2024 Recipients

Ellie is a classic unsung hero. She turns up, sees what needs to be done, and gets on and does it.

Currently in Year 13 at Stratford High School, Ellie diligently manages school work alongside student leadership responsibilities and volunteering in the community.

As the Tyrer House Leader and Sports Captain, she is well known and highly regarded amongst her peers at school. In addition to these roles, Ellie is also part of a youth-established group of peer mentors and mediators who help support the well-being of their fellow students.

As sports captain, Ellie is taking the opportunity to try as many sports as possible in her last year of school. To encourage others to do the same, and to have a bit of fun, the seniors organise regular challenges against school staff.

Ellie is also heavily involved in athletics and her love of running is evident when hearing her speak about her favourite event, distance running. She has competed regionally and nationally in athletics and won several medals for her efforts.

Performing arts is another passion, and although Ellie laughs off singing or dancing, her acting skills saw her take on one of the lead roles in their school production and won her the Blues Award for Performing Arts in 2023.

Ellie is currently serving on the Stratford District Youth Council so she can encourage different groups of young people to try new things. She has particularly enjoyed her involvement in Youth Council activities such as free movie events and taking youth ‘on the bus’ to day trip locations around Taranaki.

The TET Kings Theatre is another organisation lucky to have Ellie! She has clocked up over 350 hours of volunteer work at the theatre, earning her a silver service award from the Student Volunteer Army in recognition of these efforts. Her roles include setting the theatre up before screenings, and, although she saw the Barbie movie 7 times, she definitely agreed that being able to watch movies was a perk of the job.

Studying Chemistry, Statistics, English, Home Economics and Commerce this year will guide Ellie towards her plans of studying accountancy at university in 2025. She credits her teacher Mrs Lightoller for inspiring her to follow this pathway. Achieving an Excellence endorsement overall in NCEA Level 1 and Level 2 with merit, is an endorsement of her outstanding academic work ethic.

In addition to all her own achievements, Ellie is the first to support her friends on the sidelines. She is a diligent and generous young woman who is always considering the needs of others. Thank you, Ellie, for contributing so positively to our district and setting such a fine example for young people.

Moving to Stratford in 2012, Achim attended St Joseph’s Primary School and then Francis Douglas Memorial Collage.

When reflecting on his schooling, Achim describes being an academic kid who enjoyed the opportunities in English, History and Religious Studies that were offered at both schools. His history teacher was a wealth of knowledge and the encouragement he received from his English teacher saw him enter competitions outside of school and on a national level. This hard work paid off with Achim having multiple stories published as a result.

In 2022, Achim was selected to be one of 20 young people to be part of the media gallery at the Youth Parliament. The calibre of his work in the fast-paced media gallery led to several of his articles being published through Radio New Zealand.

Achim joined the Stratford No. 48 Air Cadet unit in 2017 and held the position of Warrant Officer – Lead Cadet before leaving because of university commitments, however he has since transferred to the Petone Base as an officer to give back to the service.

Achim says being part of the Cadet Forces gave him real-life leadership experience and the skills he developed are clearly in evidence. He has been credited for a lot of the growth the squadron has seen in recent years. Achim has noted that perseverance was another well learnt attribute during his time in the Cadets, wryly saying it had taken him 6 years to pass his rifle competency.

His passion for the TET Kings Theatre and the community run aspect is clear when Achim talks about his work as a volunteer usher and projectionist. “One of the coolest places in Stratford” is how he describes the TET Kings Theatre, marvelling at its history and how it is completely run by volunteers, which allows the theatre to keep costs as low as possible for patrons.

As a member of the Stratford District Youth Council for 6 years, he was impressed by the sincere level of dedication to youth shown by the group. Achim served on the youth council as secretary and co-chair and thoroughly enjoyed working on behalf of other young people.

Achim is currently studying Anthropology, International Relations, and Religion as part of a Bachelor of Arts which he knows will carve the pathway into humanitarian or emergency recovery work.

Achim wants to be on the ground helping where he can, which has clearly been a strong characteristic since an early age. Thank you Achim.

Kieran isn’t a stranger to the Stratford District Citizens Award process, having framed the awards for several years now, but he never expected to receive one himself. “I was shocked and stunned,” he says. “I had to put it down, walk away, and come back later to try again,” when describing the moment he read the notification letter.

