Clare Derby, QSM, Upper Hutt
For services to music. Mrs Clare Derby has taught piano to Diploma level for 51 years, and has been a Registered Music Teacher for 30 years. She has been a member of the Upper Hutt Music Society since the 1980s, and President since 2006. She was on the planning committee to build and establish the Expressions Arts and Entertainment Centre, which was opened in 2003. She was also one of the driving forces behind an initiative which fundraised $250,000 in two years to buy a Steinway grand piano. The purchase of this piano has allowed internationally acclaimed artists to perform in the Expressions theatre. Mrs Derby has spent many voluntary hours developing young musicians in Upper Hutt and the wider Wellington area. She also arranged for a Bechstein concert grand piano to be moved to the Hutt Gables Retirement Village in Upper Hutt so regular recitals could be held. In 2010, Mrs Derby received the Upper Hutt City Council Civic Award, for cultural service to the community.