The 1959 New Year Honours in New Zealand were appointments by

Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...

on the advice of the New Zealand government to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by New Zealanders. The awards celebrated the passing of 1958 and the beginning of 1959, and were announced on 1 January 1959. The recipients of honours are displayed here as they were styled before their new honour.

Knight Bachelor

* The Honourable James Douglas Hutchison – of

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...

; senior

puisne judge A puisne judge or puisne justice (; from french: puisné or ; , 'since, later' + , 'born', i.e. 'junior') is a dated term for an ordinary judge or a judge of lesser rank of a particular court. Use The term is used almost exclusively in common law ...

of the

Supreme Court A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts in most legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, apex court, and high (or final) court of appeal. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

Order of Saint Michael and Saint George

Companion (CMG)

* Walter Horrobin – of

Waikanae Waikanae (, ) is a town on the Kapiti Coast, 60 kilometres north of the Wellington CBD. The name is a Māori word meaning "waters" (''wai'') "of the grey mullet". The town lies between Paraparaumu, eight kilometres to the southwest, and Ōtak ...

. For services to farming, especially as chairman of the

New Zealand Wool Board The New Zealand Wool Board was established in 1944 under the Wool Industry Act.Julian Roche, p180, ''The International Wool Trade'', Woodhead Publishing, Cambridge, England, 1995 McKinsey & Company published a report in 2000 that sparked two ye ...

Royal Victorian Order

Knight Commander (KCVO)

* Arthur Grant Harper . For services in connection with royal visits to New Zealand.

Order of the British Empire

Knight Commander (KBE)

;Civil division *

Geoffrey Sylvester Peren Brigadier Sir Geoffrey Sylvester Peren (30 November 1892 – 19 July 1980) was an agricultural scientist, university professor, and agricultural college principal, as well as a soldier in the two world wars, serving in the Canadian, British, and ...

– of

Palmerston North Palmerston North (; mi, Te Papa-i-Oea, known colloquially as Palmy) is a city in the North Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Manawatū-Whanganui region. Located in the eastern Manawatu Plains, the city is near the north bank of the ...

. For services to agriculture, especially as principal of

Massey Agricultural College Massey University ( mi, Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa) is a university based in Palmerston North, New Zealand, with significant campuses in Albany and Wellington. Massey University has approximately 30,883 students, 13,796 of whom are extramural or ...

. File:Geoffrey Peren 1929 (cropped).jpg, Sir Geoffrey Peren

Commander (CBE)

;Civil division * Dr Muriel Emma Bell (Mrs Hefford) – of

Dunedin Dunedin ( ; mi, Ōtepoti) is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand (after Christchurch), and the principal city of the Otago region. Its name comes from , the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. Th ...

; nutritionist to the

Department of Health A health department or health ministry is a part of government which focuses on issues related to the general health of the citizenry. Subnational entities, such as states, counties and cities, often also operate a health department of their ow ...

and supervisor of the Nutrition Research Department of the Medical Research Council. * Malcolm McRae Burns – of

Lincoln Lincoln most commonly refers to: * Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), the sixteenth president of the United States * Lincoln, England, cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England * Lincoln, Nebraska, the capital of Nebraska, U.S. * Lincoln ...

; director of the

Canterbury Agricultural College Lincoln University (Māori: ''Te Whare Wānaka o Aoraki'') is a New Zealand university that was formed in 1990 when Lincoln College, Canterbury was made independent of the University of Canterbury. Founded in 1878, it is the oldest agricultur ...

. * Ira James Cunningham – of

Upper Hutt Upper Hutt ( mi, Te Awa Kairangi ki Uta) is a city in the Wellington Region of New Zealand and one of the four cities that constitute the Wellington#Wellington metropolitan area, Wellington metropolitan area. Geography The Upper Hutt city cent ...

; superintendent of the Animal Research Station,

Wallaceville Wallaceville is a suburb of Upper Hutt (located in the lower (southern) North Island of New Zealand). It is named after John Howard Wallace, an early New Zealand settler, council politician, businessman and author of one of the first published h ...