Fondly known by many in the community as ‘the Sheriff’ after spending over 25 years as a Council employee in the regulatory department, Kieran’s been heavily involved in the Stratford district since moving here in 1969.

Kieran’s community service is one of longevity, having long-standing memberships with several associations. Some of which he joined through his role at Council but is still a huge part of today, despite being retired.

He is a gold star member of the New Zealand Fire Service, for serving on the Stratford Volunteer Fire Brigade for 25 years from 1971 to 1996. During this time, he’s also been the principal rural fire officer for the district.

Through his work in animal control, Kieran has been involved with the New Zealand Institute of Animal Management for over 25 years, including as an executive member of the board for 10 years, where he’s held the position of both national treasurer and national president. This commitment was awarded with a life membership and has allowed him to continue his service with the institute to this day.

If you think 25 years is a long time, he doubles this with his dedication to the Taranaki Automobile Association (AA) District Council, serving on this council for more than 50 years, and still going.

In 2014, Kieran took his community service to the next level, opening his heart and home to be a mentor with Big Brothers, Big Sisters. In his 10 years with the organisation, he’s been the big brother to 2 young men, and has treasured the time spent with both. He’s been with his current little brother Cody for 7 years now, and loves seeing how much he’s grown in that time.

Kieran has also spent 10 years volunteering with Central Taranaki Victim Support, where he held a national role.

In recent years, Kieran’s put his hand up to be a driver for the Alzheimer’s Group and Special Education School Transport Assistance. He’s also been known to don the big red suit and act as Santa’s stand in at community events on a number of occasions over the years.

Kieran says he’s always enjoyed being involved in the community, and we think he’s certainly done a good job of it. Thank you, Kieran, for your loyal and dedicated service to the Stratford community!

Murray tells us, “Our door is always open”, and that’s the kind of community spirit that’s landed him with a 2024 Citizen Award.

He has a passion for supporting others and connecting people, so it’s no wonder he’s involved in such a diverse range of community organisations.

We’ll start with the Stratford Cancer Support Group, which Murray founded almost 7 years ago, through his own experience with cancer. He saw a gap that needed filling locally, “as part of the healing process” he says, and the group has blossomed into monthly meetings and weekly walking groups. “For a little town like ours, I’m really proud of the people involved in the group,” says Murray.

A common occurrence in small communities like ours, Murray often put his hand up for volunteering efforts when the kids were young. He was on the Avon School Board of Trustees, and another memorable achievement is that of organising the junior soccer on a Saturday morning. Up to 80 kids would be under his management on these mornings. That’s no small feat!

He’s clearly made for it though, as he’s been influential in the local Take a Kid Fishing day, which on average sees over 140 children have a go at fishing on the banks of the Pātea River. Murray has stepped back from this in the last few years, but still enjoys seeing the happy faces get involved each year.

Back in the 70s and 80s, Murray was also involved with the Stratford Volunteer Fire Brigade. He says he made some of the best friends during the 7 years he was with them.

Murray’s passion for orchids has meant he’s been involved in both the Stratford Orchid Society, before it closed, and the Taranaki Orchid Society, spending a number of years as President for both. If you are lucky enough to visit Murray at his home, make sure you ask to see his collection when they’re in bloom.

Exploring the country in their motorhome is another favourite pastime for Murray and wife, Hazel. So much so, that he’s managed to find himself the president of the Taranaki Caravan Club and Taranaki area Chair of the New Zealand Motor Caravan Association (NZMCA), of which he’s been a member of for 11 years. Murray says with 1,900 members in Taranaki for the NZMCA, “it’s a real neat group to belong to.” They have a busy calendar of events annually that sees him connecting with likeminded people from all over Taranaki and New Zealand.

Murray’s community service doesn’t stop there. He was on the Stratford Positive Ageing Committee for 6 years before the group disbanded in 2023, and many people will know Murray from his involvement with Neighbourhood Support. He’s been the group coordinator of Neighbourhood Support for over 10 years, and through this work was also a member of Community Patrols. Murray retired from being a community patroller in recent years due to health reasons, but that didn’t stop him from supporting a safer Stratford. For the last 3 years Murray has been a trustee for the Central Taranaki Safe Community Trust.

