Mr Paul Crowther, of Auckland, MNZM, for services to music
Paul Crowther invented a guitar pedal called the ‘Hot Cake’ when he was the drummer in the New Zealand band ‘Split Enz’.
The distortion pedal, which is hand-made by Mr Crowther and his wife Jo, is used in New Zealand and internationally. Mr Crowther is a mainstay of the live New Zealand music scene, having mostly worked in the industry behind the scenes to support other musicians. He has designed, installed and maintained sound equipment for many individuals and music venues. He toured extensively as the sound engineer for Don McGlashan’s ‘The Mutton Birds’.
He also repairs electronic musical instruments and offers technical advice and assistance, often without recompense.