Racing driver, Xero founder, inquiry chair, and professors, among four new knights and three new dames
Wednesday, 31 December 2025
The New Year Honours list includes three new dames and four new knights, among them racing driver Scott Dixon and businessperson Rod Drury, founder of global small business accounting platform Xero.
The three new dames are all made Dame Companions of the New Zealand order of Merit (DNZM) and the new knights are all Knight Companions of the New Zealand Order of Merit (KNZM).
These are the country’s third most senior honours. No one has been made a Member of The Order of New Zealand (ONZ), the country’s most senior honour, or Dame or Knight Grand Companions of the New Zealand Order of Merit (GNZM), the second most senior honour in this year’s New Year Honours.
Others receiving a New Year 2026 honour include motorsport personality Tony Quinn, runners Rod Dixon and Lorraine Moller, former mayors Sandra Hazlehurst and Tenby Powell, bowler Val Smith, rugby player Eroni Clarke, cricketer Martin Guptill and several journalists.
Along with Dixon and Drury, the other two new KNZMs are Professor Graham Le Gros, who was director of the Malaghan Institute of Medical Research from 1994 to 2024, and entrepreneur and art patron Christopher Parkin.
The three new DNZMs are Coral Shaw, who chaired the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Historical Abuse in State Care and in the Care of Faith-based Institutions, philanthropist Dorothy Spotswood, and this country’s pre-eminent authority in ophthalmology Professor Helen Danesh-Meyer.
Tony Quinn is among 12 people being made Companions of The New Zealand Order of Merit (CNZM). His projects have included developing the Highlands Motorsport Park in Cromwell and upgrading motorsport parks at Hampton Downs and Taupō.
Also made a CNZM is micropaleontologist Dr Bruch Hayward, a specialist on foraminifera, one of the most abundant microfossil groups preserved in marine sediments.
Professor Bev Lawton is made a CNZM for services to women’s health. A professor at Victoria University of Wellington, she is founder and director since 2008 of Te Tātai Hauora o Hine, the National Centre for Women’s Health Research Aotearoa.
Prominent mathematician Distinguished Professor Gaven Martin, whose research has solved some of the most challenging problems in mathematics, is made a CNZM for services to mathematics and education.
Distinguished Professor Paul Moughan is made a CNZM for services to science. He is an expert on protein metabolism, and his published work has led to a deeper understanding of mammalian growth and development, the mechanisms of nutrient absorption and metabolism.
Rod Dixon, Sandra Hazlehurst, Lorraine Moller, Tenby Powell, Val Smith and Richard Harman are among 35 people made Officers of The New Zealand Order of Merit (ONZM).
Dixon was a versatile runner, getting a bronze medal in the 1500 metres at the 1972 Olympic games in Munich, then in 1983 winning the New York City Marathon.
Moller gained bronze in the marathon at the Barcelona Olympic Games in 1992, and won 16 international marathons, including the Boston Marathon in 1984.
Hazlehurst was the first woman to be mayor of Hastings, retaining the role from 2017 until she stepped down in 2025.
Powell, who was mayor of Tauranga from 2019 to 2020, is honoured for services to business, governance and humanitarian aid. In 2022, he founded charity organisation Kiwi KARE, which provides essential aid and evacuation services to red zones in Ukraine.
Smith is this country’s most internationally capped outdoor bowls player, having represented New Zealand in 667 games.
Harman started his first job in broadcast journalism at Television New Zealand in 1977. His roles include running news website Politik, which covers complex policy issues, party political issues and reporting on foreign and defence policy.
Eroni Clarke is made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit (MNZM). He played rugby professionally for 15 years - including for the All Blacks, Blues and Highlanders - and has since made significant contributions to Pacific leadership and mental health services.
Former international cricketer Martin Guptill is also made an MNZM. He is the Black Caps all-time highest run-scorer in T20 international matches with 3531 runs.
Others among the 63 new MNZMs are journalists Donna Chisholm, John Roughan and Leighton Smith.
Altogether, 177 people are recognised in the New Year 2026 Honours. Along with the 117 various New Zealand Order of Merit recipients, two people are made Companions of The King’s Service Order (KSO), 57 receive The King’s Service Medal (KSM), and one receives a Distinguished Service Decoration (DSD).