Mr Henare O’Keefe, QSM, of Hawke's Bay, for services to Māori and the community
Henare O’Keefe was a Hastings District Councillor who has been dedicated to helping youth in the Hawke’s Bay area, and served on numerous committees, including the Safer Hastings Advisory Committee. He has been a Duffy Books in Homes ambassador, and set up the U-Turn Academy and the U-Turn Trust (now called Youth to Men), a successful intensive course for troubled youth. He is a sought-after keynote speaker, and has been invited on speaking tours of Ireland, Australia and Canada. He has worked with the New Zealand Police Youth Education Service to help parents keep their children safe. In 2008 he organised the ‘Enough is Enough’ hikoi, to galvanise the Hawke’s Bay community against violence. Mr O’Keefe has been a foster father to more than 200 children.