Mr Stanislaw Manterys, of Lower Hutt, MNZM, for services to refugees and the Polish community
Stan Manterys arrived in New Zealand with Polish children war refugees in 1944. He was a committee member of the Polish Association in Wellington and in Auckland, where he also served as President. He organised annual camps for Polish Saturday School children and helped with the Youth Club. For many years, he helped African refugee families settling in New Zealand. He helped Polish refugees during the Solidarity freedom movement, providing accommodation in his home. He has promoted New Zealand’s welcome to refugees through books, articles, newspaper, television and radio interviews. Mr Manterys has presented to community groups and conducted interviews with academics researching Polish child refugees in New Zealand.