Douglas Eckhoff, of Lower Hutt
Douglas Eckhoff received the Insignia of a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to film. Mr Eckhoff has had a distinguished career in the film and television industry. From 1974 to 1980 he was Head of News and Current Affairs for the Television One Network and was the Executive Producer of the 1982 New Zealand feature film, The Scarecrow. From 1980 to 1990 he was Chief Executive of the National Film Unit. In 1981 he and several colleagues established the New Zealand Film Archive to protect New Zealand’s moving image history. He has served on the Archive’s board of trustees since its inception, and in 2005 was an inaugural recipient of its Ngapara Tiaki Awards. Mr Eckhoff is a trustee of the Hutt Council of Social Services, has been the Lower Hutt Chairperson of the New Zealand Council of Victims Support for more than 10 years and is Deputy Chair of the New Zealand Council of Victim Support Groups.