Christine Fernyhough | |
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| Awards | Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit |
Christine Mary Fernyhough CNZM ONZM (nee Don) is a New Zealand farmer, philanthropist and author. In 1999 Fernhough was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to education and the community. In 2011 she was appointed a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to the community.
Fernyhough was the second of three children of Angus and Gladys Don, and grew up in Auckland, where she attended the Diocesan School for Girls. [1] Fernyhough went to secretarial college, and then had three children with her first husband. [1] She later met Colin John Fernyhough (1938–2003) at an art class, and the pair married. John Fernyhough became the first chairman of the Electricity Corporation of New Zealand. [2] [3]
In 1994 Fernyhough and Alan Duff co-founded the Duffy Books in Homes scheme, using commercial sponsorship and government support. The scheme aims to alleviate poverty and illiteracy by providing low-cost books to underprivileged children, thus encouraging them to read. [1] [4] By 2008, the scheme delivered 5 million books to schools around New Zealand. [4] Fernyhough also founded a Gifted Kids Programme for high achieving children in low decile schools. [5]
After John Fernyhough's death from cancer, which happened within three days of the death of her father, Fernyhough left Parnell and purchased Castle Hill station, a 4050 hectare property between the Torlesse and Craigieburn ranges in the South Island. [6] Despite not having any farming background, Fernyhough made a success of the station, selling it ten years later in 2014 to move back to Parnell. Fernyhough wrote a memoir about life at the station, The Road to Castle Hill, published in 2011. The book is considered to have 'spawning a category of high country sheep station books' by publisher Nicola Legat. [7] Fernyhough went on to write three children's books based on life at Castle Hill. [5] [8]
Fernyhough married Dress Smart founder John Bougen in 2008. The marriage ended in 2015. [9] [6]
In 2019 Fernyhough published a book about her mid-century collection of furniture, china and Kiwiana, kept at The Butterfly House, a bach at Mangawhai which she bought with her second husband. [1] In 2022 she sold the Theo Schoon pieces from her collection for $246,000. [10]
Fernyhough was the patron of a boot camp for unemployed young people, called the Limited Service Volunteers programme, run at Burnham Military Camp. [1] She wrote in support of boot-camp style programmes when brought back by the government in 2023. [1] [11]
In the 1999 Queen's Birthday Honours Fernyhough was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to education and the community. [12] In the 2011 New Year Honours Fernyhough was appointed a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to the community. [5]
The New Zealand royal honours system, a system of orders, decorations and medals, recognises achievements of, or service by, New Zealanders or others in connection with New Zealand. Until 1975, New Zealand used the British honours system. Since then the country has introduced a number of uniquely New Zealand honours, and as of 2021, only the dynastic British honours continue in active use in New Zealand, with the exception of the Order of the Companions of Honour.
Leonard Ramsay Castle was a New Zealand potter.
Dame Malvina Lorraine Major is a New Zealand opera soprano.
Boot camps are part of the correctional and penal system of some countries. Modeled after military recruit training camps, these programs are based on shock incarceration grounded on military techniques. The aggressive training used has resulted in deaths in a variety of circumstances. Boot camps are also criticized around the world for their lack of behavioral change and for the way extreme force can traumatize children and teenagers.
Wendy Ruth Hawke is a New Zealand adoption advocate. She has been the executive director of Inter-Country Adoption New Zealand, also known as ICANZ, since 1995.
Gillian Shirley Wratt is a New Zealand botanist and science administrator. She was the first woman director of the New Zealand Antarctic Programme (1992–1996) and made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to Antarctica.
Dame Temuranga Batley-Jackson, known as June Jackson, was a New Zealand community worker and public servant.
Karen Louise Chhour is a New Zealand politician. She has been a member of parliament for ACT New Zealand since the 2020 general election.
Frances Anne Hughes is a New Zealand nursing academic and leader, and has held senior roles across several nursing organisations. In 2005 Hughes was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to the mental health profession. In 2020 she was appointed a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to nursing and mental health.
Alison Patricia Ballance is a New Zealand zoologist, author, film-maker and radio producer. Ballance has written more than thirty books, filmed wildlife documentaries, and produced and presented radio and podcasts on a wide range of subjects relating to science and the natural world. In 2017, Ballance was appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to natural history, filmmaking and broadcasting.
Miriam Edna Saphiranée Gibson is a New Zealand lesbian activist, poet, artist and psychologist. Saphira founded New Zealand's only museum of lesbian culture, The Charlotte Museum. Saphira was awarded a New Zealand 1990 Commemoration Medal, a New Zealand Suffrage Centennial Medal, and in 2022 was appointed a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to the LGBTQIA+ community.
Judith Catherine Trotter is a New Zealand diplomat. In 1996, Trotter was appointed a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to diplomacy. She has also been awarded a New Zealand 1990 Commemoration Medal, a New Zealand Suffrage Centennial Medal, and France's National Order of Merit.
Tupou Here Tamata Manapori is a Cook Island New Zealand teacher and Cook Islands Māori language advocate. In 1999, Manapori was appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to local-body and community affairs. In 2009, she was awarded a Queen's Service Medal for services to the Pacific Islands community. In 2021 the Ministry for Pacific Peoples awarded her a Cook Islands Language Champion award.
Sylvia Margarite Piera McArthur is a New Zealand painter. In 2012 she was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to the arts.
Āni Pātene Gazala Wainui is a New Zealand teacher and Māori language advocate. In 2020 Wainui was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to Māori language education.
Elizabeth Jane Prichard was a New Zealand women's leader. She was the founder of Pacific Women's Watch New Zealand, held roles in the National Council of Women of New Zealand and the International Council of Women, and was the president of Presbyterian Women. In 2004 Prichard was appointed a Companion of the Queen's Service Order for community service. In 2019 Prichard was appointed a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to women.
Valerie Ann Deakin is a New Zealand dancer, choreographer and dance teacher. Deakin danced, choreographed and taught in the UK, Turkey and the US before returning to New Zealand. She established a dance school and theatre trust in Taranaki, which celebrated their fiftieth anniversay in 2022. In 1993 Deakin was awarded a New Zealand Suffrage Centennial Medal. In 2024 she was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to dance.
Suzanne Joy Yerex Blackwell is a New Zealand clinical psychologist, and holds an honorary position at the University of Auckland. In 2024 Blackwell was appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to clinical and forensic psychology and the law.
Elizabeth Margaret Bang is a New Zealand nurse and chief executive. She was the chief executive officer of Hospice Waikato for ten years, and president of the National Council of Women of New Zealand, and is a life member of both organisations. In 2003, Bang was appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to women and the community. In 2018, she was promoted to Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to health, women and the community.
Justine Gay Bronwyn Smyth is a New Zealand business executive, and professional director. In 2020, Smyth was appointed a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to governance and women.
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