Honours – Fire and Emergency New Year’s Honours recipients recognised

Fire and Emergency New Zealand volunteers and staff from Tikokino, Mapua, Blenheim, Porirua, Ngāruawāhia and Omarama were presented with their Royal Honours by Governor General Dame Cindy Kiro at Government House in Wellington today.

“These six worthy recipients have dedicated years to helping their communities become stronger, safer, and more resilient both through their roles as volunteer firefighters for Fire and Emergency, and through all their other community contributions. It is a pleasure to see their efforts recognised,” says Fire and Emergency Board Chair Rebecca Keoghan.

“On behalf of Fire and Emergency and the people of Aotearoa New Zealand, thank you for your outstanding service – your communities are richer for your work.”

The recipients are:

Queen’s Service Medal for Services to Fire and Emergency

Brendan joined the Tikokino Fire Brigade in 1972 and currently holds the rank of Senior Station Officer. He has served the Tikokino community diligently for over 50 years, and in that time has attended around 2,400 trainings.

He has previously taken up the role of Chief Fire Officer at the Tikokino brigade and, like any great leader, has constantly supported and imparted knowledge upon those who would eventually take up the reins of CFO within his brigade.

He has provided crucial support to a small rural community who rely on their fire brigade to be the first responders on the scene of a range of incidents.

Brendan has tirelessly fundraised and donated his time to help with the purchase of a new tanker which is vital during the long hot Central Hawke’s Bay summers, both as fire control and as a source of water for struggling farmers and their animals.

Brendan has donated not only many years of service and skills to his local community and brigade, but regularly drives his own vehicle to incidents when he misses the truck – and is often still first to arrive on the scene.

After more than 50 years of service, Brendan continues to play a key role in the Tikokino community, and his Royal Honour is recognition of his many years of quiet commitment to his brigade.

Queen’s Service Medal for Services to Fire and Emergency and the community

Eileen joined the Mapua Brigade 18 years ago and continues to serve her community as the brigade treasurer and welfare officer. At 84 years old, Eileen is the oldest serving female firefighter in the Nelson Marlborough district.

She has been a dedicated and involved member of the Tasman community for many decades, supporting a range of projects including the restoration of Cobb House – a significant historical resource classified with the Historic Places Trust – contributing to the running of the Upper Moutere Cemetery, assisting with ANZAC Day commemorations, and contributing to the preservation of numerous other historical assets in her community.

Alongside her husband Graham, Eileen donated a large family farm located at the entrance of the Mapua estuary to the QE2 Trust to ensure the preservation of the local ecology, and to allow the land to be enjoyed by the Mapua community.

Eileen has donated significant time and funds to aid in the preservation of an original 1948 fire truck that served as Mapua’s first fire appliance. She ensures that the vehicle is maintained and road worthy to make its way around the region for a range of events including weddings, funerals, and brigade functions.

Eileen has been awarded the Tasman District Council ‘Community Award’, and in 2021 became the first recipient to be recognised twice for this same award, acknowledging her many years of contributions to the Tasman community.

Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to Fire and Emergency and Emergency Management

Mac is a respected Incident Controller and leader in the firefighting aviation industry, and currently serves as an Aviation Advisor in our National Response Capability team.

During the 2010 Christchurch Earthquakes, Mac took on the role of Aircraft Manager, a position which involved coordinating air support for rescue efforts in the city.

In 2012, Mac helped to establish the Marlborough Kaikoura Rural Fire Authority which introduced a new model of managing rural fire and was regarded as a leading example of an enlarged Rural Fire Authority. It was during this time that Mac led the aviation response to significant wildfire events including the 2017 Port Hills Fire.

Mac has served as the Chief Ranger in Mount Cook National Park, a Principal Rural Fire Officer and has been a Civil Defence Controller in Marlborough since 2013. As a Fire Manager in the aviation sector, Mac has responded to significant international wildfire events in Australia, Canada, and the United States. During the formation of Fire and Emergency in 2017, Mac served as the Region Manager Rural for Te Ihu and was instrumental in providing the leadership needed to integrate urban and rural operations both in his region and across the motu.

