Former All Blacks captain Andy Leslie. Photo: Photosport
Rugby is the big winner in the sports community with the announcement of the King's Birthday Honours.
Knights Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit
Wayne Smith
Former Black Ferns coach Sir Wayne Smith has been knighted in the wake of the Black Ferns' Rugby World Cup success last year.
When he got the letter, it lingered on his mind whether to accept it or not, but then he remembered the sacrifices his family made.
"Trish [his wife] and I have been together for 43 years, she reckons I've only been here for 20 of them," he jokes.
Sir Wayne Smith. Photo: RNZ / Angus Dreaver
"Coaching isn't an easy game, you're never really on top of everything and you go through some difficult times and it's your family that suffer the most - through media, through criticism, through poor results - they have to put up with it. You, as a coach, sort of get over it quickly and get on to the next game."
He was thinking of his mother and sister too, as they saw him grow up playing the game since the age of 6.
"My mum is 92 ... she supported me my whole life.
"It makes them proud and I think it's great for mum to see that I get this award.
"I see it as a huge honour but also I feel a lot of gratitude, because rugby is a team game, you can't achieve anything yourself, so you're so reliant on other people, on players, your coaches, your staff, the support you get from your family."
Over his career, Sir Wayne has been involved in 174 All Blacks Tests, of which he won 143, and more than 200 games.
He has become the only coach to win three Rugby World Cups - as assistant coach in 2011 and 2015 with the All Blacks, and in 2022 as head coach with the Black Ferns.
In the 2012, he was appointed a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to rugby.
Officers of the New Zealand Order of Merit
Andy Leslie
Decades of service to rugby and the community have been recognised with former All Blacks captain Andy Leslie made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of merit in the King's Birthday Honours list.
Leslie captained the All Blacks in the 1970s and also represented New Zealand in softball and water polo.
For the past 20 years, he has also been involved in community development, youth and sports administration.
Leslie was president of New Zealand Rugby from 2007 to 2009 and holds life memberships of a number of rugby organisations and clubs.
He has been a strong advocate for amateur sport in Aotearoa and has played a leading role in the development of community facilities in Lower Hutt.
He was made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2001.
Photo: Photosport Ltd 2021 www.photosport.nz
Opie Bosson
Leading New Zealand jockey Opie Bosson (Ngati Whakaue, Rangiwewehi) has been made an Offficer of the New Zealand Order of Merit.
Bosson, 42, has been involved with thoroughbred racing for much of his life and has recorded over 1800 race wins, including 91 group one races in New Zealand and various group one races overseas.
Top wins include the Karaka Milliion six times, the Auckland Cup, Australian Oaks, Caufield Cup, Australian Derby, Singapore Derby and Singapore Gold Cup.
Bosson holds the record for most wins in a season for a New Zealand jockey at 128.
Bosson began as an apprentice with Te Akau Racing in 1995 and was recognised for his rare longevity in the racing industry.
Opie Bosson. Photo: Alan Lee / www.photosport.nz
Members of the New Zealand Order of Merit
Ruahei Demant
Photo: Aaron Gillions / www.photosport.nz
Black Ferns World Cup winning co-captain Ruahei Demant has been made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit.
Demant, 28, made her debut for the New Zealand women's rugby side in 2018 and has played 26 tests, 11 of them as captain.
She co-captained the Black Ferns to World Cup success in Auckland last year and was named Women's 15's player of the year by World Rugby in 2022.
Barry Pickering
Former All Whites goalkeeper Barry Pickering for his lifelong service to football, has been made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit.
Pickering, 64, played 20 internationals for New Zealand and was member of the 1982 World Cup squad - the first All Whites side to qualify for the global tournament.
He played more than 200 national league games named Player of the Year seven times.
He has been club administrator at Petone Football Club for nearly 30 years and has coached at both senior and junior level.
He was inducted into the Hutt Valley Sports Hall of Fame in 2014 and the Wellington Football Hall of Fame in the following year.
Amy Satterthwaite
Photo: PhotoSport / John Cowpland
Amy Satterthwaite has been a part of the New Zeland Cricketing Community for 20 years as a player, captain, mentor and coach.
Satterthwaite, 36, made her debut for the White Ferns in 2007 and went on to play 145 one day internationals, 111 T20's, including 13 ODI's and 12 T20's as captain.
She retired from the international stage in 2022.
Kennedy Simon
Photo: Photosport / Alan Lee
Kennedy Simon (Tainui) co-captained the Black Ferns to World Cup success along with Ruahei Demant last year.
Simon, 26, made her debut for the Black Ferns in 2019 and was named Black Ferns player of the Year in 2021.
She has represented New Zealand in Sevens since 2018 having made her representative debut for Waikato in 2013.