. * Robert Brown Tennent – of

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The List of New Zealand urban areas by population, most populous urban area in the country and the List of cities in Oceania by po ...

; Director of Agriculture. ;Military division * Brigadier James Thomas Burrows – Colonels' List (Regular Force),

New Zealand Army , image = New Zealand Army Logo.png , image_size = 175px , caption = , start_date = , country = , branch = ...

. File:1952 Burns M M.jpg, Malcolm Burns File:Jim Burrows 1925 (cropped).jpg, Jim Burrows File:Ira Cunningham circa 1929.jpg, Ira Cunningham

Officer (OBE)

;Civil division * George Frederick Briggs – of Wellington; national secretary of the

Young Men's Christian Association YMCA, sometimes regionally called the Y, is a worldwide youth organization based in Geneva, Switzerland, with more than 64 million beneficiaries in 120 countries. It was founded on 6 June 1844 by George Williams in London, originally ...

of New Zealand. * Robert Donald Cowie – of Auckland; president of the Auckland Returned Services' Association. * Oliver Duff – of

Christchurch Christchurch ( ; mi, Ōtautahi) is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. Christchurch lies on the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula on Pegasus Bay. The Avon River / ...

. For services to literature and journalism. * Herbert Stanley Feast – town clerk, Christchurch. * Campbell Larnach MacDiarmid – of

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: People * Hamilton (name), a common British surname and occasional given name, usually of Scottish origin, including a list of persons with the surname ** The Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland ** Lord Hamilt ...

. For services to social-welfare bodies. * Herbert Alfred Newall – of Dunedin. For services to social welfare organisations. * Arthur Montague Ongley – Crown prosecutor, Palmerston North. * Francis Brian Shorland – of Wellington; director of the Fats Research Laboratory. * Hetekia Te Gani Te Ua – of Puha. For services to the

Māori people The Māori (, ) are the indigenous Polynesian people of mainland New Zealand (). Māori originated with settlers from East Polynesia, who arrived in New Zealand in several waves of canoe voyages between roughly 1320 and 1350. Over several ce ...

. ;Military division * Commander Allister Barclay Gilfillan –

Royal New Zealand Navy The Royal New Zealand Navy (RNZN; mi, Te Taua Moana o Aotearoa, , Sea Warriors of New Zealand) is the maritime arm of the New Zealand Defence Force. The fleet currently consists of nine ships. The Navy had its origins in the Naval Defence Act ...

(Retired). * Lieutenant-Colonel Sinclair Banks Wallace –

Royal New Zealand Electrical and Mechanical Engineers The Royal New Zealand Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (RNZEME) was a New Zealand Army Corps comprising Army trained tradesmen (craftsmen) who repaired Army equipment wherever New Zealand Forces served. Prior to 1946 NZEME functions were carr ...

(Regular Force). * Wing Commander Albert Clement Anderson –

Royal New Zealand Air Force The Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) ( mi, Te Tauaarangi o Aotearoa, "The Warriors of the Sky of New Zealand"; previously ', "War Party of the Blue") is the aerial service branch of the New Zealand Defence Force. It was formed from New Zeala ...

Member (MBE)

;Civil division * Aileen Mary Andersen – of Napier. For services to the community. * Stanley Robert Banyard – of Auckland; welfare officer,

Auckland Prison Auckland Prison (original name Paremoremo Prison, colloquially Pare, pronounced "Par-re") is a prison facility consisting of medium security and maximum security compounds in Paremoremo, Auckland, New Zealand. The two compounds are separate bu ...

, 1948–1957; a member of the Auckland City Mission of the

Church of England Men's Society The Church of England Men's Society was founded in 1899 by Archbishop Frederick Temple Frederick Temple (30 November 1821 – 23 December 1902) was an English academic, teacher and churchman, who served as Bishop of Exeter (1869–1885), ...

. * Nina Agatha Rosamond Barrer – of

Masterton Masterton ( mi, Whakaoriori), a large town in the Greater Wellington Region of New Zealand, operates as the seat of the Masterton District (a territorial authority or local-government district). It is the largest town in the Wairarapa, a r ...

