Taika Waititi, Mike Bush, Kieran Read awarded Queen's Birthday Honours
Sunday, 31 May 2020
Filmmaker Taika Waititi, former Police Commissioner Mike Bush and former All Blacks captain Kieran Read have been named 2020 Queen's Birthday Honours recipients.
They were among 178 recipients announced on Monday - including three new dames and two new knights.
The hierarchical honour system recognises outstanding contributions spanning various areas of interest - including sport, film and police - at a national and international level.
The most senior honour is the Order of New Zealand, which is limited to 20 living persons at any time. Knight or Dame Grand Companions are ranked second, followed by Knight and Dame Companions, Companions, Officers, and Members. There are also Honorary Members named.
Waititi and Read were named Officers, while Bush was named a Companion.
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MIKE BUSH
After spending 42 years in the New Zealand Police force, Bush's hard work has been recognised with the prestigious honour.
Noted for his service to the police and the community, he was appointed a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit (CNZM).
After moving up the ranks from deputy commissioner, Bush held the role of police commissioner for six years and retired in April during the coronavirus pandemic. Alongside Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and the director-general of health Dr Ashley Bloomfield, he became a regular fixture at the near-daily press conferences during the country's coronavirus lockdown.
Throughout his career, Bush worked on and spearheaded a number of strategies and responses - namely the Police response to the 2019 Christchurch mosque shootings.
In 2006, he was made an Additional Member of the New Zealand order of Merit during the New Year Honours.
KIERAN READ
Rewarded for his services to rugby, the famed All Blacks captain received the title of an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit (ONZM).
An All Black for 11 years - including 52 test matches as Captain - Read led his team on an enduring Rugby World Cup campaign in 2019. His inclusion on the winning 2011 and 2015 World Cup teams also made him one of only 20 players to have won multiple cups.
After debuting for Canterbury in 2006 and for the Crusaders and Junior All Blacks a year later, Read quickly became a household name among rugby fans.
Having signed with Japan's Toyota Verblitz at the end of the World Cup, Read was tasked with travelling back home to New Zealand during the Covid-19 outbreak, ahead of New Zealand's Alert Level 4 lockdown taking effect.
Over his career he received a collection of accolades - in 2013 he was named the IRB World Rugby Player of the Year, and in 2010 and again in 2013 he was the New Zealand Rugby Player of the Year.
TAIKA WAITITI
A familiar name in Hollywood, Waititi's service to film earned him the title of an ONZM.
Coming fresh off an Oscar and BAFTA win for his film, Jojo Rabbit, which he wrote, directed and acted in, Waititi has several high-profile projects lined up. He was writing and directing the Thor: Love and Thunder; directing a new Star Wars film; and writing, directing and producing two Roald Dahl series for Netflix.
Waititi previously said his entire career was owed to New Zealand audiences.
'They were the first people who latched on and got my stuff … They've been my biggest supporters.'
His earlier creations - Two Cars, One Night; Boy; Eagle vs Shark; Flight of the Concords; What We Do in the Shadows; and Hunt for the Wilderpeople - were among some of his highly-acclaimed projects.
He was also named Kiwibank New Zealander of the Year in 2017.
All of the 2020 recipients can be viewed on Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet website, along with past recipients dating back to 1995.