An educator with a Pacific Islands heritage has been made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit.
Tuaine-Nurse Tamarua Robati has been recognised for services to education and the Pacific community.
He has been involved in education for 40 years and has helped encourage and maintain Cook Islands culture in the Porirua region.
The same award has been given to former New Zealand police officer, Chris Kelley, who ended his 43 year career in the force by serving for 3 years as the police commander in Tonga.
He was recruited to work in Tonga as part of a programme to help build up a force that had lost much of its credibility during riots in Nuku'alofa in November of 2006.
