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Six Franklin locals have been recognised for their outstanding contributions in a range of fields in the 2026 New Year Honours List.
Pōkeno resident Karen Ritchie has been appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit (ONZM) for services to people with HIV/AIDS and Rainbow communities.
The Honour citation states Ritchie (Te Āti Haunui-a-Pāpārangi) has held long-standing roles with the New Zealand AIDS Foundation (NZAF), Body Positive Inc. and Positive Women, volunteering countless hours advocating for those living with HIV/AIDS.
“Ms Ritchie founded the Cartier Bereavement Charitable Trust to support those dying of AIDS, and their families, who could not afford a funeral. The Trust ran from 2002 until 2023, winding up its activities due to improvements in treatment medications reducing the need for its services, with the outstanding funds shared between The Positive Women’s Institute (PWI) and Body Positive Inc.
“In 2010, she established the Under 35s HIV Support Group at Body Positive, providing support after diagnosis. She was made a Life Member of the NZAF in 2008. She helped establish and worked with K’Rd Community Safety Group between 2016 and 2023 to address rising violence against Rainbow communities and sex workers, helping to create safer spaces and foster greater inclusion on Karangahape Road.
“She has been a member of the Prostitutes Law Review Committee and provided advocacy towards the decriminalising of sex work with the Prostitution Reform Act 2003. Ms Ritchie has been a founding member of the Red Umbrella Fund, an international organisation raising and distributing funds for sex workers throughout the world and was a committee member for two years.”
Mauku’s Jack Hobbs has been appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit (MNZM) for services to horticulture.
The Honour citation states Hobbs is an award-winning horticulturalist and plant breeder who worked at the Auckland Botanic Gardens from 1977 to 2025.
“Mr Hobbs was the first to undertake systematic breeding of New Zealand native plants in 1982, winning the Plant Raisers’ Award from the Royal New Zealand Institute of Horticulture (RNZIH) in 1990. He was elected as Associate of Honour of the RNZIH in 1996. He was manager of the Auckland Botanic Gardens from 1997 until retiring in 2025.
“During his tenure, the gardens have been recognised with national and international awards, including a Garden of National Significance five-star rating, International Camellia Garden of Excellence, and the 2017 Qualmark Gold Sustainable Tourism Award. With his support, the Friends of the Botanic Gardens have amassed assets of more than $1 million, significantly aiding activities such as the biennial Sculpture in the Gardens.
“Since 1989, he has written around 100 articles for ‘New Zealand Gardener,’ written and co-written books, and hosted radio and television programmes. He has presented many lectures, including the prestigious Banks Memorial Lecture in 2000, all illustrated by his photographs.
“He served as RNZIH’s President from 2001 to 2011 and won the 2022 RNZIH’s inaugural Horticultural Communicator Award. In 2023 Mr Hobbs received the Award of Merit from the International Plant Propagators’ Society.”
Pukekohe man John Robinson has been appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit (MNZM) for services to orienteering.
The Honours citation states Robinson has represented New Zealand in athletics and orienteering in international and Trans-Tasman competitions and has helped grow orienteering as a sport in New Zealand since the 1970s.
“Mr Robinson co-founded the New Zealand Secondary Schools Orienteering Championships in 1988 with his wife. Together, they have been heavily involved in orienteering coaching at schools, averaging 1,000 students annually and close to 4,500 students in 2017 alone. He pioneered midweek twilight orienteering in the Pukekohe area, mapping parks and setting courses, and managing events for around 100 participants a week.
“He established Year 7/8 and secondary school sprint orienteering across South Auckland, an initiative which has grown steadily with around 500 children competing weekly. A committee member of Counties Manukau Orienteering Club, he has been their delegate to Orienteering New Zealand (ONZ) for 30 years.
“At the national level, he has been a council member, contributed to technical and programme committees, and coached and managed ONZ world championship teams. His event planning contributions have shaped the success and high standards of national and international championships held in New Zealand. He has helped ensure the financial sustainability of the sport, securing funding from grants and other sources.
