Queen's birthday honours: Children's author in top awards

Joy Cowley

A renowned children's author and a key player in the National Women's Hospital cervical cancer inquiry are among a group of five who head this year's Queen's Birthday Honours.

Writer Joy Cowley, medical academic Professor Linda Holloway, Villa Maria Wines founder George Fistonich, Chief District Court Judge David Carruthers and Judge Anand Satyanand are all made Distinguished Companions of the New Zealand Order of Merit.

Cowley, who started writing for children in 1960, now writes to benefit children with reading difficulties.

Professor Holloway is pro-vice-chancellor of Otago University's health sciences division and dean of the medicine faculty. She advised the Cartwright Inquiry into conservative treatment for cervical cancer at National Women's in the 1960s.

At the other end of the honours list are the 40 New Zealanders awarded the Queens Service Medal (QSM) for community service.

The group includes Alexander and Mary Stewart, of Ruawai, Northland, who established the Head Injury Society in 1980 following an accident involving their son. The society now has 14 branches

Among those honoured from the arts and entertainment world are poet Bill Manhire, made a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit (CNZM), writer-actor-director Michael Hurst (ONZM) and cinematographer Alun Bollinger (MNZM).

The tourism industry has been recognised with the co-founder and director of the AJ Hackett Bungy enterprise Henry van Asch being appointed an ONZM and the writer of the Lord of the Rings Location Guidebook, Ian Brodie, made an MNZM.

- NZPA