Che Ness
Che Ness (aka Che Fu), of Auckland, received the Insignia of a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to music. Mr Ness, pictured with his father Tigilau Ness, is a New Zealand hip-hop icon and is one of New Zealand's most successful male vocalists. He was a founding member of "Supergroove", that was responsible for many notable classic kiwi songs and generated six top ten hits in 10 years and won many awards. In 1997, he released his debut solo album, for which he received Single of the Year, Songwriter of the Year, and Male Vocalist of the Year at the 1997 New Zealand Music Awards. His single Chains went straight to number 1 on the New Zealand Singles Chart in 1996; one of the longest singles to stay there. Mr Ness recently, performed a show with the Wellington Vector Orchestra that fused classical music with hip hop.