''I don't think I've done enough to deserve it,'' Isobel Greenwood said of her Queen's Service Medal.
Mrs Greenwood, whose given names are Kathleen Isobel, said she was brought up to be involved in the community and help where needed.
It is her unstinting, 50-year long contribution to the rural area of Tomarata, southwest of Mangawhai, that has resulted in her receiving the New Year Honour.
The list of events, functions and organisations she has played a role in is long, but Mrs Greenwood said that, while her husband and two children were her main motivating factors, it is in everyone's interest to have a strong community that works together.
The list includes helping form the district's original playgroup, teaching crafts and being the garden judge at Calf Club Day, helping with Tomarata School's 75th reunion, getting the community hall done up and, concerned the local war monument only named those who served in World War I, suggesting those from WWII and other international conflicts were added.