Murray wears a lot of hats in our community, and we’re excited to acknowledge his efforts with a 2024 Citizens Award. Thank you for your community support, Murray!

After Stratford and Eltham Sports Club’s recent premier rugby final win, maybe we should be starting this kōrero with a nod to AC/DC’s track, Thunderstruck!

It’s Ra’s involvement in the local sports scene, particularly our rugby community, that has earned him a Citizens Award for 2024. He isn’t one to bask in the limelight, telling us he felt “embarrassed” when he got the notification letter. However, we think over 30 years of dedication to the game through coaching locally and within Taranaki is something to be proud of, and anyone who knows Ra will vouch for his passion.

The Mako whānau moved to Stratford in 1973, and when Ra went to Stratford High School, he says he went to “play rugby and eat lunch.” He made the First XV and even travelled to Australia for a tournament. Ra says his younger years in Stratford gave him a great grounding into rugby as a game. This is evident in the fact that he went on to play with the Stratford Colts straight after school and Stratford Seniors the year after, before transitioning to Eltham Rugby Club.

It was for Eltham that Ra clocked up over 200 games, playing between 1980 and 1992, a number that’s almost unheard of in today’s club rugby. He made 6 finals playing for Eltham, winning 2 championships as captain, in 1990 and 1991. During this time Ra made Taranaki representative teams as well, playing a few games for Taranaki A’s in 1984, and spending a few years with the Taranaki B’s from 1985 to 1989.

After hanging up the boots in 1992, he moved into coaching with Eltham Bs in 1993 and Eltham Seniors from 1994 to 2001, and again in 2008. He also spent time coaching or managing the Eltham-Kaponga team between 2009 and 2015. He was awarded a life membership for the club in 2004.

Ra also coached at the representative level, spending time with the Taranaki As, Bs and Under19s in the late 90s and early 2000s.

In 2008 Ra was approached to coach the Sri Lankan Rugby 7s team at the Hong Kong tournament. He went over there for 7 weeks, and while he says the team wasn’t the biggest on the field, he had a lot of fun with them and relished the opportunity to try something new.

Ra has been known to switch codes too, taking up the coaching job for the Stratford Premier 2 Netball team in 2013 and 2014. He says there isn’t much difference in coaching between the two sports and was proud to see the team make the final and semis consecutively.

In recent years, Ra has been well known for his leadership in the successful merger of Eltham and Stratford Rugby Clubs. This move had been a long time in the making, with some of the earlier conversations happening 20 years ago. It wasn’t until 2017 that a combined club was formally established, and Ra was at the helm, coaching the Stratford and Eltham Rugby Seniors until 2020, then the Bs for a couple of years after that.

While Ra has had to take a step back from coaching in the last couple of years, he’s never given up on his club. He’s been with them all the way, right up until the final whistle at this year’s Taranaki Club Championship game against the Southern Sharks.

Ra has been described as a ‘rock’ for rugby players, he is respected for his ability to develop great relationships and build rapport among teammates and within the wider club environment. Those who know him, have played with, against and for him, hold Ra in the highest esteem. Thank you, Ra, for your passion towards supporting our local clubs, and players, to be the best they can be.

Gloria has been supporting community organisations in Stratford for almost half her life, and at 86 years old, she isn’t giving it up just yet. Today you’ll find Gloria helping organise packages from the Stratford Food Bank or volunteering in the Salvation Army Family Store on a Saturday morning.

She’s been supporting those organisations for a few decades already, 18 years and still going on the Stratford Community Foodbank, and almost 30 years volunteering with the Salvation Army Family Store. She’s no stranger to long service, spending 20 years as a well-known face for Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB). During this time, she held the role of treasurer for four years and chairperson for another 4 years.

Gloria has a knack for supporting families with life’s necessities. She was a coordinator for Budget Advice for 13 years which was a service that operated out of Work and Income New Zealand and introduced her to CAB. Gloria says she got a lot of satisfaction supporting these organisations, meeting interesting people and making new friends.

A real yes lady, Gloria doesn’t mind putting her hand up to help and has spent a number of years with Grey Power in the past and was also one of the original members of the Stratford Positive Ageing Group. She has some fond memories of those early days, setting up the group and connecting with likeminded people in the community.

