WELLINGTON, June 3 (Xinhua) -- New Zealand honored four dames and three knights on Monday for the 2019 Queen's Birthday Honours.
Track-and-field athlete Yvette Corlett, the first New Zealand woman to win an Olympic gold medal in 1952, became a dame at last, but sadly the honor came after her death. The recognition is long overdue, and marks the contribution Corlett made to athletics in New Zealand.
Yvette Corlett is one of the four new Dame Companions of the New Zealand Order of Merit (DNZM), along with three new Knight Companions (KNZM) in the 2019 Queen's Birthday Honours list.
DNZMs and KNZMs rank third in the hierarchy of the New Zealand Royal Honours system. They recognize pre-eminent contributions at the national or international level.
The other three dames in the 2019 Queen's Birthday honors are Dr. Sue Bagshaw, who has worked in the youth health sector for 30 years, Areta Koopu recognized for her services to Maori and the community, and Academy Award-winning screenwriter, film producer and musician Fran Walsh.
The three new sirs are Paul Adams, for services to philanthropy and the community, playwright Roger Hall and rugby league super coach Graham Lowe.
Altogether 183 people are on the honors list, with other well-known recipients including racing car driver Scott Dixon, former Silver Ferns netball player and coach Yvonne Willering, Radio Hauraki co-founder David Gapes, entertainer and mental health campaigner Mike King, writer and broadcaster Gordon McLauchlan, former professional boxer David Tua, child and adolescent psychiatrist and former broadcaster Dr. Hinemoa Elder, and actor Robyn Malcolm.
