Horticulturalists recognised in 2020 Queen’s Birthday Honours

02 Jun 2020

Four New Zealand horticulturalists were recognised yesterday in the Queen’s Birthday honours: Jo Dawkins Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit (MNZM); Murray Dawson MNZM; Peter Smale MNZM; and Marie Taylor Queen’s Service Medal (QSM).

Jo Dawkins MNZM was recognised for services to horticulture, including the International Plant Propagators Society and Te Puna Quarry Park.

Murray Dawson MNZM was recognised for services to horticulture including the Royal New Zealand Institute of Horticulture where he serves on the national executive, Garden Journal, Christchurch Botanic Gardens and the Botanical Society.

Peter Smale MNZM made significant developments to new crop introductions as a horticultural researcher and advisor for several Government organisations and State Owned Enterprises. Mr Smale is a past member of the Royal New Zealand Institute of Horticulture.

Marie Taylor’s citation reads: “Ms Marie Taylor has single-handedly developed a thriving native plant nursery that grows more than 150,000 native plants annually.

“Ms Taylor owns and manages Plant Hawke’s Bay Ltd, a native plant nursery supplying the Hawke’s Bay revegetation market with eco-sourced, wholesale native plants. She established the nursery in 2005 as a small part-time business and has overseen its steady growth. Her work has contributed to the survival of rare native species in the region. She is the founder and Chair of the Hawke’s Bay Botanical Group and a Trustee of Puahanui, a large area of native bush in Central Hawke’s Bay. She was part of the Implementation Planning Group who wrote the Hawke’s Bay Biodiversity Action Plan 2017-2020. She was a regional representative on the QEII National Trust from 1990 to 2005 and is a Board member of New Zealand Plant Producers Inc., the nursery industry body. Ms Taylor was named the Supreme Winner of the NZI Rural Women Business Awards in 2018.”

Marie was appointed to the NZ Plant Producers board in 2019 and recently starred on Rural Delivery, giving sound advice on planning and achieving native revegetation projects. You can watch the episode here.

Horticulturalists recognised in 2020 Queen’s Birthday Honours

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