D-F

A list of the University’s most decorated alumni, including Distinguished Alumni Award recipients, inductees to New Zealand’s Royal Honours system, and other notable achievements where available.

Names are ordered alphabetically by surname, from D-F.

D

Eileen Von Dadelszen QSM

  • Queen’s Birthday Honours 2014

Paul Daley MNZM

  • Queen's Birthday Honours 2015

Sir Michael Daniell KNZM

  • Queens Birthday Honours 2021: Knight Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to business, healthcare & governance

Reverend Dr Allan Davidson ONZM

  • New Year’s Honours 2010: Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to history

Dr Mary Margaret Dawson MNZM

  • New Year’s Honours 2013: For services to the Girl Guides and the community

Jan Dawson CNZM

  • Queen’s Birthday Honours 2016: Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to governance

Doris Theodora Huberdina Zita de Pont ONZM

  • New Year’s Honours 2013: For services to fashion

Miriam Rose Dean QC CNZM

  • New Year’s Honours 2011: Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to the law and business

Ruahei Demant MNZM

  • Kingr’s Birthday Honours 2023: Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to rugby

Sir Bill Denny KNZM

  • Queens Birthday Honours 2021: Knight Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to medical research

Simon Denny – BFA (2005), Meisterschule Staatliche Hochschule für Bildende Künste, Städelschule (2009)

  • Young Alumnus of the Year 2013
  • Winner of the Baloise Art Prize at the 43rd Art Basel
  • Nominated for the German national Preis der Nationalgalarie für junge Kunst 2013

Colyn Kathleen Devereux-Kay MNZM

  • New Year Honours 2009: Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to business

Catherine Moana Dewes ONZM

  • Queen's Birthday Honours 2011: Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to Māori

Dr Ofa Dewes MNZM

  • King's Birthday Honours 2023: Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to the community and environment

Dr Divya Dhar – MBChB (2010), MBA Pennsylvania (2014), MPA Harvard (2014)

  • Distinguished Alumni Award 2016
  • Co–founder of Seratis, a care coordination mobile application for patients and healthcare providers
  • Founder of the P3 Foundation, an organisation engaged in international development in New Zealand
  • Young New Zealander of the Year 2010

Dr Michelle Dickinson MNZM

  • Queen's Birthday Honours 2015: New Zealand Order of Merit for services to science

Bruce Dickson MNZM

  • Queen’s Birthday Honours 2016: Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to architecture

Dr Joanne Dixon ONZM

  • New Year’s Honours 2016: Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to clinical genetics

Lynley Dodd DCNZM – DipFA

  • Distinguished Alumni Award 2009
  • Distinguished Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to children’s literature in 2002
  • Sold millions of children’s books worldwide

Alan Dormer MNZM

  • New Year’s Honours 2017: Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to the law

Michael Drake QSM

  • New Year’s Honours 2021: Queen's Service Medal for services to education & the community

Miss Barbara Dreaver ONZM

  • New Year’s Honours 2024: Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to investigative journalism and Pacific communities

Jeremy Drummond ONZM

  • New Year’s Honours 2018: Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to early childhood education

Peter Drummond MNZM

  • New Year’s Honours 2010: Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to the community

Mahé Drysdale – BCom, GDCom

  • Young Alumnus of the Year 2007

Ann Dunphy MNZM

  • New Year’s Honours 2010: Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to youth and education

Professor Sir Mason Durie KNZM

  • New Year’s Honours 2010: Knight Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to Māori health, in particular public health services

Dr Lorna Christine Te Aroha Dyall QSM

  • Queen's Birthday Honours 2009: Received the Queen's Service Medal for services to Māori health

E

Lorraine Edwards QSM

  • Queen's Birthday Honours 2010: Queen's Service Medal for services to the community

Flora Edwards ONZM

  • New Year’s Honours 2010: Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to music

Professor Alec Ekeroma ONZM

  • Queen’s Birthday Honours 2020: Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to health & Pacific community

Rt Hon Dame Sian Elias – LLB with Honours

  • Distinguished Alumni Award 2001

Margaret Ellett MNZM

  • New Year’s Honours 2010: Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to women

Dr Gavin Ellis ONZM

  • Queen's Birthday Honours 2015: Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to journalism

Maliaga Erick MNZM

  • Queen’s Birthday Honours 2014

Pru Etcheverry ONZM

  • Queen’s Birthday Honours 2016: Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to people with leukaemia and blood cancer

Dr Jillian Evans FRSNZ – BSc (1973), MSc with Honours (1975), PhD British Columbia (1978)

  • Distinguished Alumni Award 2013
  • Co-founder of PharmAria Therapeutics, which develops small molecule drugs to treat cancer and fibrotic diseases

