Community, conservation at heart of honours

The achievement of three Southland women were acknowledged at investiture ceremonies held at Government House last week.

The women were among the seven Southlanders recognised in this year’s New Year’s Honours list.

Invercargill’s Liz Henry received the King’s Service Medal (KSM) for services to the community and sport.

She plays a key role in community initiatives, including Age Concern Southland, where she has volunteered since 2008 and now serves as vice-president nationally.

Ms Henry also founded Invercargill park run in 2018, helping bring hundreds together weekly and now mentors new events nationwide, including supporting them with defibrillators.

She also sponsors local sporting initiatives, backs literacy programmes and grows vegetables from her law firm to donate to families in need, while providing pro bono legal advice to charities.

Gail Thompson of Bluff was made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for her services for her long-standing contributions to community, sport, Māori development and conservation.

A longtime leader and advocate, she has managed Awarua Rūnaka since the early 2000s and played a central role in restoring mahinga kai and advancing customary fisheries.

A founding member of Guardians of Fiordland Fisheries, she contributed to marine protection efforts and advised on major initiatives including Predator Free Rakiura and the Waituna Lagoon restoration.

Manapouri environmentalist and author Ruth Shaw was awarded a KSM for services to conservation, reflecting decades of advocacy, from the Save Fiordland campaign to predator eradication projects, as well as her work supporting environmental initiatives through tourism and writing.