The New Zealand honours list 2016 has been announced with former World and Olympic champion shotputter Valerie Adams leading the list.
Adams becomes one of seven people to take the title of Sir or Dame. Valerie Adams has four World Championship gold medals to her name; two Olympic gold medals, three Commonwealth Games gold medals and three World Indoor Championship gold medals. WOW!
Between 2010 and 2014 her unprecedented winning streak went for 56 competitions.
Adams said it was “awesome” to be one of three new dames named today.
Fran Wilde, the former Wellington Mayor and MP has also been made a dame.
The long-serving principal of St Joseph’s Māori Girls’ College in Napier , Georgina Kingi, rounds out the list of new dames.
Neuro scientist, Professor Richard Faull, has been knighted for his contribution to medical research.
He has an international reputation for his ground-breaking research studies on the human brain and its diseases including Huntington’s, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and Motor Neuron.
Sir Richard founded Auckland University’s Centre for Brain Research in 2009, and raised more than $15 million to advance its work.
A full honours list can be found at: http://dpmc.govt.nz/honours/lists/ny2017-list
