Christine Fernyhough, Castle Hill, CNZM
For services to the community. Mrs Fernyhough has been a teacher, business leader, philanthropist and educator. She co-founded the ‘Books in Homes’ programme and is a regular speaker throughout New Zealand. In 2004 she bought Castle Hill Station in the South Island and moved from Parnell to manage the farm. She advocates for the high country community on issues such as changes to the Correspondence School system, land tenure review, and the long-term sustainability of the conservation estate. In 2007 she co-wrote ‘The Road to Castle Hill: A High Country Love Story’, which was awarded the Booksellers' Choice Award for 2008 and sold more than 30,000 copies. In 2009 she wrote the best-selling book ‘Ben and Mark, Boys of the High Country’, to help urban children gain a greater understanding of their rural counterparts.