Mr John Struthers, of Auckland, ONZM for services to cycling, the cycling industry and business
Mr John Struthers has supported New Zealand cycling since 1981, when he organised New Zealand’s first major BMX meeting. He continued as the major supporter of BMX for many years, assisting with track building, sponsoring the National Championships and manufacturing a complete range of BMX bikes. He established the Avanti Bicycle Company, a pioneer of aluminium alloy bicycles, which sold more than 200,000 bikes in New Zealand, and exported to Australia, the United Kingdom, Singapore, Japan, Malaysia and China. Through the Avanti brand, he has donated to teams and individuals, many of whom have achieved national and international success in BMX, road and track cycling and triathlon. Mr Struthers funded the naming right sponsorship of the Cambridge velodrome (the AvantiDrome) for the first 10 years to help it become established.