New Year Honours list: Aroha Campbell

Aroha Campbell.

A Rotorua woman says she feels very humbled to be receiving a Queen's Service Medal.

Aroha Campbell, chief executive of Tauhara North No2 trust, has been recognised with a Queen's Service Medal for her service with several iwi and Maori land trusts.

The 56-year-old has been a trustee of the Tauhara North No2 trust since the early 1990s and has had the top job since 2005. After becoming chief executive, Mrs Campbell drove the establishment of the Nga Awa Purua geothermal station on trust land, a joint venture with Mighty River Power. She has also been a trustee of Ngati Tahu Tribal Trust, Paeroa East 5 Trust, and 338 Ohaaki Marae Trust. "I was certainly surprised to be nominated and very humbled in terms of the work that I do with the organisation for the owners and beneficiaries. It was a complete surprise that it was actually accepted," Mrs Campbell said.

"... definitely very, very humbled because there is a team beside and around me."

She credited the constant support of her husband Kevin, her four children and five mokopuna for being able to do a job she loves doing.

"It's just the fact that there are different things every day. I can interact with owners and beneficiaries and organisations. Interacting with young children and kuia and korua with their aspirations for the future generation," she said.

As at 2013 the trust's net equity was $136 million and the increased cash flow from the trust's businesses has helped fund an array of support programmes for its beneficiaries. Mrs Campbell has been the driving force behind the development of the trust activities which oversaw whanau weekends designed to bring beneficiaries together to build a sense of family. The trust has also developed a range of education programmes and a number of camps for different age groups to teach practical skills and set goals.

She also provided services for other small to medium-sized Maori land trusts in the central North Island, designing a low to zero cost support system for the land trusts to build their capacity and increase productivity.

"I think a main highlight for me has been building a bridge in terms of communication between beneficiaries and the trust from a governance perspective. We have our website and our 0800 number. They can make contact with me directly, we have an open door policy ... For myself, I just get a real kick and pleasure knowing that what the organisation does is for the betterment of our people ..."