
Re Hammond et al
They take the “pay cut” in return for a lifestyle and perceived standing in the community.
Vote:Their jobs carry a salary, expenses and a platinum super scheme.
Their choice.
A Gong for doing paid work?
Absolutely, most defintely, NO
June 6th, 2011 at 6:08 pm
Great to see a couple of long-term foot soldiers of the IT sector in there – Carol Moffat and Lawrence Zwimpfer. Both self-effacing, tireless promoters of the importance of IT against the barriers thrown up by nay-sayers and sometimes, politicians.
Also Roger Kerr. You can agree or disagree his somewhat extreme views but he’s been plugging them in a consistent and measured way for a ngeneration.
A better list than most.
Vote:June 6th, 2011 at 8:12 pm
I’m having a bit of trouble understanding some of the criticism. Pointers would be appreciated.
Roger Kerr was a paid civil servant and then a paid lobbyist. Lobbying is still his paid job.
Grant Hammond is a paid judge and could definitely be earning more if he wasn’t one. But he doesn’t deserve an award because it was work he was paid to do.
The many businesspeople on the list got it (for the most part, some made big donations so that is different) because in doing the job that they made money out of they created money. For which they were paid.
I mean, its one thing to say that you should only get recognised for non-paid work, but you can’t say it for only some types of work. Come on guys.
Vote:June 6th, 2011 at 8:17 pm
How can the National-led Government justify the awarding of a QB honour to the worst-performing Police Commissioner in living memory?
Vote:June 6th, 2011 at 8:27 pm
Sir Pat Higgins’ knighthood is throughly deserved. The Higgins family has been enthusiastic supporters of all manner of Manawatu sporting and community groups, and he’s a good bugger to boot.
Vote:June 6th, 2011 at 8:39 pm
DT,
Hammond has been knighted because of his position as a judge of the High Court (sitting as on the Court of Appeal of NZ). It is a tradition that goes back centuries, the reason being that judges of the High Court sit on behalf of the Sovereign, a position that has, whether in the judiciary or government, been recognised by a knighthood. Historically, I think it was not so much about rewarding the judge but more about recognising that the representative of the Crown in such a setting should be at least a knight.
In the UK, High Court judges are knighted upon appointment, rather than upon retirement (as is the norm here) or upon a period of service in a higher court (CA or SC). Personally, I think we should adopt the UK practice here, but that is just my opinion.
So it is nothing to do with what Hammond is being paid or might have earned, but rather to recognise his position. It is exactly the same with Lieutenant General Sir Jerry Mateparae, knighted because of the position he is to take up rather than his current service (which would probably have seen him be knighted upon retirement).
NZers seem to be very anal about honours, expecting people to sacrifice themselves to charity for years in order to get one. I don’t think there is anything wrong with recognising people at or near the top of their field, or people who have done something special, or even just because of the position they hold. Just so long as we don’t go as far as the UK and think we must knight Olympic gold medallists immediately after they win the medal!
Vote:June 6th, 2011 at 9:03 pm
Easy to be a Philanthropist. Hard to be a Parent.
Vote:June 6th, 2011 at 9:58 pm
I was surprised Banksie and Kerrie Prendergast got a more junior honour that a Dame or Knight. Once upon a time Mayors of major cities got a K or a D after 2 terms. So that is a change.
Vote:June 6th, 2011 at 10:32 pm
Thank you FE Smith, that sounds very sensible.
Vote:June 7th, 2011 at 8:00 am
“Only heard of three of them myself.”
could you send those grapes back, please waiter?
They didn’t taste sour enough.
Congratulations to those concerned are in order.
Vote:June 7th, 2011 at 10:37 am
scanner @ 5:08pm
I’m sure Peter Ellis was delighted to here of Broads recognition;-
Vote:http://www.peterellis.org.nz/people/HowardBroad/index.htm
June 7th, 2011 at 10:45 am
Dame Rosie seemed a thoroughly nice lady on TV. John GRAHAM showed outstanding leadership over a long period and his award should be warmly acknowledged.
Vote: