The Waikato’s King’s Birthday honours recipients
Monday, 1 June 2026
Twenty people from the Waikato region have received King’s Birthday honours this year, including a new knight and a new dame, and the full list makes for diverse reading.
Heading up the Waikato’s honours recipients is Horouta, Mātaatua, Te Arawa, and Tainui scholar Dr Reuben Tuwhakahekeao Collier, who has been made a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for his services to Māori and education.
Collier was appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2017 for services to the television industry and Māori, and has been further recognised as a custodian of Māori war commemoration, particularly as a member of the Ngarimu VC and 28th Māori Battalion Memorial Fund Board.
He has provided strategic guidance to iwi, the New Zealand Defence Force, Crown institutions and international partners on taonga and legacies of national importance, and is regularly sought for his expertise for the staging of nationally significant events.
A graduate of the University of Waikato and former lecturer in te reo Māori and tikanga, Collier’s career has spanned Māori broadcasting, doctoral education, creative research and the preservation of cultural knowledge.
His appointment recognises a lifetime of service to Māori communities, education and the wider cultural life of Aotearoa.
Collier was also awarded the Pou Aronui Medal by the Royal Society Te Apārangi in 2025 for his contributions to the humanities.
“I wish to acknowledge the support of the Kīngitanga, our many marae and the elders across the region, many of whom have now passed.
“Their guidance, trust and knowledge helped shape this work. Much of what I have carried forward began through relationships, conversations and responsibilities grounded here in Waikato,” he said.
Being made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit (ONZM) is agribusiness leader Geoffrey Maber.
Maber has contributed to the agribusiness sector for more than 50 years, and is owner, chief executive, and chairperson of Power Farming Group (PFG).
Under Maber’s leadership, PFG expanded from a small family business to become the largest privately-owned tractor and farm machinery business in the Southern Hemisphere generating $600 million annually, and employing around 500 people in New Zealand, Australia and North America.
Kenneth (Ken) Williamson has also been made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to governance and the community.
Williamson is a business mentor and long-serving volunteer who has held significant governance, leadership, and fundraising roles within his community.
He has been actively involved in the Order of St John since 1969, serving as the chairperson of its central region, a governor of its priory board, and currently serving its priory chapter.
In 2013, he became the founding chairperson of the Momentum Waikato Community Foundation, and is currently a founding trustee of the Waikato Regional Property Trust.
He is a Knight of Grace of the Order of St John, and received the Queen’s Service Medal in 2009.
Williamson has held, or has current governance roles, with many organisations including Sky City Trust, Midland Sexual Support Services Trust, the Waikato Chiefs, Magic Netball, and Peak Indoor Sports Centre.
He has had a longstanding involvement supporting Te Whakaruruhau Waikato Women’s Refuge and the McKenzie Centre for children with special needs.
He has contributed to the Hamilton Kudos Scientific Awards Trust, the University of Waikato Foundation, and served on several local school boards.
He is also a Fellow of the Insurance Brokers Corporation of New Zealand and became a Distinguished Fellow of the Institute of Directors in 2022.
Other Waikato honours
Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit (MNZM):
Dr Luk Sun Chin: Cambridge, for services to health and harness racing.
Dr Rachael Griffiths-Hughes: Hamilton, for services to music.
Colin Groves: Hamilton, for services to business, philanthropy and sport.
Associate Professor Chai Hop Mary (Mary) Low: Hamilton, for services to accountancy education.
Morris Pita: Ngātiwai, Ngāti Hine, for services to governance, business and Māori.
Dr Katrina Roberts: Matamata, for services to the dairy industry and the community.
Dr Udayangani (Udaya) Samarakkody: Hamilton, for services to paediatric surgery and the Sri Lankan community.
Professor Marc Shaw: Hamilton, for services to travel health.
Alan Simmons: Tūrangi, for services to outdoor recreation.
King’s Service Medal (KSM) recipients:
Rosalind (Ros) Corban: Tokoroa, for services to nursing.
Dianne June: Hamilton, for services to wildlife conservation.
Selwyn June: Hamilton, for services to wildlife conservation.
Margaret Jane (Jane) Manson: Hamilton, for services to the community.
Brian Marcroft: Ōhaupō, for services to the community.
Ralph Pitcher: Whangamatā, for services to Fire and Emergency New Zealand and the community.