After the establishment of Fire and Emergency, Mac took on the role of National Operational Standards Manager with a particular focus on Aviation Standards for firefighting. In addition to this, Mac set up the Fire and Emergency Airdesk function which provides the safe and effective approach to dispatching aircraft throughout Aotearoa for aerial firefighting operations. This framework is a vital resource for Fire and Emergency and is an incredible testament to Mac’s many years of hard work across this sector.

Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to Fire and Emergency

Russell has spent over 50 years as a career firefighter and fire investigator in Aotearoa, and now works as an Advisor Risk Reduction. During his career, Russell has been an effective community communicator for Fire and Emergency, delivering fire safety messaging in lower socio-economic areas.

He was Chief of the United Nations Fire Unit from 1993 to 1995 during the Balkan conflict and spent 25 years as an advisor on the UN’s fire equipment procurement committee, during which he helped to establish or develop fire brigades in developing nations. He also spent a year with New York City’s rescue services.

From 1996 to 2009, Russell was a volunteer firefighter and Chief Fire Officer at Plimmerton Volunteer Fire Brigade, utilising his professional experience to help raise the standard of volunteers within the brigade. During his career, Russell has experienced a series of career-related cancers and has served as a mentor for other firefighters in similar situations.

Russell has been a Senior Executive and past President of the Fire Brigades institute, which provides technical training and examinations for firefighters. In addition to these roles, he has also served on the exam panel for 12 years and has held a range of voluntary positions with the United Fire Brigades Association. Russell has volunteered his time as co-editor of the online New Zealand firefighter magazine K1 since 2008 – a publication which has a readership of around 25,000 nationally and internationally.

Queen’s Service Medal for services to Fire and Emergency

Over 25 years ago, Mike recognised the major risk that his community faced in the event of a significant incident, with the nearest firefighting assistance over 60 kilometres away. With this in mind, Mike was instrumental in the establishment of the Te Akau Voluntary Fire Force in 1996. He was soon made Chief Fire Officer and continues to serve his community as a Rural Controller.

Mike is a dedicated and respected member of his brigade, taking it upon himself to ensure vehicles and equipment are maintained free of charge – using his engineering and mechanical skills to provide Te Akau and the wider areas with this essential service.

He regularly leads his team of volunteers to training courses to ensure their skills align with the ever-changing requirements of a fire force serving a rural community. The Te Akau Rural Fire Force are regularly called to assist surrounding areas and brigades with scrub fires, vehicle accidents and rescue helicopter landings.

Mike also serves his community as a Justice of the Peace and is a life member of the Te Akau Waingaro Community Complex – a testament to his many years of service to his community.

Queen’s Service Medal for services to Search and Rescue

Maurice has been a member of Omarama Search and Rescue since 1998 and has played a key role in revitalising the organisation from a membership of two, by recruiting new members, organising sponsorship and contributing to regular trainings. His roles in the organisation have included field member, team leader and incident management team leader. This wealth of experience makes Maurice the first point of contact for police in the event of a search and rescue operation in his area.

Maurice was part of the Omarama Search and Rescue group that received the LandSAR Supreme Award in 2012 for a significant operation that successfully located a tramper missing for 14 days. He has also volunteered his time to assist in searches across other regions including, Owaka, Lawrence and Dunedin.

Maurice has donated both his time and materials to help with the renovation of the Omarama Search and Rescue base. He has also constructed a stretcher trailer that can be towed behind an ATV to aid with rescues made difficult by the lengthy Alps to Ocean cycle trail.

Maurice is a member of the local work group that stands in for Civil Defence in Omarama in case of a natural disaster. Alongside his many years providing vital support to Omarama Search and Rescue, Maurice has also been involved with rural and urban fire brigades for over 50 years.