Kevin Atkinson, of Havelock North
Kevin Atkinson received the Insignia of a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to business and the community. Mr Atkinson’s professional life has centred on the technology sector. He is the founder and Managing Director of Information Services Ltd, which provides payroll software to a large number of New Zealand and Pacific Island customers. A Fellow of the New Zealand Institute of Management, he is the Chairperson of Unison Networks Ltd and is an elected member of the Hawke’s Bay District Health Board. He is involved with various Hawke's Bay community organisations. He was Deputy Chairperson of the Eastern and Central Community Trust for eight years and was a member of the Eastern Institute of Technology business and computing advisory committee for 14 years. He was Chair and a principal sponsor of the Bay Hawks basketball team in the 1990s, which successfully competed in the National Finals for several seasons. He has been a Director of the Hawke’s Bay Rugby Union for 13 years and, through his management skills, played a key role in establishing the organisation's financially healthy position.