Dr Keith Woodford is among the New Zealanders named on the King’s Birthday Honours List 2026.
Dr Woodford, an honorary Professor of Agrifood Systems at Lincoln University and consultant, is to be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to agriculture and agribusiness.
AgScience has identified him and these winners of honours from the science and ag/hort sector.
- To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit
WOODFORD, Dr Keith Bernard
For services to agriculture and agribusiness.
Dr Keith Woodford has made major contributions to agrifood systems and agribusiness, both within New Zealand and internationally.
Dr Woodford is a retired academic who holds an honorary position as Professor of Agrifood Systems at Lincoln University and consults through his company Agrifood Systems Limited. From 2000 to 2015, he was Professor of Farm Management and Agribusiness at Lincoln University. He has undertaken professional assignments in more than 20 countries for multiple organisations, working at the interface between farm management, rural development, and agribusiness.
In New Zealand he worked closely with farmers caught in the Mycoplasma bovis epidemic. He co-led the China components of the Food and Agribusiness Market Experience programme (FAME). He is well known for his scientific work and authorships relating to A1 beta-casein and A2 milk.
His book ‘Devil in the Milk: Health and Politics of A1 and A2 Milk’ was first published in New Zealand and Australia in 2007, with subsequent editions published in the United States in 2009, New Zealand in 2010, and a Russian-language version in 2018.
He has successfully mentored 13 PhD candidates as their principal supervisor and similarly for more than 20 Master-thesis candidates. Dr Woodford has authored 68 refereed papers together with more than 400 farmer and industry-focused articles in both the print media and online.
LOWE, Mr Russell George
For services to horticulture and the kiwifruit industry.
Mr Russell Lowe spent more than 51 years working with the Department of Scientific Industrial Research and Crown Research Institutes, where he pioneered significant innovations in the kiwifruit industry.
Mr Lowe was integral to the selection of the Hort16A vine and its polleniser cultivars, which would create the first Zespri Gold kiwifruit. Zespri Gold was launched in overseas markets in 2000 and saw more than $3 billion in export earnings during its lifetime, establishing New Zealand as a world-leader in the kiwifruit industry.
He led the creation of the Zesy002 cultivar, known as Zespri SunGold, after commercial crops of Hort16A were wiped out by a bacterial canker in 2010. He was involved in the selection of rootstocks Kaimai and Bounty 71, which have aided the success of SunGold by allowing it to grow in a wider range of places. Zespri SunGold now accounts for 60 percent of all kiwifruit orchards in New Zealand, with 127.6 million trays exported in 2025, earning $2.2 billion annually. He led the development of Zes008, which was approved for commercial release in 2019 as the Zespri RubyRed.
More than two out of every three kiwifruit exported in New Zealand come from Mr Lowe’s cultivars, and he has received varied industry recognition from the Hayward Medal in 2012 to lifetime achievement and innovation awards.
BEATSON, Dr Ronald Alan (Ron)
For services to horticulture.
Dr Ron Beatson has advanced the research and development and breeding of hops in New Zealand.
Dr Beatson has worked as a Plant and Food Research scientist for more than 50 years, producing more than 50 academic journal articles, books, and plant patents. He has led the breeding and genetics of hops in New Zealand for 38 years and is responsible for release of 17 specialty New Zealand hops cultivars, which are in high demand nationally and internationally.
The majority of the commercial hop industry in New Zealand utilises hop varieties he developed, and the success of these hop varieties has driven significant expansion of the New Zealand hop industry.
He has been involved in breeding and development of other key horticultural crops including kiwifruit, apricots, and berry fruits.
He was part of the team awarded the Prime Minister’s Science Prize for their response to the Psa kiwifruit vine canker. He has worked closely with brewers and growers to trial new hop varieties, contributing to their commercial success.
In 1999 he was made a Knight of the Order of the Hop by the International Hop Growers Convention. In 2022 Dr Beatson became a Fellow of the New Zealand Institute for Agricultural and Horticultural Science, and is an Associate of Honour of the Royal New Zealand Institute of Horticulture.
