John Beaumont
John Beaumont, of Havelock North, received the Insignia of a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to sport, in particular swimming. Mr Beaumont has been involved with sport as a swimming coach in the Havelock North community for more than 45 years. He built one of the first commercial indoor heated swimming pools in New Zealand. He has coached and taught swimming at the Havelock North Swimming Club for more than 25 years and coached the Trojan Swimming Team for 28 years. He coached New Zealand Commonwealth Games swimming teams. He was the New Zealand Swim Coaches and Teachers master coach in 1992, Coach of the Year in 1984 and Swim Teacher of the Year in 1996. In 2009 he was recognised by the New Zealand Swimming Coaches and Teachers for his outstanding contribution to swimming. Along with swimming, Mr Beaumont was a coach and selector at the Senior Hastings Rugby Club for a number of years, was a Hawke’s Bay Colts cricket representative and was leader of a Havelock North Scout pack.