Neil Ieremia, of Auckland,ONZM,for services to dance

Mr Ieremia founded Black Grace in 1995 with ten male dancers of Pacific, Māori and New Zealand heritage, and as Artistic Director and Chief Executive has since turned Black Grace into a highly recognisable and iconic cultural brand. Black Grace has toured internationally to Europe, Canada, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, the United States and Australia. Black Grace received critical acclaim for its performances in the 2014 “NZ at Edinburgh” showcase at the Edinburgh festivals. Mr Ieremia has choreographed work for the Royal New Zealand Ballet, the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, Opera New Zealand, New Zealand Wearable Arts and the Holland Dance Festival. His recent work has included ‘Passchendaele” with the Royal New Zealand Ballet, part of the Salute season commemorating the First World War.