Recipients of Christchurch Civic Awards 2024

He is the Golden Gentleman of the Christchurch Arts scene. He is a man of vast experience, exceptional skills, limitless energy and unbounded imagination.

If you can think of something, he can turn it into reality, be it a magic wand for a Fairy Godmother, a gorgeous Cheshire Cat, Olaf the Frozen Snowman, or a two and a half metre crocodile for the back of Captain Hook’s pirate ship.

Over the years his expertise as a stage manager, set designer and builder, and general creative force has been applied to many organisations.

He has worked overseas, particularly in London, and has travelled with many professional companies, including our own Royal New Zealand Ballet Company.

For the last half a century he has been deeply involved in virtually every creative group in Christchurch. The Court Theatre, Showbiz Christchurch (formerly the Christchurch Operatic Society), the Canterbury Children’s Theatre, the Repertory Theatre, and, most recently, the Christchurch Children’s Christmas Parade Trust, all owe him a deep debt of gratitude.

For the last he can be found, almost every day, in the workshop, fixing, mending, creating the floats that are the delight of the children of Canterbury.

A humble man, he is an inspiration to all, at 92 years of age still working tirelessly and selflessly for the enjoyment of thousands.

Since arriving in New Zealand from the Philippines in 2018 she has been deeply involved in the Christchurch Filipino community. 

A well-rounded and proactive individual she is known for her unselfish efforts and dedication. 

She has been an active worker for so many groups and organisations: Pinoy Cares Canterbury and the Fusion Volleyball Club as well as various other volleyball and basketball groups.

She has provided many hours of her time and given generously of her skills as a graphic artist to the Philippine Consulate, the Philippine Chaplaincy, the Sow-A-Lytel-Seed Muslim Community, the Active Muslim Explorer Group, the Philippine Cultural Migrant Services and many more.

During the Covid-19 crisis she was involved in workshops aimed at helping people cope with the pandemic, with pop-up vaccination clinics, and with social media awareness campaigns.

She has been involved with charitable and cultural organisations and events, particularly the Aliwan Festival, one of the important festivals of the Philippines, of 2022, and currently with the Festival of 2024.

One of the kindest, most generous and helpful of people, she will always go out of her way to help others in need.

A botanic garden is much more than a pretty collection of plants. It is a civic showpiece, a place of beauty for all, local folk and visitors from afar alike.

It is an inspiration to artists and poets. Most importantly, perhaps, its role is to establish and maintain collections of plants for scientific study.

By 2019 the unique dahlia collection of the Christchurch Botanic Gardens was deteriorating. Then two experienced and enthusiastic horticulturalists volunteered their services to remedy the plight of the beds.

Although knowing little about dahlias specifically, they set about researching the growth, propagation and maintenance of dahlias, and making contact with the breeders and experts in the wider community.

As a result, over the last five years they have developed and improved the dahlia beds of the Christchurch Botanic Gardens to an internationally recognised level.

And the work continues: during the flowering season they are there most days, deadheading, weeding, cultivating, happy to explain to all who come. During the winter they are there four or five days a week digging up the tubers, cultivating the soil and researching the best fertilisers.

Thanks to their dedication, devotion and countless hours of hard work, they have created the most extensive dahlia collection in public ownership in New Zealand, a truly outstanding achievement.

A former teacher and deputy Principal, he has long retired from the profession, but retirement did not mean putting himself out to pasture.

He is passionate about the Richmond/Shirley area, and for decades he has given freely of his considerable abilities to a wide range of community organisations, institutions and projects.

A former athletics coach and gymnastics instructor, he served for many years as a committee member and Secretary for the Christchurch Marathon Clinic.

He has been an integral part of the Richmond Residents’ and Business Association (now known as We Are Richmond) since 2018.

He has been instrumental in helping Shirley Intermediate School look into restoring its two swimming pools so that they can be utilised not only by the Intermediate School, but also by the Shirley Primary School and Paerawa Banks Avenue.

In the aftermath of the Christchurch earthquake he opened his home to local school Principals so that they had somewhere to meet socially, which led to the creation of Ōtākaro Kāhui Ako, a cluster of schools that continue to work together.

He is a community builder, a bridge between community and Council, a gifted administrator, passionate and tenacious in all his pursuits, always seeking the best for others.

Few studies expand the mind more than the learning of another language.

Not only does this enable the student to understand the speech and literature of another nation, it presents a whole new way of viewing the world, for every language is unique.

As a teacher of the French language, she has inspired countless students to drink of the deep well of French culture, broadening their minds, offering a whole gamut of new experiences and opportunities.

She played an instrumental role in the establishment and growth of the Alliance Française in Christchurch, opening the greater community to the French language and cultural events.

As Honorary Consul of France she has provided invaluable services to French nationals visiting and residing in Canterbury.