Outside of supporting local families, Gloria has been heavily involved with both outdoor bowls and scouting. She lived in Toko for 23 years while her husband was the foreman at the Toko Dairy Company, and while there was the Toko Scouts cub leader for 7 years and then district leader for 3. She was an umpire for outdoor bowls for roughly 30 years, first with Toko and then Stratford and across the wider Taranaki region. However, she tells us that Douglas Athletics was her first taste of volunteering way back when.

Gloria says she doesn’t do all this for the accolades and was surprised to receive the notification letter at all. However, we think her volunteering efforts have made a huge impact on the lives of individuals and families in our community, past and present, and we’re extremely grateful for her continued dedication and kindness towards the people of Stratford. Thank you, Gloria and congratulations.

You’d be hard pressed to find someone in our district that doesn’t know Peter, whether it’s through his business or the huge number of hours he’s spent volunteering his time. In 2013, Peter was awarded a Citizens Award for what seemed like a lifetime of community service back then. But in the 11 years since, Peter hasn’t slowed down, in fact he’s added to his volunteer portfolio!

The very first committee Peter sat on started with his children. He joined Central Kindy, and became chairman of that, then eventually took that role to the St Joseph’s Primary School Board of Trustees and Francis Douglas Memorial College Building Committee as the kids grew up. Peter says you end up following your kids into these things, and while he never thought of himself as a committee person before that time, he must have got an itch for it because it was the start of bigger roles to come.

Just take his four life memberships, for example, with the Real Estate Institute of NZ (REINZ), Taranaki Hereford Society, Hospice Taranaki and the Taranaki Irish Society. He was even presented with a NZ Order of Merit for services to real estate in 2014. You don’t get a life membership or an order of merit without committing some serious time and effort to a cause, and Peter’s done just that to numerous organisations locally in Stratford and in the wider Taranaki region.

Peter was the president of St John Taranaki for five years, and during that time advocated for and administered the construction of new ambulance bays in Stratford. Peter’s work in this area was acknowledged in 2020 when he was made a Member of the Order of St Johns.

In 2008, Peter joined Age Care Central as Chairman and helped develop Maryann Rest Home into the facility we see today. He’s also been a trustee of the Taranaki Health Foundation and is currently a trustee of the Taranaki Rescue Helicopter Trust. Health being a common theme for Peter’s voluntary efforts, his work with Taranaki Hospice for 13 years, many as chairman, was during a time of significant change when Te Rangimarie Hospice and the hospice shops were developed.

Much of the work Peter has been involved in over the years has provided our communities with something that will last long beyond his own time. However, he isn’t one to take the credit and just gets on and does it. “You can’t do things on your own, I’ve had some amazing people to work with,” he says when speaking of the legacy projects he has been involved in.

Outside of all of this, you’ll often find Peter donning the Scottish kilt as a member of the Stratford Pipe Band which he’s been part of since 2000. Peter tells us he joined the band so he could learn to play Amazing Grace at his mother’s funeral. And if it’s not the pipes you hear from Peter, it might be his voice as he’s auctioneered his way around the region for every fundraiser under the sun. “Auctions are fun,” he tells us, “and when you have that skill you naturally get asked to do it a lot. I’ve managed to have some baked cakes at school fundraisers go for good cash,” he laughs.

Something some of our younger generation won’t know about Peter is that he played a star role in Taranaki’s TV7 television show which aired for a good 15 years after the turn of the millennium. “We had a lot of fun doing that, it was a great opportunity to showcase what Taranaki has to offer.” A quick google and you might be able to find some of the old footage!

Peter’s talent for sales has been known to extend further than just supporting his own business. A born and bred Stratford stalwart, Peter has always loved to see his hometown grow and take opportunities for improved economic development. On hearing a few of his stories, we learned he can turn an out of towner stopping for fish and chips one weekday night, into a Stratford property owner with a business to bring to the district to boot. A win-win in Peter’s mind, we’ll let him do the talking if you want the full story.

Despite the accolades and achievements presented to him over the years, Peter tells us “the Citizens Award in 2014 is still what I’m most proud of.”

Peter, you have given an outstanding amount of time and support to some significant projects and organisations. Without your drive and dedication our community would be without some of these achievements, so we thank you, for a second time, and wish you all the best for a future dedicated to some of your own personal passions, some rest and special time with family.