Source: Radio New Zealand
Clockwise from top left, Lorraine Moller, Scott Dixon, Val Smith, Martin Guptill. Photosport
An Indycar icon, a name synonymous with bowls, and a long-distance runner who pushed for women’s equity in sport are among those who have been recognised in the New Year Honours.
New Zealand’s most successful modern motorsport champion, Sir Scott Dixon has been knighted.
Dixon has claimed six IndyCar Championships and four Daytona victories with Wayne Taylor Racing.
The Indycar driver has competed for Chip Ganassi Racing Teams since 2001, the longest tenure for a driver in the team’s history.
Of the current IndyCar drivers, he has the most wins with 59 victories, as well as the record of most career IndyCar podiums with 142. He was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in March 2024.
Outside of motorsport, he supports various charities and is an ambassador for CanTeen, St Jude and Teen Cancer America.
Lorraine Moller, who competed internationally from 1973 to 1996 as a track, cross-country and marathon runner, has become an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit (ONZM).
Lorraine Moller Athletics NZ
Moller competed in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, when the women’s marathon was included for the first time, following years of advocacy from female athletes.
Moller was the world’s top women’s master road racer in 1995 and 1996 and, at 41, the oldest woman to compete in the 1996 Olympic marathon.
Over her career, she won 16 international marathons including the Boston Marathon, an Olympic bronze medal, and Commonwealth Games silver and two bronzes.
Moller, who has been based in the United States for several years, still holds the New Zealand 50km record and the U20 800m record.
During and post her elite career, she pushed for women’s equity and professionalism in sport.
She was vice-president of a foundation which fundraised for prosthetics for land-mine victims and spearheaded a programme reinstating physical education in Cambodian schools post the Pol Pot regime.
Val Smith has also become an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit (ONZM).
Val Smith Photosport
Smith, who retired from international competition in early 2025, is New Zealand’s most internationally capped outdoor bowls athlete, playing 667 games for Aotearoa.
She was a member of the Blackjacks representing New Zealand in lawn bowls since 2003.
Her career includes two World Championship titles and nine World Championship medals. She participated in five Commonwealth Games, winning one silver and three bronze medals.
She has also contributed to the sport as an administrator and is one of Bowls New Zealand’s few performance coaches.
The Black Caps all-time highest run-scorer in T20 International matches has become a Member of the NZ Order of Merit (MNZM). Martin Guptill was one of New Zealand’s most dominant limited overs cricketers for almost 20 years.
He was a mainstay of the Black Caps batting line up in International One Day (ODI) and T20 matches until 2022. He is the only New Zealander to score a double-century with 237 not out in an ODI, which remains the highest score made in a World Cup match.
Former Black Cap Martin Guptill. PHOTOSPORT
Off the field
Several volunteers, administrators, and leaders in sport governance have been recognised including Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit (CNZM) recipient Greg Barclay.
Barclay has held influential roles since the 2000s and was the Independent Chairperson of International Cricket Council (ICC) from 2020 to 2024. This year he became a board member of New Zealand Rugby.
Tony Quinn (CNZM) has been rewarded for his huge impact on the New Zealand motorsport scene. In 2021, he established the Tony Quinn Foundation and Hampton Downs New Zealand Racing Academy, nurturing young talent to succeed on the world stage, with Formula 1 driver Liam Lawson being the first to benefit from the foundation.
Brian Davies has become an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit (ONZM) for his 60-year contribution to motorsport.
Four time Olympian Rod Dixon (ONZM) has been recognised for services to athletics after a career that included a bronze medal in the 1500 metres at the 1972 Olympic Games.
Since 2005, Dixon has been patron and inclusion ambassador for Special Olympics. He has promoted physical activity, health, and wellness for young people and founded the Kids Marathon Foundation in 1990, a programme in schools which has impacted more than 1.5 million students worldwide.
Former Basketball NZ chief executive Iain Potter. Photosport
After retiring from a successful rowing career, Judith Hamilton (ONZM) turned to coaching. Hamilton has been an integral part of New Zealand’s rowing successes over the last 20 years and broke ground in 2018 when she became the first female high-performance director at Rowing New Zealand.
Shirley Hooper (ONZM) has contributed to netball over 50 years at just about every level and is the current vice-president of World Netball. As a former chair of Artistic Swimming New Zealand, she’s also been recognised for services to that sport.
Iain Potter (ONZM) was chief executive of Basketball New Zealand from 2012 to 2021, overseeing significant change and an increased participation in the sport in Aotearoa.
Potter was also a driving advocate behind legislation that removed tobacco industry sponsorship and commercial investments from sport and the hospitality industry.
He has held various volunteer roles in the Wellington rugby scene for over 20 years and is about to finish up as board chair of Hurricanes Rugby after six years.
New members of the New Zealand Order of Merit (MNZM) include Eroni Clarke for his contribution to the Pacific community and rugby. The former All Black has made significant contributions to Pacific leadership and mental health services.
Dedicated local rugby league volunteers Jenny Nahu and Gary Whittle have also become MNZM recipients following decades of service.
Nahu, who has held executive roles in the sport, is credited with influencing the culture and sustainability of rugby league in the Bay of Plenty. Whittle has had a similar influence on the sport in Northland, Waikato and Auckland, across various roles.
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