“Mr Robinson founded the Tokoroa Sports Person of the Year awards, an event that has continued for 50 years.”
Valerie Robinson, also of Pukekohe, has been appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit (MNZM) for services to orienteering.
The Honours citation states Robinson has contributed to education and sport, particularly the growth of orienteering since the 1970s.
“After retiring as a teacher and principal, Mrs Robinson has organised school sports in the Franklin region on a voluntary basis. She established and maintained the weekly Counties Manukau/Franklin Zone orienteering competitions, drawing 400 to 500 young participants at each event. She has mapped numerous schools across Auckland, equipping teachers to integrate orienteering into physical education programmes.
“She was instrumental in establishing orienteering at the intermediate school level across Auckland, with more than 3,000 Year 7/8 students regularly competing annually in inter-zone orienteering days.
“She represented New Zealand at major international competitions in the 1970s, competed in almost every Trans-Tasman orienteering competition, and was assistant manager for the New Zealand team in 2011. She has been a key committee member of the Counties Manukau Orienteering Club since 1975, serving as President for three terms and overseeing the hosting of national and international events.
“She co-founded the New Zealand Secondary Schools Orienteering Championships in 1988 with her husband. Together, they have been heavily involved in orienteering coaching at schools, averaging 1,000 students annually and close to 4,500 students in 2017 alone. For more than 30 years Mrs Robinson coordinated Counties Manukau school teams competing in major championships nationally.”
Onewhero resident Barbara Knowles has been awarded The King’s Service Medal (KSM) for services to the community and to Members of Parliament.
The Honours citation states Knowles was electorate secretary from 1985 for Sir William Birch, Dr Paul Hutchison, and Andrew Bayly across the former Maramarua and Port Waikato electorate, the Hunua electorate, and the former Franklin electorate, making her one of the longest-serving electorate secretaries in New Zealand.
“Until her retirement in 2025, Mrs Knowles assisted constituents with a range of issues from fundraising for community organisations to individual advocacy, giving considered attention to each request or problem.
“Since 1987, she has organised and published the Onewhero Newsletter on a voluntary basis, circulated to 400 local residents, and been responsible for the editing and production of the South Auckland Orchid Society newsletter. She has been a member of the South Auckland Orchid Society since 1984 and Patron since 2018, helping organise their monthly meetings and annual orchid show in Pukekohe.
“She has been involved with Scouting as a leader in Papakura from 1975 to 1980 and as Secretary of the Onewhero Scout committee from 1980 to 1984. Mrs Knowles has been a Justice of the Peace since 2022.”
Papakura’s Harjinder Singh Basiala has been awarded The King’s Service Medal (KSM) for services to the Punjabi community.
The Honours citation states Singh has dedicated more than 30 years to promoting the Punjabi language and culture in New Zealand through his contributions to journalism, literature and community service.
“Mr Singh’s experience with newspapers spans more than 31 years, previously working for the world’s largest Punjabi newspaper, Ajit, in India. In 2009 he founded the Punjabi Herald, New Zealand’s first online Punjabi language newspaper and an essential source of information for the Punjabi community.
“As a qualified interpreter he has translated various government policies, including the Ministry of Health guidelines during the COVID-19 pandemic. He has served as a member of the South Asian Advisory Board with the Counties Manukau Police, fostering positive relationships between law enforcement and the local community.
“He is a marriage celebrant and has been an active Justice of the Peace since 2017. He has voluntarily supported the New Zealand Sikh Games since its debut in 2019, composing and distributing a Punjabi history magazine, providing children with Punjabi alphabet materials and releasing a commemorative stamp. He initiated the launch of Punjabi Language Week in 2020 in collaboration with the Ministry of Education.
“Mr Singh won the 2021 Service to Punjabi Media Award from the Akal Foundation New Zealand.”
- The Franklin Times will have individual stories on each Honour recipient in the New Year.
