Mr George Ngaei, of Invercargill, CNZM for services to health and the Pacific community
George Ngaei has helped improve Māori and Pacific health as a general surgeon (Endoscopic and Gastrointestinal) in Invercargill. He has returned to Rarotonga at least annually, at his own cost, to support the medical profession in areas where skills are unavailable or in short supply. He is Chair of the South Island Pacific Providers Collective and a committee member of the Cook Islands Health Network Association. He established a Pacific Island Specialist Nursing Service in collaboration with the Pacific Island Advisory and Cultural Trust (PIACT) and is Chairman of PIACT. He represented the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (RACS) on the Southland Medical Foundation. Mr Ngaei was elected to the New Zealand Committee of the RACS and is a Board member of the Cook Islands Development Agency New Zealand.