Craig McFarlane of Papamoa is being awarded the Queen's Service Medal for services to education and music in the Queen's Birthday and Platinum Jubilee Honours List 2022.

Craig has had a career in education, beginning at Hamilton Boys High School before becoming Head of Mathematics and Science at Kaitaia College in 1971.

As a musician he has also been involved with school bands, orchrestras and community bands.

His citation reads:

Mr McFarlane was deputy principal at Kawerau College from the mid-1980s, working to support students from challenging socio-economic circumstances.

He taught at further schools from 1990 until his retirement from full-time teaching in 2011. He was a facilitator at Northern Health School from 2014 to 2018, helping students integrate back into regular school environments.

He joined Bay of Plenty Mathematics Association (BOPMA) in 2000, serving time as president and as current secretary. Through BOPMA he has played a key role in keeping up to date with changes to mathematics teaching and disseminating this information to Bay of Plenty teachers, organising professional development events.

For many years he has organised the Maths Mind competition for Year 9 and 10 students held annually in the Bay of Plenty, also setting the questions for each competition.

On the Maths Week website, Craig's biography lists his qualification - he holds a B.Sc.(Hons) in mathematics and physics.

Having started teaching in 1968, he retired in 2019. During his career, he taught in large, medium-sized and small schools, and saw the transition from log tables and slide rule through to calculators and computers.

He has set questions for the Bay of Plenty annual maths competitions for 15 years.

He is a part-time musician, playing the tuba, trombone, timpani and upright string bass. He has also been involved with school bands and orchestras, as well as community brass bands and orchestras.

He has tutored students and new community band members on a voluntary basis, and has been president and secretary of the Eastern Bay of Plenty Brass Band.

The Maths Week website also says Craig loves getting in the outdoors and is a member of one of Tauranga's tramping clubs.