Another Whanganui-born recipient has been named in the 2019 New Year Honours list.
Horsewoman and charity fundraiser Kitty Johnson was made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit (NZOM) for her services to outdoor recreation and support for people with multiple sclerosis.
Johnson is the organiser the of Great New Zealand Trek (GNZ) which began at Cape Reinga in 2006 and involves walkers, cyclists and horseback riders covering from 100km to 300km of remote New Zealand countryside each year.
So far, the venture has raised $383,914 for multiple sclerosis support and research at the Malaghan Institute.
Johnson says her love of horse riding through rural countryside began during her early childhood living on a remote farm above Parakino as a member of the Frederikse family.
"I was home schooled by mum but I always wanted to be out on the farm helping dad and that was a bit of a bone of contention between my parents, I think."
After working as volunteers, Johnson and her late partner, Hepa Paewai, took over the organisation of GNZ from its originator Steve Old in 2009 and Johnson used $15,000 of her own money to keep the venture going.
The GNZ group stopped off in Raetihi in 2011 on their way to Mangaweka where they would begin their journey to the East Coast in 2012.
Johnson established the Great New Zealand Trek Charitable Trust to ensure the annual increments of the long journey would continue and 2019 will see the 14th and final stage completed.
Hepa Paewai died from cancer in February 2018 and Johnson says it is a "bittersweet" feeling not having him beside her this year.
"I am humbled to receive this honour and I am sad that Hepa is not here to share it with me.
Kitty Johnson at the Raetihi Showgrounds in 2011 when the Great New Zealand Trek stopped there for two nights
"He's been a huge support for me with everything," she says. "He definitely would have been proud.
"I also want to credit all the people who work with me to make the venture a success."
At least 70 volunteers are part of the trek each year and some have been involved since the beginning.
"You could say I'm like the ship captain but I couldn't do it without my crew and I miss Hepa being here to share this with me."
Johnson also wants to credit all the "wonderful farmers and landowners" who have happily provided access to their land.
The final stage of GNZ will see the group start at Tapanui and traverse the western side of the Catlins and finish at Slope Pt, New Zealand's most southern point.
"The original plan was to travel from Cape Reinga to Bluff but because we are travelling through country not normally accessible to the public, ending the journey at Bluff is not feasible," says Johnson.
After the journey finally ends on March 23, Johnson says she plans to leave her current Hastings base and move to the Waikato to be close to her children and grandchildren.
She says she is also likely to come and visit her brother Fred Frederikse and his family in Whanganui some time.
