Mrs Prudence Gooch, of Tauranga, MNZM, for services to dance
Prudence Gooch established the Prue Gooch School of Dance in Tauranga in 1976, which led to the establishment of the Dance Education Centre in 1990.
She has been Director of the Centre since inception. She was a founding member of Dance Unlimited, which has raised funds, held seminars and staged productions at the Baycourt Community and Arts Centre.
She was involved in fundraising for the Art Centre to install a suitable dance floor.
Mrs Gooch is the New Zealand Senior Representative of the British Ballet Organisation and is part of an Advisory Panel assisting the New Zealand School of Dance in Wellington to move forward in changing times.