. For services to the community in the field of education and in women's activities. * Lawrence Drake Bridge – of Wellington. For services to the Federated Mountains Clubs Search and Rescue Organisation. * Edith Campion – of Wellington. For services to drama, especially in the establishment of the New Zealand Players Theatrical Society. * Jean Evelyn Castle – of Auckland. For services to wives and families of naval personnel. * Clarence Coxall – of

Reefton Reefton is a small town in the West Coast region of New Zealand, some 80 km northeast of Greymouth, in the Inangahua River valley. Ahaura is 44 km south-west of Reefton, Inangahua Junction is 34 km to the north, Maruia is 63 ...

. For services to local government, especially as chairman of the

Inangahua Inangahua is a small settlement in the northwest of New Zealand's South Island. It consists of three settled areas: Inangahua Junction at the confluence of the Inangahua and Buller Rivers, north of Reefton and southeast of Westport; Inagahua Lan ...

County Council. * The Reverend John Harold Datson – of

Wanganui Whanganui (; ), also spelled Wanganui, is a city in the Manawatū-Whanganui region of New Zealand. The city is located on the west coast of the North Island at the mouth of the Whanganui River, New Zealand's longest navigable waterway. Whangan ...

. For services to the community. * Henry Francis Louis Delamar – of

Ohakune Ohakune is a small town at the southern end of Tongariro National Park, close to the southwestern slopes of the active volcano Mount Ruapehu, in the North Island of New Zealand. A rural service town known as New Zealand's Carrot Capital, Ohak ...

; in recognition of services as mayor of Ohakune and district coroner. * Matthew Thomas Franich – of

Dargaville Dargaville ( mi, Takiwira) is a town located in the North Island of New Zealand. It is situated on the bank of the Northern Wairoa River in the Kaipara District of the Northland region. The town is located 55 kilometres southwest of Whangārei. ...

. For services to the community in

North Auckland The Northland Peninsula, called the North Auckland Peninsula in earlier times, is in the far north of the North Island of New Zealand. It is joined to the rest of the island by the Auckland isthmus, a narrow piece of land between the Waitematā ...

. * Hoki Waiheke Hui – of Auckland. For services to the

. * Alex Sylvester Lindsay – of

Pāuatahanui Pāuatahanui (; ) is a village in New Zealand's North Island. It is at the far eastern end of what was known as the Pāuatahanui Inlet (since renamed to Te Awarua-o-Porirua Harbour), an arm of the Porirua Harbour, northeast of Wellington. In loc ...

. For services to music, especially orchestral work. * Helen Sydney Butler Lusk – of

Titirangi Titirangi is a suburb of West Auckland in the Waitākere Ranges local board area of the city of Auckland in northern New Zealand. It is an affluent, residential suburb located 13 kilometres (8 miles) to the southwest of the Auckland city centre ...

. For services to nursing. * Mary Cecile MacCormick – of Auckland. For services to the

Red Cross Society The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, the world's largest group of non-governmental organizations working on humanitarian aid, is composed of the following bodies: *The ''International Committee of the Red Cross'' (ICRC), a comm ...

, especially as secretary of the Auckland branch. * Hannah Martin – of Wellington. For services to the

Young Women's Christian Association The Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) is a nonprofit organization with a focus on empowerment, leadership, and rights of women, young women, and girls in more than 100 countries. The World office is currently based in Geneva, Swi ...

. * John Patterson – of Waitangi; formerly resident commissioner,

Chatham Islands The Chatham Islands ( ) (Moriori: ''Rēkohu'', 'Misty Sun'; mi, Wharekauri) are an archipelago in the Pacific Ocean about east of New Zealand's South Island. They are administered as part of New Zealand. The archipelago consists of about te ...

. * Lorna Ina Ranby – of

Waitoa Waitoa is a settlement in the Matamata-Piako District of New Zealand. State Highway 26 runs through the town, and connects to Te Aroha 10 km to the north-east. A Fonterra dairy factory is a prominent blue building in the middle of the town. T ...

