Rugby sevens guru Gordon Tietjens headlines a lengthy list of Bay of Plenty recipients in the Queen's Birthday Honours list announced today.

Sevens coach Sir Gordon Tietjens

The 53-year-old All Blacks sevens coach, with 11 World Series titles to his name becomes Knight Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit.

He is joined by football coach John Adshead, Susan Williams, Hugh McCarroll, Vivian Joyce, Debra Stewart, Phillip Campbell, Beverly Hayman and Perry Keyte on the list from the Bay of Plenty.

Gordon has coached the All Blacks Sevens Team since 1994, and is regarded as one of the most successful coaches in the world.
Since he began coaching the All Blacks Sevens, New Zealand has gone on to win the Rugby World Cup for Sevens, four gold medals at the Commonwealth Games, and numerous IRB Sevens World Series titles.

Many of his players have gone on to become All Blacks.

When the team attends the South African venue of the World Sevens in Port Elizabeth they carry out voluntary activities, such as helping local schools, visiting underprivileged children, delivering food parcels, and giving advice to local rugby clubs.

Gordon is also a motivational speaker and mentor and former rugby player – he was a member of the first All Blacks Sevens side. Gordon was inducted into the International IRB Hall of Fame in 2012.

HONOURS
Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit, 2007
Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit, 1999

'It's terrific for the game and on a personal note it's always honourable to get letters from people saying that they are going to give you this,” says John.

'We do our best and some of the jobs take us into the public eye and that in itself can be a job sometimes.”

John says the nomination comes as an amazing surprise.

'It was a long time and I think you would probably look at the recent results of the national team and they have bought the game back into the forefront.

'You are very grateful that people think that of you and think you deserve that. It's something I have never sought or never thought of but when it did come my wife is a very good secret keeper.”

Vivian Joyce Smith of Mount Maunganui is made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to chess.

Vivian Smith is a World Chess Federation women's chess master who encouraged women's chess in New Zealand.

Vivian played in her first National Chess Championship in 1978 and played as Third Board for the New Zealand Women's Chess team at the Chess Olympiad in Buenos Aires the same year.

She represented New Zealand at 15 Olympiads, most recently in 2010 at Khanty-Mansisk in Siberia as a player and manager of the women's team.

She earned the title of FIDE Candidate Master in 2005 and the Women's FIDE Master Title in 2008. She won her first New Zealand Championship in 1982, followed by a further nine championship wins, and joint first placing in the 2007 New Zealand Seniors' Chess Championship.

She was elected to the management committee of the New Zealand Chess Federation in 2001. She initiated ‘Girls' Weeks': a week-long programme of chess for schoolgirls in both Auckland and Christchurch.

From having no female titled players in 2001, New Zealand now has six titled female players including Women's International master Sue Maroroa, a former student of Vivian's. She has promoted inter-school chess competitions in Auckland and nationwide.

Mrs Beverly Winifred Hayman receives a Queen's Service Medal for services to the community. Beverly's been a volunteer for the National Jazz Festival in Tauranga for 44 years and has contributed to a number of other community organisations in Tauranga.

She's been the secretary of Tauranga Big Band for 25 years and is presently treasurer of Soroptomists International Tauranga branch and has been a member for 36 years.

She has held a number of roles in the Tauranga South Inner Wheel women's volunteer organisation including president, secretary, treasurer and district representative during a period of 30 years.

She was convenor of Bernina Club Tauranga for 15 years and Sponsor of the Bernina Gown of the Year from 1989 to 1999.

She was founder of the Tauranga Knitting Club and spent 35 years with the Tauranga Sewing Centre, including time as managing director from 1996 to 2006.

Beverly was on the founding committee of Tauranga Kindergarten in 1961 and served as a Sunday school teacher from 1950 to 1968.

Perry Gray Keyte of Welcome Bay receives a Queen's Service Medal for services to the community. Perry helped establish the Welcome Bay Community Centre and has been a member of the New Zealand Spinal Cord Society for 27 years.

Perry was a member of a steering committee which established the Welcome Bay Community Centre Incorporated Society in 2006.

He served as the inaugural chairman and is currently a member of the executive committee. The Community Centre offers a wide range of services, support and information to the local community and networks with other agencies.

Perry is involved with the young people's Drop In weekly event and has provided support for at-risk youth. He was a member of the leadership team for youth for the Welcome Bay Community Church and was the sound technician for the church from 1999 to 2005.

Perry has undertaken numerous fundraising activities for the New Zealand Spinal Cord Society, including sponsored tandem parachute jumps and a buggy challenge to conquer three mountains in one day.

