Congratulations to Phil Humphreys on being presented his medal as a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit at the Investiture Ceremony held in Christchurch yesterday.

Phil received his New Year's Honour for "services to people with disabilities and sport" from Her Excellency The Rt Hon Dame Cindy Kiro.


Citations from the honours website:
Mr Phil Humphreys has supported people with physical disabilities on a voluntary basis for 40 years, having become a quadriplegic in 1982.

Mr Humphreys was a Board member of ParaFed Canterbury from 1985 to 2012, serving several years as Chairperson. He used his background as a Navy physical training instructor to assist people with disabilities wanting to take up sport and recreational activities, as well as training disabled athletes nationwide, including Paralympics New Zealand athletes.

He has volunteered for numerous roles at events and helped train officials. He was instrumental in helping bring wheelchair rugby to New Zealand in the early 1990s. He was Functional Manager Officials on the organising committee of the 2006 Wheelchair Rugby World Championships.

He has actively visited schools to give talks and demonstrations on sport for those with physical disabilities and supported new patients at Burwood Spinal Unit with weekly visits.

He was a Trustee and Chairperson of Paraloan between 2006 and 2018, an organisation assisting people with disabilities with low interest loans, overseeing software and standards changes.He was a member of Waimakariri Access Committee from 2011 to 2018, offering accessibility advice for parking and buildings and training for council staff.

Mr Humphreys has received several awards, including the Order of Merit from Paralympics New Zealand in 2001.

Article added: Wednesday 20 March 2024