New Year Honours 2017: Auckland mayor Goff joins Companions in Order of NZ

Auckland mayor Phil Goff, a former cabinet minister John Luxton and leading figures in the law and sport are among new Companions appointed to the Order of New Zealand.

Companions are often promoted to rank of dame of knight in the Order.

Phil Goff was elected mayor of Auckland in October after resigning as MP for Mount Roskill from 1981-1990 and from 1993-2016. He was the leader of the opposition and leader of the Labour Party from November 2008 to December 2011. He was a cabinet minister in both the fourth and fifth Labour governments, first holding the Housing, Employment, Environment, Youth Affairs, Tourism and Education portfolios; and under Prime Minister Helen Clark, Foreign Affairs and Trade, Justice, Pacific Island Affairs, Corrections, Defence and Disarmament.

John Luxton was a minister in the Jim Bolger-led government of 1990-2002, retiring from Parliament to embark on a career in business. From 2008-15, he chaired DairyNZ, an "industry good organisation" that was created from the merger of Dexcel and Dairy Insight. In this role he played a key role in the formation of Fonterra and the deregulation of producer boards. He represented the dairy industry in the Trade Pacific Partnership negotiations and the new water accord in 2013. He is a former chairman of the Tatua Co-op and a founder of Open Country Dairies and Kaimai Cheese companies. He is co-chairman of the Waikato River Authority and chairs the Asia New Zealand Foundation. Mr Luxton was previously awarded the Queen’s Service Order for public services (2003).

Emeritus Professor John Burrows is a law lecturer, author, former member of the Law Commission and was co-chairman of the panel that reviewed the New Zealand constitution in 2012 and 2013. He also chaired the New Zealand Flag Consideration Panel in February 2015. For this he undertook a significant amount of unpaid work, particularly in promoting the public engagement process, and supporting and participating in media activities. However, a public referendum rejected a change. Professor Burrows was previously made an officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit (2013).

Justice Marion Frater has been deputy chairwoman of the New Zealand Parole Board since 2007 after being a High Court judge from 2003-07. Before that, she was a judge of the District Court from 1990 and represented it on the New Zealand Law Society Continuing Legal Education Committee from 1994-02. Justice Frater is a life member of the Wellington Women Lawyer’s Association and has long been involved in gender equity and family violence issues.

David Howman was director-general of the Canada-based World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) from 2003 until July 2016. He first joined the WADA in 1999 as a foundation board member representing Oceania and was responsible for drafting its sport anti-doping code, which has been universally adopted by international member bodies. He was instrumental in developing the Unesco International Convention against Doping in Sport in 2005, which has been ratified by 183 of the world’s 195 Unesco member states. He was chairman of the NZ Sports Drug Agency from 2000-03 and of New Zealand Tennis. He is a board member of the Hillary Commission for Sport, Fitness and Leisure.

Justice Patrick Keane retired from the High Court in 2016, having been appointed in 2003. He previously worked for Rudd Watts and Stone as a Crown solicitor from 1977-79. He advised the government on the New Zealand Steel expansion and Comalco, represented it at the Commission of Inquiry into the Abbotsford Landslip in 1980 and was a counsel at the Crown Law Office from 1985-87. He was appointed a District Court Judge and Taxation Review Authority in 1987. He is regarded as an expert on judgment writing and has also undertaken work for the Court of Appeal.

Former world champion and Olympic rower Michael Stanley has been president of the NZ Olympic Committee since 2009. He is an Olympic team selector and represents New Zealand at meetings of the Oceania National Olympic Committee, the Association of National Olympic Committees and the Commonwealth Games Federation. He played a significant role in the development of the AUT Millennium Institute of Sport and Health in Auckland, as a trustee and as chief executive since 2004. He is a former chairman of the NZ Academy of Sport North Island and was a board member of High Performance Sport New Zealand. He was inducted into the NZ Sports Hall of Fame with members of the 1982 eight-oar crew. Mr Stanley was chief executive of Rowing New Zealand from 1994-2003 and a board member from 2004-09.

Iain Rennie was State Services Commissioner from 2008-16, having previously been deputy from 2007. He led work on the review and updating of the State Sector and Public Finance Acts in 2013. Between 1997 and 2007 he held three deputy secretary positions in the Treasury, having first joined in 1986. He has also held positions in the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet.