Sir Graeme Dingle, of Auckland, KNZM, for services to youth
Sir Graeme Dingle was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to youth in 2001.
Sir Graeme established the first Outdoor Pursuits Centre in New Zealand in 1972, now known as Hillary Outdoors. He established Project K in 1995, which is now known as the Graeme Dingle Foundation, where he continues to serve. More than 150,000 young people have benefitted from the Foundation’s programmes. These programmes encompass Kiwi Can (life skills and attitudes for 5–12 year olds); Stars, which helps the transition to high school and builds leadership in the senior school; Project K (a 14-month mentoring programme for those with low self-confidence); Career Navigator, which helps school leaders find career purpose and direction; and MYND (a referral programme for youth offenders). In 2016, the Foundation’s programmes had 22,000 participants, and in 2017, the Foundation will reach 25,000 young people around the country. Sir Graeme has published 11 books, one of which was the winner of the Biography Section of the 2006 Montana Book Awards.