She has volunteered for more than 20 years with Cambridge Riding for the Disabled. Dr Roberts’ service was recognised by the national New Zealand Riding for the Disabled Association with the 2023 Coach of the Year Award.
WONG, Mr Rodney Jack
For services to business and the community.
Mr Rodney Wong is a prominent businessman who has helped the establishment of significant facilities that benefit wildlife and the community.
Mr Wong co-founded the Wildbase Recovery Centre, securing funding and helping lead the development of the nationally significant native wildlife hospital and rehabilitation facility.
He was appointed Trustee to the Eastern and Central Community Trust Board in 2025. As a Trustee of the Palmerston North Hospital Foundation, he helped the funding and development of a children’s emergency room in the Accident and Emergency department. He chaired the multi-denominational charitable social service agency, Manchester House.
He was CEO of International Fine Foods for 10 years, and CEO, owner and Managing Director of Yoplait New Zealand. He chaired the New Zealand Institute for Crop and Food Research, leading the merger to form Plant and Food Research and served as Deputy Chair.
He is a Fellow of the New Zealand Institute of Food Science and was a director on the National Science Challenge’s Centre for High Value Nutrition. He is Chair of the Chinese Poll Tax Heritage Trust, where he was instrumental in promoting the history and contributions of Chinese New Zealanders.
Mr Wong’s involvement with Rotary since 1988 has included time as lower North Island District Governor and President of Awapuni Rotary Club
KIRIKIRI, Mr Rauru
For services to Māori, science and conservation.
Mr Rauru Kirikiri (Te Whānau ā Apanui) has made significant contributions as a mediator between scientists and iwi in several areas, bridging the gap between Te Ao Māori and western science.
With a background in diplomatic postings, Mr Kirikiri was a senior manager and cultural advisor with Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research (MWLR) from the early 1990s until 2006, helping researchers connect and partner with iwi on conservation projects, particularly Ngāi Tahu and Tūhoe. He assisted New Zealand and Australian research teams in the early 1990s with negotiations to introduce the calcivirus as a biocontrol agent for rabbit populations. He was on the Board of the Allan Wilson Centre for Molecular Ecology and Evolution, a Centre of Research Excellence, from 2002 to 2015.
He has been a cultural intermediary between the New Zealand Food Safety Science and Research Centre (NZFSSRC) and East Coast iwi since 2016. His mediation has been essential to the NZFSSRC’s relationship with iwi and the initiation of science projects locally, including ensuring safe consumption of tuna from Whakakī Lake and safe harvesting of wild food in Uawa/Tolaga Bay.
He was a Trustee of the World Wildlife Fund for Nature New Zealand from 2015 to 2019 and a member of the New Zealand Conservation Authority from 2014 to 2020. Mr Kirikiri is a Companion of the Royal Society of New Zealand.
- To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit
ROBERTS, Dr Katrina Ivy
For services to the dairy industry and the community.
Dr Katrina Roberts has provided farm consultancy and veterinary services for more than 20 years and contributed to the development of successful dairy management programmes.
Dr Roberts has contributed significantly to the dairy industry in New Zealand through the co-development and implementation of heifer teat sealing, which formed part of her masters research. Her work has reduced heifer mastitis in herds across the country and reduced the need for antibiotic treatment by more than 50,000 cases a year.
Teat sealing heifers is now routine across New Zealand and increasingly being used in Australia and the United Kingdom.
She has continued her research, since undertaking pioneering work on the prevalence of subclinical milk fever. She has been a trainer and mentor for early career veterinarians for more than 15 years. Her contributions were recognised with the Fonterra Dairy Woman of the Year award in 2024. She is a member of the Walton School Board of Trustees, is involved in coaching local sports and works with the Matamata Pony Club.
She has volunteered for more than 20 years with Cambridge Riding for the Disabled. Dr Roberts’ service was recognised by the national New Zealand Riding for the Disabled Association with the 2023 Coach of the Year Award.
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