Professor Graham Le Gros, Coral Shaw, Dorothy Spotswood and Scott Dixon are four of the seven being named Dames and Knights. Photo: RNZ
Seven new Knights and Dames have been named on the New Year Honours list.
They include Dames Helen Danesh-Meyer, Coral Shaw and Dorothy Spotswood and Sirs Scott Dixon, Rod Drury, Graham Le Gros and Chris Parkin.
They were among 177 people who received recognition in the honours list this year.
Professor Helen Danesh-Meyer became a Dame Companion to the New Zealand Order of Merit for her services to opthalmology, with Prime Minister Christopher Luxon noting she was ranked among the top 10 glaucoma specialists in the world this year.
Professor and surgeon Helen Danesh-Meyer is now a Dame. (File photo) Photo: Supplied
"Her contribution is significant globally," Luxon said.
Dame Coral Shaw was recognised for her services to public service, the judiciary and the community. She chaired the Royal Commission of Inquiry into historical abuse in state care and in the care of faith-based institutions from 2019 to 2024.
She had been involved with voluntary initiatives including prisoner rehabilitation, services to seniors, marae based and local community services and the Citizens Advice Bureau.
"Dame Coral's work on the Royal Commission of Inquiry was the culmination of a lifetime of service to the judiciary and the community. She has chaired sector reviews of the Human Rights Commission and Fire and Emergency New Zealand and has served as a judge on the District Court, Employment Court and United Nations Disputes Tribunal," Luxon said.
Coral Shaw at a hearing of the Royal Commission into Abuse in Care inquiry. (File photo) Photo: RNZ / Patrice Allen
Dame Dorothy Spotswood was recognised for services to philanthropy and together with her partner, Sir Mark Dunajtschik, had contributed to causes and charities for more than 50 years.
The couple contributed $53 million to build the Wellington's Children's Hospital and a further $10m for the Dorothy Spotswood Charity Hospital.
Sir Scott Dixon, one of New Zealand's most successful drivers, was recognised for services to motorsport. He was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame in the US in 2024 and outside of racing regularly supported various charities.
"Sir Scott is a hero to young New Zealand motorsport fans and his work fundraising for children's charities is invaluable," Luxon said.
Scott Dixon celebrating his Indycar win in Detroit. (File photo) Photo: Indycar
Sir Rod Drury, the founder of global small business accounting platform, Xero, was recognised for services to business, the technology industry and philanthropy.
Luxon said he was a "titan" of New Zealand business and through Xero, he had generated thousands of jobs and supported more than four million customers worldwide.
"The company were pioneers in mental health and diversity. Since 2020 he has spearheaded public good infrastructure and philanthropic projects. His entrepreneurial career has seen New Zealand benefit in the fields of education, the environment, and renewable energy."
Founder of Xero Rod Drury. (File photo) Photo: RNZ / Diego Opatowski
Professor Graham Le Gros, was named a Sir for his services to medical science. He had been director of the Malaghan Institute of Medical Research from 1994 until 2024.
The institute developed major new programmes in cancer immunotherapy, vaccine development, inflammatory disease and RNA technologies.
Luxon said he had helped shape a generation of scientific leadership in New Zealand.
Sir Chris Parkin was recognised for his services to philanthropy and the arts. He established the Parkin Drawing Prize which was an art competition which had awarded more than $30,000 in prize money to mostly emerging artists and was the principal financial supporter of the arts funding website Boosted, which had raised $16m to fund more than 2000 projects.
Chris Parkin was now a Sir due to his services to philanthropy and the arts. (File photo) Photo: Photography By Woolf
"To Dame Helen, Dame Coral and Dame Dorothy - and to Sir Scott, Sir Rod, Sir Graham and Sir Chris, thank you for your dedication, hard work, and service to New Zealand," Luxon said.
"I would like to congratulate all 177 recipients of this year's New Year Honours and on behalf of the thousands of people who have benefited from your efforts, please accept my personal thanks."
Breakdown of Honours list
Of the 177 recipients this year, 55 percent of them were men and 45 percent were women.
The largest area of contribution was community, voluntary and local services.
Most of the recipients were from Auckland (43 percent) and some of the prominent names included racer Scott Dixon (KNZM), women's health academic Professor Bev Lawton (CNZM), investigative journalist Donna Chisholm (MNZM), former All Black Eroni Clarke (MNZM), former Black Caps batter Martin Guptill (MNZM) and Commodore Andrew Gilchrist Brown (DSD) who led the recovery operation of the wreck of the Manawanui.
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