King’s Birthday Honours 2026: CNZM recognises Māori storyteller Dr Reuben Collier’s service
Dr Reuben Collier has been appointed a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit.
The true value of Dr Reuben Collier’s work will be in years to come, when the precious stories he’s documented can still be told.
The Rotorua-based television producer, business owner and academic has been appointed a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit (CNZM) in the rel="" title="https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/kings-birthday-honours-2026-the-full-list-knights-dames-and-all-other-recipients/LLDSX5I7LRHDVD5FOYO2BOIGNE/">2026 King’s Birthday Honours, for services to Māori and education.
Based in Rotorua for much of his professional life, Collier, whose full name is Dr Reuben Tūwhakahekeao Collier (Horouta, Mātaatua, Te Arawa, Tainui), has built a career in Māori broadcasting that has documented the stories of kaumātua and kuia.
He is also considered a leader in education and cultural preservation.
His honour comes on top of being made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit (MNZM) in 2017 for services to the television industry and Māori, and receiving the Pou Aronui Medal from the Royal Society Te Apārangi in 2025 for his contribution to the humanities. He was presented with the award by Governor-General Dame Cindy Kiro.
His work through his company, Māui Productions, and elsewhere over more than three decades has contributed to a national record of te reo Māori, kaumātua knowledge, iwi histories and Māori educational achievement.
One of his latest projects was being asked to direct the Tangi ki Te Arikinui (the state funeral broadcast) for the Māori Queen, Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu.
When being told of the latest King’s Birthday Honour, Collier admitted it was an emotional experience.
“I just cried. I remembered the faces of all those lovely old people who gave of their time and knowledge to tell their truths and trusted that in me ... It’s a responsibility that I hold dearly.”
Collier said the honour recognises the value of Māori knowledge across many forms, including television, education, oral history, archives and research.
“The value of my work is yet to be seen by a generation yet to be born, and its true value will come at a time when it is no longer available to us, and we can go back to those records.”
Collier’s latest honour recognises more than three decades of service across Māori broadcasting, indigenous research, mātauranga Māori, doctoral education, war commemoration and the preservation of Māori histories.
Through his work in television, Collier has recorded the personal stories of communities and individuals, preserving the voices of kaumātua, iwi leaders, native reo speakers, veterans, scholars, whānau and communities.
He said those stories revealed the strength and dignity of ordinary people whose lives carried important knowledge.
“Those stories have revealed struggle, resilience, fortitude and the many ways people find strength to overcome hardship and prosper,” Collier said.
“They have also shown that Māori knowledge lives in people, in places, in memory and in the everyday acts of service that sustain whānau and communities.”
He has also contributed to the development of Māori screen production through decades of documentary, educational and archival work.
Collier said working in television taught him the discipline of listening carefully.
“Television gave me the privilege of entering people’s homes, marae and memories,” he said.
“That has always carried a responsibility, to guard those stories carefully, to honour the people who shared them and to ensure their knowledge is passed forward with integrity.”
What the citation said
Collier’s official CNZM citation recognises him as a custodian of Māori war commemoration, particularly as a member of the Ngarimu VC and 28th Māori Battalion Memorial Fund Board since 2021 and deputy chairman of 28th Māori Battalion B Company History Trust.
He has provided strategic guidance to iwi, the New Zealand Defence Force, Crown institutions and international partners on taonga and legacies of national importance, and is regularly sought for his expertise for the staging of nationally significant events.
He has represented New Zealand internationally as a cultural and historical authority through engagement with international archives, commemorative partners and scholarly networks, advancing global understanding of Māori contribution to New Zealand’s wartime history.
He has made enduring contributions to academia, developing how indigenous research, creative scholarship and mātauranga Māori operate within tertiary education.
His original theoretical frameworks have reshaped and advanced research supervision and doctoral practice, influencing national research capability and ensuring indigenous knowledge systems are sustained and strengthened.
When asked what he still wants to achieve, Collier said he wanted to “inform, educate and empower” people to create a better tomorrow.
“To the many people I have had the privilege to serve, I carry this honour as a kaitiaki and guardian on your behalf.
“This honour acknowledges the people, the stories and the knowledge that have guided the work across many years.”
Kelly Makiha is a senior journalist who has reported for the Rotorua Daily Post for more than 25 years, covering mainly police, court, human interest and social issues.