Roger Shepherd, of Wellington, ONZM, for services to the music industry
Roger Shepherd established the music label Flying Nun Records, which championed the emerging music of Christchurch and Dunedin with early releases of The Pin Group, The Clean, and the seminal ‘Dunedin Double EP’. Through Flying Nun, Mr Shepherd has provided an outlet to New Zealand musicians, particularly young musicians, who would not otherwise have had their music recorded or released. A number of these artists have gone on to sign record deals overseas. Mr Shepherd’s peers in the music industry regard him as an inspiration and a pioneer, and a man who put personal financial gain aside in the interests of the artists. He remains involved as a company director of Flying Nun and released the book “In Love with These Times – My Life With Flying Nun Records” in 2016.