Gisborne District Council soil conservation team leader Kerry Hudson has been awarded a NZOM in the King's Birthday Honours list. He is pictured after being awarded the outstanding contribution award at the NZ Association of Resource Management conference last year.
Gisborne land management stalwart Kerry Hudson took several days before opening the email confirming his new status as a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit.
“I thought it was someone looking for financial support,” Hudson told The Gisborne Herald.
He only opened the email when someone questioned him about the unopened message.
“These kind of things happen to other people. I was taken completely by surprise.”
Hudson has worked in land management on the East Coast for more than 42 years and has overseen a strong team at Gisborne District Council which has ensured continued support for sustainable land management.
He has shown a long-term focus on soil conservation on the East Coast and, coupled with technical knowledge, he has built trusted relationships with farmers who have followed his advice, contributing to reduced erosion from the region’s hills.
His knowledge had been invaluable as Tairāwhiti has navigated cyclones, severe weather and forestry damage over the years.
Hudson became senior water conservator in 2009 and was a conduit between the council and iwi in tackling the outfall problem in Gisborne’s rivers.
He was pivotal in the signing of a memorandum of understanding between Eastland Woodland Council and the council in 2023 to address the issue of woody debris in waterways following extreme weather events.
Hudson is the immediate past president of the New Zealand Association of Resource Management and has had committee roles with Te Wherowhero Lagoon Restoration Trust and the New Zealand Farm Forestry Association.
In 2023 he received an outstanding contribution award from the New Zealand Association of Resource Management.
Outside of land management, Hudson has been involved with Gisborne Land Search and Rescue since 2015 and has held leadership roles with the Scouts Association of New Zealand between 1995 and 2023.
Asked if Cyclones Cook, Hale and Gabrielle had been the busiest time for him, Hudson replied that Cyclone Bola in 1988 had been “pretty full on”.
“There has been a different set of problems since then.”
Hudson said he had confided in his family who were surprised and delighted at his King’s Birthday honour.
The vehicle was damaged while later being towed and an $11k claim by the owner followed.