Honours Touch Hauraki Coromandel Region

A number of residents of the Coromandel Peninsula/Hauraki District have been acknowledged in this year’s Kings Birthday Honours List. They include Whitianga’s Dr Shirley Julich, Peggy Bariball of Thames, Whitianga’s Derek Collier, Shirley Gillard of Te Aroha and Wayne Smith of Waihi Beach.

Details of their Honours are:

Dr Shirley Jülich – New Zealand Order of Merit For services to restorative justice and survivors of sexual abuse

Dr Shirley Jülich has made a significant contribution to the field of restorative justice.

Dr Jülich has been involved in the restorative justice community in New Zealand since the mid-1990s, focusing on facilitating survivors of sexual abuse to experience a sense of justice. She was an early member of Te Oritenga, New Zealand’s first community-based restorative justice provider group. In 2001 she completed her doctoral thesis on restorative justice and child sexual abuse at Massey University, where she has since held academic and teaching roles. Based on her doctoral research, she initiated Project Restore in 2005, which offers restorative processes specifically designed to address sexual violence. She has maintained a role as a Trust Board member and helped grow the group to the point where it now receives referrals for service from the community and the District Court system. She is globally recognised as a leader in the use of restorative practices addressing sexual violence, and sought after as a keynote speaker, author and educator. Since 2017 Dr Jülich has also been a member of the Mercury Bay Cancer Support Trust, focusing on supporting its work to assist people experiencing the debilitating impacts of cancer.

Mrs Peggy Barriball – Queens Service Medal For services to the community

Mrs Peggy Barriball has contributed to the Waitakaruru and Thames community for more than 30 years.

Mrs Barriball was appointed a Justice of the Peace in 2010 and has held several roles with the Hauraki Justices of the Peace Association, including President and Vice President. She established a JP service desk in Ngatea to provide notary services to the rural community in Hauraki Plains. She has been a financial mentor and governance member of the Thames Budgetary Services for 16 years. She has been involved with the New Zealand Plunket Society for 30 years and has held various roles including President, Secretary and Treasurer. She was President of the Waitakaruru Playcentre Association. She has held management/governance roles with the Western Firth Catchments Group Trust, Family Safety Services Trust, Seagull Centre Trust, Thames Valley Special Olympics and Waitakaruru Community Hall Committee. She has supported the regional farming community by managing events, including ensuring that the Waitakaruru School Calf Club and Hauraki Plains Agricultural Club Group Day went ahead in 2022, despite COVID-19 disruptions. Mrs Barriball was a Trustee and Treasurer of the Treasury Research Centre and Archive in Thames for three years and has been Treasurer of A Place at the Table Trust since 2018, which provides a community Christmas lunch for more than 100 people annually.

Mr Derek Collier – Queen’s Service Medal For services to Fire and Emergency New Zealand and the community

Mr Derek Collier has been involved with Whitianga Volunteer Fire Brigade since 1987 and has been Deputy Chief Fire Officer since 2018.

Mr Collier is heavily involved with a range of brigade activities from training recruits to judging national and international competitions, fundraising and catering for functions. He was made a Life Member of the Brigade in 2010. He was an original member of the Brigade’s Road Crash Rescue Team, competing in New Zealand and Australia, including winning the 2007 Auckland Provincial Challenge and title of Best Team Leader. He came second overall as Team Leader at the 2007 Australasian Challenge. Prior to the establishment of a Rescue Helicopter service in the area, he flew for Mercury Airlines which operated an Emergency Air Ambulance. He has been a Justice of the Peace in Whitianga since 2004. He offers his local business as a location for the public to engage his JP services. Mr Collier is regularly involved with the Hauraki Justice of the Peace Association, mentoring newly appointed JPs and regularly contributing to education sessions held in Whitianga.

Mrs Shirley Gillard – Queen’s Service Medal For services to the community

Mrs Shirley Gillard has been involved with the Te Aroha community since 1988.

Mrs Gillard joined the Citizens Advice Bureau in Te Aroha in 1994 and has held various roles including Chairperson, Secretary and Co-ordinator/Manager. She has been a Justice of the Peace since 2004 and was President of the Te Aroha Morrinsville branch of the Justice of the Peace Association for two years. She was an Elected Member of the Matamata-Piako District Council from 2007 to 2010 and a member of the Te Aroha Community Board for 20 years, including six as Chair. She served on the Waikato West Committee Community Organisation Grants Scheme committee from 2011 to 2016 and was involved in the allocation of grants to community groups in the region. She was a committee member and Chair of the Te Aroha Family Budgeting Service and was instrumental in establishing the Te Aroha Community Foodbank in 2009 (Te Aroha Community Food Support Trust). She developed the food bank into a widely recognised community initiative, distributing food parcels to those in need. She was Chair of the Matamata-Piako Community Health Forum for six years and was a volunteer for the welfare branch of Matamata-Piako Civil Defence for 17 years. Mrs Gillard was a trustee of the Te Aroha Community Springs Trust for 11 years.

Mr Wayne Smith – Knight’s Companion For services to rugby

Mr Wayne Smith was made a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2012 for his services to rugby and has led the men’s and women’s sides to Rugby World Cup victory in recent times.

Mr Smith was Assistant Coach of the All Blacks at the 2011 and 2015 Rugby World Cups and Head Coach of the Black Ferns at the 2022 Rugby World Cup. He took over coaching of the Black Ferns six months prior to the tournament kicking off, where he helped create a better environment for the players to focus on playing styles, which led the Black Ferns to their sixth World Cup title. Through the duration of the Women’s World Cup, he was an advocate for women’s rugby, providing exposure to the team. Mr Smith is a Life Member and was previously a long-term Patron of the New Zealand Foundation for Conductive Education, which helps children and adults with physical disabilities such as cerebral palsy.