As Dean of the Consular Corps she has shown exceptional leadership and organisational skills. Nowhere was this skill and dedication more apparent than in the aftermath of the Christchurch earthquakes, when she co-ordinated with other consular representatives to address the needs of the international community in Canterbury.

Her efforts have not only enriched the educational and cultural fabric of Christchurch, but also strengthened international relations and community ties.

We can but say “Bravo! Bien joué, et mille mercis”.

It all began with a game of soccer. Her husband was on the sideline with Allison Nicol. They chatted and the idea of a trust to support bone marrow cancer treatment was born. 

He said to Allison, “I can’t be on any trusts, but I’ll give you my wife.” And what a gift that was!

She joined the Bone Marrow Cancer Trust in 1990, and her vision and leadership have been a driving force behind some incredible fundraisers ever since.

Black tie events and charity auctions were amongst the most successful projects. After one such event it was reported that the largest amount ever raised at a private, home-based auction in Christchurch had been netted.

Originally the Trust had aimed to raise a million dollars for the Bone Marrow Cancer Unit at Christchurch Hospital, but, as she later explained, the transplant unit was never the end of the journey. Patients would need somewhere to stay. So she just kept fundraising, and the result was Ranui House.

In 1999 she moved from being a Trustee to being Patron of the Trust, but she is and never has been a mere figurehead. She has continued as part of the fundraising committee and is still active in the Trusts activities, providing the wisdom that comes from age and experience.

The tens of thousands who have enjoyed the assistance of the trust and of Ranui House give her the most heartfelt thanks for her support, her wisdom, and her incredible generosity.

He has delivered outstanding service to the Namaste Nepal radio programme for the past twelve years.

Broadcasting on Plains FM, this weekly show is a crucial resource for the Nepali community in Canterbury and beyond, offering a rich mix of Nepali music, news and information.

The programme’s broad reach has made it a leading voice for Nepali people living, working and studying in New Zealand, its content engaging and accessible to the community, and especially invaluable to the elderly and the recently arrived.

His dedication, proactive efforts and leadership have been instrumental to the success of the Namaste Nepal programme, as well as various other events organised by the Nepal New Zealand Friendship Society of Canterbury.

His ability to connect with people and his deep understanding of the needs of the community have been invaluable assets to the Society, to the Nepali community and the wider community of Canterbury. His dedication to the Society has been a driving force in promoting cultural diversity and inclusion in Christchurch.

By organising and participating in multicultural events, he has not only showcased the ancient Nepali culture and traditions, enriching the City’s cultural diversity, he has strengthened the sense of community, heightened cultural pride, and deepened mutual understanding among the diverse groups of Christchurch.

He joined the Christchurch Fiji Association in 2010 as an Assistant Secretary, but his talents very quickly became apparent, and he was soon nominated for and appointed to the position of Secretary, an office he still holds.

He is also the Association’s Public Relations Officer, in which capacity he has cross-promoted harmony with other organisations, as well as co-ordinating or participating in various successful programmes and events, such as Diwali, Holi, the Fiji Day celebrations, and the Christchurch Christmas Parade.

As Programmes Director for Jalsa Fiji Radio he has become an invaluable source of news and information of especial interest to the Indian community of Canterbury. Through the radio show he has helped to promote many charitable organisations and activities.

He created the Jalsa Talent Show for local entertainers, as well as a show dedicated to legendary Bollywood performers, providing a platform for various local artists to showcase their talents.

He has a gift for bringing out the best in people, which has materially strengthened the connectedness of the Indian community, and has helped the wider community to a better understanding of Hindu culture.

He has heightened the mana of the Indian community, helping them to gain a true essence of belonging in this, their home away from home.

In the fields of advocacy for human rights, environmental sustainability and heritage preservation, the question is not “What has she done?” but “Is there anything she has not done?”

In short, she has devoted her whole working life, and beyond that into her retirement, to public advocacy. The list of the positions, paid and voluntary, local, national and international, that she has held over the decades, is encyclopaedic.

In the 1980s she served as a Human Rights Commissioner responsible for women’s issues.

From 1989 to 2004 she served on the Environment Canterbury Regional Council, responsible for natural resources management, policy development, planning, regulation and monitoring.

From 2009 to 2015 she was a member of the government Land and Water Forum, on the Plenary and Governance Working Group.

The executive of Environment and Conservation Organisations of Aotearoa New Zealand and Chair of the North Canterbury Branch of the Forest and Bird Society. 

The International Union for the Conservation of Nature, the University of Canterbury Council, Communities for Climate Protection, the list goes on.

Her gift to Christchurch, to Canterbury, to New Zealand, has been nothing less than a lifetime of dedication, a gift for which no thanks could be too great, no accolade too high.