From local government leadership and sporting excellence to dedication to education and rescue efforts, five Nelson locals have been recognised in this year’s New Year Honours. Today, we are bringing you their stories.
Former Tasman District councillor and deputy mayor of Nelson Judene Edgar has been appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for her contributions to local government and the community.
For Judene, the news arrived the way major moments often do these days – by email.
“I did all the usual spam checks,” she laughs. “Then I just sat there with this dopey grin. It’s pretty special.”
Special, perhaps, because so much of her impact has come not from titles or positions, but from an almost compulsive willingness to help.
“I’ve probably done more voluntary work than paid work,” she admits. “If the passion’s not there, what’s the point?”
Judene’s volunteer journey began long before she entered governance. After returning from Australia in her twenties, she joined the Nelson District Parent Centre – her first major committee and the place she met her now-husband David.
From there, she helped establish the Wakefield Toy Library and served as treasurer of a local pipe band when one of her sons took up the chanter.
Her service extended far beyond Nelson. She spent a month teaching HIV education and supporting health outreach in Zulu townships in South Africa, and another month in Nepal helping build homes with Habitat for Humanity.
“You never know the difference you make in someone’s life,” she says.
It’s a lesson that has guided her work ever since.
Many in Tasman still associate Judene with a string of major community projects – from the Richmond Aquatic Centre to the Murchison Community Centre, Motueka grandstand and numerous museum and school initiatives. Her approach was always deeply hands-on.
“I’d fall in love with the project,” she says. “At one point I spent a year not billing for my time because the price of steel went up. Terrible business model,” she laughs, “but it mattered.”
Her belief in empowering others led her to launch free, annual Funding Expos, which for six years attracted hundreds of locals seeking advice, tools and the confidence to fund and run their own initiatives.
In-between her time on Tasman and Nelson councils, Judene worked as a reporter for the Waimea Weekly and continues to contribute to Nelson Magazine.
But it is governance where Judene’s footprint is more significant. She spent 15 years on the Saxton Field committee – including three years as independent chair – helping guide the region’s premier sporting and events hub through planning, development and major changes.
She also served on the Nelson Airport board during the terminal redevelopment, while completing three terms on the Tasman District Council from 2007 to 2016 before being elected to Nelson City Council and becoming deputy mayor in 2019 and during the extraordinarily challenging Covid-19 era.
“Three Covid years felt like nine,” she reflects. “The political environment shifted. People were tired, stressed. It was tough on everyone.”
Today Judene works nationally as Principal Advisor at the Institute of Directors, leading climate governance initiatives, research and guidance for boards across the country. She continues to serve on several boards, including Rātā Foundation, Network Tasman Trust and the Nelson Historic Theatre Trust.
But for all the big projects and heavy portfolios, her driving force remains simple.
“It’s the small things,” she says. “A bit of kindness, helping someone when you can. You never know the impact.”
That ethos – lived across decades – is what the Honours list has now formally recognised. And for Judene, it’s both humbling and affirming.
“Someone out there thought what I’d done mattered,” she says. “And that means a lot.”
