Puahaere Rutene
Puahaere Rutene, of Huntly, received the Insignia of a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to Māori and netball. She is a recognised expert in Māori culture, Waiata, Tainui Māori protocol and Kapa Haka, in which she performed competitively for more than 20 years. She has been a member of the Taniwharau Kapa Haka Group. She is the private secretary to Kingi Tuheitia, and served as the private secretary to Dame Te Atairangikaahu for 16 years. She has been involved with netball and has held a number of offices of the Riverlands Netball Club and the Tainui Waka Netball Association. Mrs Rutene also held a number of positions with the Lower Waikato Netball Association and has been associated with Aotearoa Māori Netball Healthy Lifestyle, where she has served as secretary.