. For services in the interests of intellectually handicapped children. * Ivy Beatrice Ritchie – town clerk,

Arrowtown Arrowtown (Māori: ''Haehaenui'') is a historic gold mining town in the Otago region of the South Island of New Zealand. Arrowtown is located on the banks of the Arrow River approximately 7.5 km from State Highway 6. Arrowtown is locat ...

. ;Military division * Warrant Officer First Class Leslie John Auty –

Royal Regiment of New Zealand Artillery The Royal Regiment of New Zealand Artillery is the artillery regiment of the New Zealand Army. It is effectively a military administrative corps, and can comprise multiple component regiments. This nomenclature stems from its heritage as an off ...

(Regular Force). * Major Henry Herbert Bunckenburg –

Royal New Zealand Army Medical Corps The Royal New Zealand Army Medical Corps (RNZAMC) is a corps of the New Zealand Army, the land branch of the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF). The Medical Corps provides for the medical needs of soldiers, such as diagnosing and treating diseases ...

(Territorial Force). * Major Richard Herbert Dyson – Royal Regiment of New Zealand Artillery (Regular Force). * Warrant Officer First Class Ronald Walter Hicks –

Corps of Royal New Zealand Engineers The Corps of Royal New Zealand Engineers is the administrative corps of the New Zealand Army responsible for military engineering. The role of the Engineers is to assist in maintaining friendly forces' mobility, deny freedom of movement to the ene ...

(Territorial Force). * Major Bryan Henry Palmer – Royal New Zealand Infantry Corps (Territorial Force). * Flight Lieutenant Henry Maitland Eccersall – Royal New Zealand Air Force. * Warrant Officer Thomas Francis Fountaine – Royal New Zealand Air Force.

British Empire Medal (BEM)

;Military division * Chief Petty Officer Arthur Alexander Howard Brush – Royal New Zealand Navy. * Chief Petty Officer Telegraphist Geoffrey Roger Drew – Royal New Zealand Navy. * Chief Engine Room Artificer Ernest Alfred Payne – Royal New Zealand Navy. * Chief Petty Officer Berwick Claud Raoul Whitcombe –

Royal New Zealand Naval Volunteer Reserve The Royal New Zealand Naval Volunteer Reserve (RNZNVR) is the volunteer reserve force of the Royal New Zealand Navy (RNZN). History Early history The first Naval Volunteer units were formed in Auckland and Nelson in 1858. Over the rest of th ...

. * Chief Petty Officer Writer Alexander McWilliams – Royal New Zealand Navy. * Warrant Officer 2nd Class (temporary) Robert John McCombe –

Royal New Zealand Corps of Signals The Royal New Zealand Signals Corps (RNZSigs) provides, co-ordinates and operates the communications networks of the New Zealand Army. The role of RNZSigs is to support other Arms by providing Communication Information System required for Comman ...

(Territorial Force). * Staff-Sergeant Desmond Dynes Sharp –

Royal New Zealand Armoured Corps The Royal New Zealand Armoured Corps (RNZAC) is the overall umbrella grouping of Regular Force and Territorial Force units equipped with armoured vehicles in the New Zealand Army. The corps was formed in 1942 as the New Zealand Armoured Corps, ...

(Regular Force). * Warrant Officer 2nd Class (temporary) James Robert Upton – New Zealand Regiment (Regular Force).

Air Force Cross (AFC)

* Flight Lieutenant John Clark Buckmaster – Royal New Zealand Air Force.

Queen's Fire Services Medal (QFSM)

* Harry Bruce – chief fire officer, Wellington Fire Brigade. * Douglas Stevans Butcher – deputy chief fire officer, Stratford Volunteer Fire Brigade.

Queen's Commendation for Valuable Service in the Air

* Flight Lieutenant Donald McFarland Stark – Royal New Zealand Air Force.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:New Year Honours 1959 (New Zealand) New Year Honours 1959 awards 1959 in New Zealand New Zealand awards