Professor John Graham Hampton, one of four scientists honoured in the Queen’s Birthday and Platinum Jubilee Honours List 2022, has been made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to agricultural science
The citation says Professor Hampton has had a 56-year career in agricultural research, business and education, most prominently with matters and innovations with seeds and the seed industry.
He was a key driver in establishing the Seed Research Centre at Lincoln University in 2009, where he is Professor of Seed Technology and Director and leads the sourcing of industry funding from companies annually. His professional speciality and research outcomes have centred around seed quality, production in both conventional and organic systems, and bio control of pests and diseases, and have had strong practical benefits for the industry.
He has been President of the International Herbage Seed Group, the New Zealand Agronomy Society, and the International Seed Testing Association, also holding leadership roles with the Seed Testing Associations’ Vigour and Association Rules Committees, making a key contribution to the introduction of vigour testing of seeds internationally.
He has held science leadership roles with such projects as ‘Smart Seeds for Export’, PGG Wrightson Seeds Primary Growth Partnership, Ravensdown Biologicals for Pastoral Agriculture, and ‘Suppressing urea-nitrogen wastage using a bioinoculant’, and a current international foreign aid project in Nepal.
Professor Hampton has been a visiting professor with the Department of Agronomy and Plant Breeding at the University of Tehran in Iran and with Qingdao Agriculture University in China.
Dr Margrietha Johanna (Margriet) Theron has been made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to science and the community.
Dr Theron has had a career in science management and forestry education and contributes to organisations with a focus on migrant settlement.
She was an economist and planning manager with the New Zealand Forest Research Institute (NZFRI) from 1979 to 1986, writing its first strategic and business plans.
She was the Leader of the Establishment Unit of the former Ministry of Research, Science and Technology, chairing 10 major reviews of government-funded science.
She represented New Zealand at international science policy conferences.
She was the first female Dean of Forestry at Waiariki Institute of Technology, overseeing the rebuild of the burnt-down training sawmill, and was project manager for the fundraising and building of Turangi Community Health Centre.
Mr Nicholas Stuart Atkins, JP, was made a member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to science and the community.
Mr Atkins has been contributing to education and science since 1985 through the Science Badge Award Trust.
The New Zealand Antarctic Medal was awarded to Dr Ian Hawes for services to Antarctic science and conservation
Professor Hawes specialises in the biodiversity and ecosystem function of inland and coastal waters and has made significant contributions to knowledge of freshwater ecosystems in both New Zealand and Antarctica.
