Five Nelson Tasman locals have been recognised in the 2024 New Year Honours.
Dr Graeme Elliott has been employed with the Department of Conservation (DOC) and predecessor organisations since the 1980s and has volunteered his own time to furthering ecological research and conservation initiatives.
Dr Elliott’s research has significantly expanded New Zealand’s knowledge of its endangered birds and the threats to them. He has been a member of the National Kakapo Management Group and Recovery Group since 1995. Since 2003 he has been on the Whio (blue duck), Orange-fronted kākāriki and Mohua (Yellowhead) Recovery Groups, principally as a Science Advisor. His PhD research identified seeding patterns that increased predator numbers and threatened hole-nesting Mohua and parakeet species, which led to improved predator control to protect threatened birds. He is regarded as a cornerstone of DOC’s large-scale predator control programmes, with his research informing the approach applied in South Island forests and adapted for North Island forests, leading to an increase in the numbers of forest birds and bats. He and his partner have monitored the health of albatross populations in the sub Antarctic annually since 1991, much of it in their own time. Through this, Dr Elliott and his partner discovered both Gibson’s and Antipodean albatross populations were in a critical condition and have worked to alert others and to find solutions.
Emeritus Professor Don Wilson, of Kaiteriteri, has been made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to obstetrics and gynaecology.
Emeritus Professor Don Wilson has had a career spanning 40 years in obstetrics and gynaecology, particularly urogynaecology.
Emeritus Professor Wilson’s speciality in urogynaecology addresses the prevention and treatment of pelvic floor disorders in women, which include urinary and faecal incontinence, pelvic organ prolapse and sexual dysfunction. He began as a joint Consultant at Dunedin Hospital with the University of Otago in 1980 before becoming Emeritus Professor in 2012. He served as Head of the Obstetrics and Gynaecology Department in Dunedin between 1992 and 2001 and as Head of Women’s and Children’s Health between 1999 and 2003. He studied physiotherapy treatment of postnatal urinary incontinence in Dunedin women with the awarding of an MRC project grant in the late 1980s, which led to collaborating in an ongoing longitudinal study of pelvic floor disorders and childbirth. This has attracted funding of total more than $2 million to New Zealand, across 30 years. He has published 130 peer reviewed journal articles, eight book chapters and has authored and co-authored 13 major systematic reviews. He was a founding editor of the Cochrane Urinary and Faecal Incontinence Review Group between 1995 and 2013, providing reviews and up-to-date evidence-based management of urinary and faecal incontinence. Emeritus Professor Wilson retired from clinical practice in 2021 and remains active in women’s health research.
Marie Lindaya, of Nelson, has been made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to multicultural communities.
Ms Marie Lindaya has supported and advocated for multicultural communities in the Nelson-Tasman region for more than 30 years.
Ms Lindaya co-founded Multicultural Nelson Tasman (MNT, formerly Nelson Multi-Ethnic Council) in 1994, supporting migrant and former refugee communities. She was Chairperson, returning in 2019 as Treasurer, Acting Chairperson, and is currently Deputy Chairperson. She organised Nelson’s first multicultural get-togethers, paving the way to the annual large-scale Multicultural Festival 29 years on, bridging and celebrating the region’s diversity. MNT received the Nelson Tasman Chamber of Commerce Business Award 2022 for Community Impact. She was New Zealand Red Cross Area (Regional) Council Chairperson from 2010 to 2016 and remains an Area Councillor and Nelson Branch Treasurer, supporting resettlement of refugees and their families. Her community governance Board involvement includes Nelson Budget Advice, Nelson Bays Community Law, InterFaith Council Nelson-Tasman, Volunteer Nelson as Deputy Chair then Secretary, Te Whatu Ora Health Consumer Council since 2019, National Council of Women and Nelson Women’s Club member, and the New Zealand-Chinese Friendship Association. She was National Secretary for Multicultural New Zealand, where she received a 2023 Community Service Award. Ms Lindaya’s continued relationship building and advocacy for marginalised communities includes involvement with Speak Out Nelson Tasman, an anti-racism and allyship reporting system triaged by the New Zealand Police.
Lindsay Wood, of Nelson, has been made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to environmental sustainability and climate change awareness.
Mr Lindsay Wood is an advocate and campaigner for greater awareness of climate change and environmental sustainability on a regional and national level.
Mr Wood founded WoodCo Architects in 1976. He was the Managing Director of Harbour Homes Ltd. for nine years and held several educational leadership roles from 1977 to 2004, including UNITEC Acting Head of School of Architecture. Since 2015, he has been the Executive Director of Resilienz Ltd., a climate strategy company that undertakes extensive pro bono work including the development of low carbon construction systems and research into low-emission transport. He has propelled Nelson City Council toward mitigating and adapting to the effects of climate change and, in 2019, played key roles in Nelson’s declaration of a climate emergency and in securing council funding to implement the council’s climate action plan, including the establishment of the Nelson Tasman Climate Forum. He has been involved in sustainable transport for many years, advocating for climate-responsible travel and expanded public transport in the Nelson-Tasman region. He has given public talks, hosted seminars and workshops about climate change at regional and national level, and has written widely about climate change for mainstream media and in submissions to government. Mr Wood writes ‘Climate Matters’, a newsletter published fortnightly since 2018 and broadcast weekly since 2021.
Joy Oakly, of Nelson, has been awarded the Queen’s Service Medal for services to women and education.
Mrs Joy Oakly has advocated for greater educational opportunities for women and young girls in the Nelson Tasman region for more than 40 years.
Mrs Oakly was Captain of the Third Nelson Company of Girls Brigade Company from 1970 to 1993 and a member and President of the Nelson West Rotoract between 1974 and 1980. In 1981 she joined Soroptimist International Nelson. She has held several roles on the Executive Committee, including as President in 1989 and 2010 to 2012. She has led several initiatives to support women and girls regionally, including securing funding from the Ministry of Education for a Young Parents’ School to provide learning assistance to complete NCEA courses. She is current Chair of the Nelson Soroptimist Education Trust, which provides scholarships to women and girls experiencing financial hardship. She has supported numerous campaigns in schools including ‘Students Against Violence’ and anti-bullying campaigns. She has been involved with several events to raise awareness of family violence in the region, including supporting the annual White Ribbon Riders and ‘Walk the Talk’ marches. Since 1970 she has worked as a scientist at the Nelson Cawthron Institute and has been involved in the Institute’s Annual School Science Fair for many years. Mrs Oakly was a Trustee of the Betty Loughhead Soroptimist Trust from 2014 to 2017.
The Nelson App will be sharing individual articles of the recipients' achievements in the coming days.
