Sergeant Wally Kopae, of Wellington, MNZM, for services to the New Zealand Police and the community
Sergeant Wally Kopae (Ngāti Whakaue, Ngāti Awa, Ngāti Pūkeko, Ngāi Te Rangi, Te Whānau Ā Apanui) joined New Zealand Police in 1987 and served with the Armed Offenders Squad for more than 30 years. He is Supervisor of the Invercargill/Southland Police Dog Section. He is on the National Working Group for the New Zealand Police Dog Section. He has trained dogs and handlers in Search and Rescue and noxious weed detection. He has been deployed for operations in the Solomon Islands, Afghanistan and Fiji. Sergeant Kopae has been involved with cycling as a competitor, race manager and coach and has provided road safety support for the Westpac Chopper Appeal ride.