Mr Hai Nguyen, MNZM, of Upper Hutt, for services to refugees and the Vietnamese community
Hai Nguyen was one of the first Vietnamese refugees accepted by New Zealand following the fall of Saigon and has led the promotion of the Buddhist faith in New Zealand since.
He served as an interpreter of language and cross-cultural understanding among groups of newly arriving Asian refugees and their New Zealand sponsors.
He has worked closely with New Zealand Immigration and Refugee Services. He was the driving force behind the Thien-Thai Temple in Upper Hutt. He with his wife sponsored teaching visits of monks from Australia, United States of America and Vietnam.
Mr Nguyen worked with the New Zealand Treasury until his retirement.