Ngawaka Pirihi, of Ruakaka
Ngawaka Pirihi received the Insignia of a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to Māori and the community. Mr Pirihi has served on, or supported, a wide range of community and voluntary organisations for more than 45 years in the wider Whangārei and Northland region. He has been a member of various school boards of trustees, was Chair of the Ruakaka Residents and Ratepayers Association in the 1960s and 1970s, represented Ruakaka on the Whangārei District Council from 1977 to 1983, and was a member of the Council’s judicial committee. He has been an executive member of several trust boards since the 1960s, including the Ngāti Wai Trust Board. He has supported a wide range of community activities and causes, including kaimoana conservation and rejuvenation and management of the Kaumātua Flats facility. Mr Pirihi has worked on improving marae amenities and whānau community health standards, and on customary fishing activities.