Turner has made a significant contribution to Otago cricket as a player, coach, selector and commentator.
Turner was one of New Zealand's best test batsman and is an astute tactician and a knowledgeable and exciting commentator.
The guest speaker at the dinner will be the great English all-rounder Sir Ian Botham. The dinner, for 300 guests, will be held at the University of Otago Link Building on Friday, March 8.
The inaugural test dinner was held last year when Iain Gallaway, the doyen of the commentary box, was honoured. It is proposed to honour an Otago cricket personality every time a test match is played in Dunedin.
There will be 12 overseas VIPs attending the test match at the University Oval.
They include Giles Clarke (chairman of the English Cricket Board), Mike Griffith (president of the MCC) and Derek Newton (chairman of Surrey Cricket Club). There are about 70 overseas media who will be working at the test and they will be welcomed at a media function at the University Oval Long Room next Tuesday. The British media includes former English captain Mike Atherton, Botham, Paul Allott, David Lloyd, Jonathan Agnew and Sir Geoffrey Boycott.
They will be working with British newspapers, BkyB television and BBC radio.
There will also be a leaders' breakfast for elite Otago secondary school sportsmen at the Otago University Rugby Clubrooms next Monday.
The guest speakers will be Black Caps captain Brendon McCullum and a player from the English team.
Another function of interest during the test will be The Last Night of the Proms with the Southern Sinfonia at the Regent Theatre on Thursday, March 7.
The chief executive of the Otago Cricket Association, Ross Dykes, expects a capacity crowd of 5300 at the University Oval for the first three days of the test.
This will include the Barmy Army and supporters from other English tour groups.
