Former NZ Rugby CEO Steve Tew's championing of women's rugby has led to robust domestic competition and paid professional contracts. Photo / Mark Mitchell
Former NZ Rugby CEO Steve Tew's championing of women's rugby has led to robust domestic competition and paid professional contracts. Photo / Mark Mitchell
Steve Tew
Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to rugby and sports administration
Tew was chief executive of New Zealand Rugby (NZR) from 2008 until stepping down this year, overseeing the successful 2011 Rugby World Cup. He initially began with NZR as a general manager from 2001 and deputy chief executive from 2003 to 2007. Under his leadership NZR significantly improved its revenues, hosted the 2011 event, won the rights to host the 2021 Women's Rugby World Cup, and at one point earlier this year New Zealand Rugby held all four Rugby World Cups for both men's and women's Fifteens and Sevens teams. Tew has championed women's rugby, leading to robust domestic competition and paid professional contracts. He also led NZR's diversity and inclusion programme, including the 2016/2017 Respect and Responsibility Review, and New Zealand Rugby was the first national sporting organisation to receive Rainbow Tick Certification.
Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to netball
Laura Langman. Photo / Photosport
Langman will end her career as one of the nation's greatest on a netball court. In 2005 she debuted with the Silver Ferns and has gone on to play more than 150 matches. She captained the Silver Ferns to win the 2019 Netball World Cup, having also played in the 2007, 2011 and 2015 events. Langman won Commonwealth Gold Medals with the Silver Ferns in 2006 and 2010 and Silver at the 2014 Games. She captained the Waikato-Bay of Plenty Magic to win the transtasman crown in 2012, the only New Zealand team to win the title.
Margaret Forsyth
Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to netball
Margaret Forsyth. Photo / Photosport
A true netball legend, Forsyth won two Netball World Championships with the Silver Ferns in 1979 and 1987 and at 17 was the youngest New Zealander to compete at a Netball World Championship. She played 64 tests with the Silver Ferns. She also represented New Zealand internationally in athletics. Following her career she became a coach, taking charge of the Waikato-Bay of Plenty Magic in 2017 and 2018, and was the assistant coach of the New Zealand Fast 5 team in 2017 and the New Zealand A team in 2016. Throughout the 2010s she has been a Silver Ferns national selector and a national emerging talent selector.
Lauren Boyle
Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit For services to swimming
Numbers talk when assessing the Auckland freestyler's time at the top. Fourteen medals at the major meets; five world championship medals, a Commonwealth Games gold in Glasgow, a world short course record — all speak of an athlete fit to sit among the best of her time around the globe. At the London Olympics in 2012 Boyle had already made the 400m freestyle final, finishing eighth. Four days later she lined up in the 800m final and flew through for fourth, in an Oceania record time 8min 22.72s. More significantly, she was just 2.4s off bronze. So close to an elusive Olympic medal — but Boyle had many other accolades across her career. She won a gold medal in the 800m freestyle at the 2012 Fina World Swimming Championships in Istanbul, and at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, she won a gold medal in the 400m freestyle, after she achieved a Games record in the final. At the Wellington Short Course Championships in 2014, she broke the World Short Course record in the 1500m freestyle, becoming one of only three New Zealand swimmers to hold a world record.
Arneta (Honey) Hireme
Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit For services to rugby league
Arneta (Honey) Hireme. Photo / Photosport
Hireme has represented New Zealand in rugby league, rugby union and rugby sevens for 17 years. She first played for the Kiwi Ferns in 2002 and has appeared in four Rugby League World Cups, including being named most valuable player at the 2013 Rugby League World Cup. She was named New Zealand Rugby League Women's Player of the Year in 2007, 2012 and 2017. She first played for the Black Ferns and the national rugby sevens team in 2013.