Susan Margaret Matthews is made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to health.

Susan is currently clinical nurse leader at Kaitiaki Nursing Services for Western Bay of Plenty Primary Health Organisation.

Susan, who lives in Te Puke, has been an elected member for Western Bay of Plenty District Council since 2006 and has served on a number of committees and Boards.

Currently she is a member of the Health Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal, Child Youth Mortality Review Committee, the Bay of Plenty Community Response Forum, Te Puke Economic Development Board and Tauranga China Friendship Charitable Trust.

She was a nursing and health lecturer and programme leader for Waiariki Institute of Technology and remains a student nurse educator and a member of the advisory board.

She was national councillor for Plunket and is currently a board member of Bay of Plenty Plunket. She was a Plunket nurse, area manager, national clinical educator and education manager, developing and delivering education programmes for Plunket volunteers and staff, iwi and pacific health providers.

She has also worked as a quality coordinator and registered nurse in aged care. Susan has strongly advocated to redress issues of equity, especially for those living in rural communities including M?ori.

Hugh Morton McCarroll is made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to shearing sports and agriculture.

Hugh who lives at Whangamata, has been active in shearing sports in New Zealand for more than 40 years. He has been a judge of shearing sports since 1978, both within New Zealand and internationally.

He was the New Zealand team manager at the Los Angeles County Fair in 1996, the Golden Shears World Championships in Ireland in 1998 and in New Zealand in 2012, and the Golden Shears Trans-Tasman Test in 2000.

As a competitor he has won various titles at a range of competitions in New Zealand between 1967 and 2006. He was the Shearing Steward of the Tauranga Shearing Show from 1984 to 2008 and was National Delegate of Shearing Sports New Zealand from 1988 to 2009.

He has been a committee member of the World Sheep Shearing Records Society since 1995, serving as secretary from 2006. He was chairman of North Island Shearing Sports from 1995 to 2010. He has been a member of the Oropi Young Farmers Club, the Greerton Lions Club, Federated Farmers Tauranga Branch and was a member of the Oropi Settlers Hall Committee from 1973 to 2006.

Hugh was a director of the New Zealand Ovine Sire Referencing Group: New Zealand's first sire referencing scheme for sheep.

Debbie Stewart who established the Wingspan National Bird of Prey Centre near Lake Rotorua for the conservation and protection of New Zealand raptors, is made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to bird of prey conservation.

Since the late 1970s Debbie has worked for the captive management and advocacy of New Zealand wildlife, including birds such as kiwi, kea, kakariki and weka, reptiles such as tuatara, geckos and skinks, and both native and introduced freshwater fish.

In the 1980s she focused specifically on birds of prey, culminating in the founding of Wingspan Birds of Prey Trust at Paradise Valley in 1992, with the purpose of protecting raptors, caring for injured, rescued and orphaned birds and, where possible, restoring wild populations.

Today, Wingspan is the premier organisation and voice for the karearea New Zealand falcon, ruru morepork owl and kahu Australasian harrier.

She is highly regarded internationally for her work with raptors and has represented New Zealand at conferences in the United Kingdom and the United Arab Emirates.

Sports journalist Phil Campbell received a Queen's Service Medal for services to sports and journalism. Phil, who lives in Rotorua, has contributed to journalism, especially sports journalism, in New Zealand for more than 45 years.

His journalistic career included stints with the Marlborough Express from 1969 to 1972, the New Zealand Press Association from 1972 to 1973, and as senior sports writer at the Dominion Sunday Times in the 1970s. He was editor of the Rugby Review in Tauranga from 1978 to 1979, deputy chief sub-editor at the Rotorua Daily Post from 1980 to 1996 and editor of the Rotorua Review from 1996 to 2013.

Phil achieved sporting successes locally and regionally in rugby and rowing in the 1970s and continues to be involved with the Geyserland Googlies cricket team, having played in the World Cup Golden Oldies Tournament in 2000.

Mrs Ani Rolfe of Rotorua is awarded a Queen's Service Medal for services to senior citizens and the community. Ani was a volunteer community coordinator for the Office of Senior Citizens in Rotorua from 2004 to 2012.

She is a member of the M?ori Women's Welfare League and was the Rotorua President from 2004 until 2008. She organises line dance groups as an opportunity for senior citizens to remain active and social. Ani was a victim support volunteer for seven years, and is involved in the Rotorua Marae, Te Ohonga Wairua O Nga Hau Wha Kaumatua group, Kapa Haka groups, Parksyde Community Centre and St Faiths Women's Fellowship. Ani organised intergenerational events for students at Whakarewarewa Kura Kaupapa.