New Year Honours: Mary Fisher, MNZM

Mary Fisher. Photo / Supplied

Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit.

The motto for the London Olympics and Paralympics was "inspire a generation", and Paralympic swimmer Mary Fisher hopes she did that with her four-medal haul in August.

Fisher is blind and claimed a gold, two silvers and a bronze in London, as well as a world record, swimming in the S11 class on her Paralympics debut.

Fellow Paralympic medallist Phillipa Gray, who is sight and hearing impaired, and her pilot Laura Fairweather also became Members of the Order of Merit after claiming gold in the B (tandem) women's pursuit in world record time, silver in the tandem women's road time trial and bronze in the tandem women's 1km time trial.

Just being named in the New Zealand team was a dream for Fisher, 19. To win four medals and set a new world record was beyond anything she thought possible.

To make it even more special, she was the final Kiwi to compete in London and set the world record in her last race, the 200m individual medley.

Fisher, a Massey University student, plans to compete at the 2016 games in Rio de Janiero.

"The biggest thing is having confidence I can achieve my dreams," she said.