One of the driving forces behind the Far North Regional Museum of recent years, and the man credited with the original vision behind the town's Te Ahu Centre, has been awarded the Queen's Service Medal for services to the community.
Philip (Phil) Cross, who lives just outside Kaitaia, chairs the museum trust whose collection is now displayed in purpose-built premises at Te Ahu, its exhibits including New Zealand's oldest confirmed European relic, an anchor lost off Whatuwhiwhi in 1769 by French sailor Jean Francois Marie de Surville, and the Tangonge carving, one of New Zealand's oldest and most significant Maori artifacts.
Mr Cross, for many years manager of ASB Bank in Kaitaia who now runs home-based tourism company Far North Outback Adventures, was one of the founding members of the Te Ahu Charitable Trust, the group behind the $14 million museum, library, community hall, theatre, i-Site and council office complex which opened on South Road last year. He was credited with coming up with the original vision, which sprang from the museum's need for a purpose-built facility. Major funders included the Far North Community Forest Charitable Trust, charged with investing revenue from the community forest at Waipapakauri Ramp so as to benefit the people of the Far North.
He has played many other roles in the community, including service as deputy chairman of Te Hiku Community Board. He was instrumental in establishing the Kaitaia Polocrosse Club, is an announcer for the Kaitaia A&P; Show and for 15 years chaired the Far North Drug Resistance Education (DARE) committee, the first to be established in what was to become a nationwide programme.
He was a member of organisations including Kaitaia's Junior Chamber of Commerce (Jaycees), whose major projects included the Rangiawhia Outdoor Education Centre, has fundraised for Kaitaia Primary School, was chairman of the Young New Zealanders' Foundation from 2000-2010 and until a few weeks ago chaired the Youth Achievement Trust of New Zealand.