F

Professor Margaret Fairburn-Dunlop CNZM

  • Queen's Birthday Honours 2015

Dr Monique Faleafa MNZM

  • Queen’s Birthday Honours 2016: Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to the Pacific community and health

Tony Falkenstein ONZM – BCom (1971)

  • Distinguished Alumni Award 2011
  • New Year’s Honours 2010: Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to business
  • Founder of the Onehunga High Business School and the Onehunga High Building and Construction School
  • Advocate for University of Auckland Business School’s Velocity program, startup incubator the Icehouse, and other entrepreneurial initiatives

Toa Faneva MNZM

  • Toa Faneva MNZM King’s Birthday Honours 2023: Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to Māori

Mark Christopher Farnsworth MNZM

  • Queen's Birthday Honours 2011: Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to the community

Gareth Farr – NICAI

  • Distinguished Alumni Award 2014 
  • A leading composer and well–known performance artist

George Farrant CNZM

  • Queen’s Birthday Honours 2016: Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to heritage preservation

Professor Roberta Lee Farrell CNZM

  • New Year Honours 2009: Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit (CNZM) for services to biochemical research

Distinguished Professor Richard Faull, ONZM

  • New Year’s Honours 2017: Knight Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to medical research

Pamela Jean Fauvel QSM

  • Queen's Birthday Honours 2009: Received the Queen's Service Medal for services to youth

Dr Sabine Fenton MNZM

  • New Year’s Honours 2012: Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to translation and interpreting

Dr Richard Fenwick ONZM

  • Queen's Birthday Honours 2010: Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to engineering

Sir Dr Rob Fenwick CNZM KSTJ KNZM

  • Queen’s Birthday Honours 2016: Knight Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to conservation and business

Dr Ian Ferguson MNZM

  • New Year’s Honours 2010: Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to horticultural science

Christine Mary Fernyhough ONZM CNZM

  • New Year’s Honours 2011: Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to the community

Emeritus Professor Roger John Field ONZM

  • New Year’s Honours 2013: For services to education and land-based industries

Dr Sitaleki Finau MNZM

  • New Year’s Honours 2010: Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to Pacific Islands community health

Eseta Finau ONZM

  • New Year’s Honours 2012: Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to health and the Pacific community

Dr Annabel Kirsten Finucane ONZM

  • Queen's Birthday Honours 2009: Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to medicine, in particular paediatric heart surgery

Cyril Firth – BSc, MSc

  • Distinguished Alumni Award 1998

Derek Firth MNZM

  • New Year’s Honours 2017: Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to arbitration and education

Dr Richard Fisher CNZM

  • New Year’s Honours 2010: Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to medicine

Jeanette Fitzsimons CNZM MNZM – BA (1965), DipTchg

  • Distinguished Alumni Award 2011
  • Queen's Birthday Honours 2010: Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for public services
  • Co–leader of the Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand from 1995-2009
  • Member of Parliament from 1996-2010

Hugh Fletcher – BSc, MCom with Honours

  • Distinguished Alumni Award 1996

Judge Anthony Ford QSO

  • New Year’s Honours 2015

Kenneth Mark Ford CNZM

  • Queen's Birthday Honours 2011: Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to local government

Diane Foreman CNZM

  • New Year’s Honours 2012: Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to business

Ian Lex Forrest QSM

  • Queen's Birthday Honours 2009: Received the Queen's Service Medal for services to the community

Kieran Fouhy MNZM

  • Queen’s Birthday Honours 2016: Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to education

Roger France ONZM

  • New Year’s Honours 2016: Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to business

The Honourable Dame Ellen France DNZM

  • Queen’s Birthday Honours 2016: Dame Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to the judiciary

Franklin Professor Raoul Franklin – BE with Honours, BSc, ME, MSc, MA, DSc, DPhil, DSc

  • Distinguished Alumni Award 2004

Harima Fraser QSM

  • Queen's Birthday Honours 2015

Toa Fraser – BA

  • Young Alumnus of the Year 2009
  • Directed the feature film Dean Spanley, starring Sam Neill
  • Produced the internationally acclaimed film, No. 2 

Dr Claire French – BSc Otago (2002), PGDipForensic (2005), PhD (2009)

  • Young Alumna of the Year 2011
  • Supreme Winner and “Science in our Society” Category Winner in the 2006 MacDiarmid Young Scientist of the Year Awards
  • Developed a new cell identification technique that could help to solve sex crimes
  • Overall Winner in University of Auckland’s Chiasma I-volve Entrepreneurial Challenge in 2007

Sir Michael Friedlander CNZM KNZM

  • Queen’s Birthday Honours 2016: Knight Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to philanthropy
  • Queen's Birthday Honours 2010: Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to the community

Ross Frisby QSM

  • New Year’s Honours 2016: Awarded a Queen’s Service Medal for services to football