Kiwi women's cricket pioneer Debbie Hockley heads the female-dominated list of NZ sportspeople acknowledged in the 2021 New Year Honours list.
The former White Ferns captain has been made a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for her services to cricket, after a decorated 21-year international career during which she amassed over 1,300 runs and led NZ to their only Women's Cricket World Cup triumph in 2000.
She finished with 118 one-day internationals to her name, earning her a spot as just the fourth woman - the first from NZ - to be inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame.
Since retiring in 2000, Hockley has continued to be a vocal advocate for the women's game in New Zealand.
In 2015, she played a major hand in a review of the womens' game nationally, which resulted in a significant increase in female playing numbers, women representation on provincial boards and programmes to help promote the sport among school-aged girls.
Jockey Lisa Allpress has been recognised for her contribution to the racing industry by being made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit.
In 2013, Allpress became the first woman in New Zealand to achieve 1,000 career wins, and has since surpassed the 1,600 mark.
A four-time four national jockey premiership winner, she has been an ambassador for the sport of racing nationally and internationally, with over 100 international wins under her belt.
Earlier this year, she became the first woman jockey to win a race in Saudi Arabia.
Black Ferns sensation Kendra Cocksedge has been made a Member of of the New Zealand Order for Merit for her ongoing and outstanding services to rugby.
The two-time World Cup champion and Sevens World Series winner has been a trailblazer for the women's game in Aotearoa, becoming the first woman to win the Kelvin R Tremain Memorial Player of the Year, NZ rugby's top award.
She was also named World Rugby Women's Player of the Year and New Zealand Rugby Women's Player of the Year in 2015.
Basketball administrator Burton Shipley, has been made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for his services to basketball.
Shipley has been involved in basketball administration nationally and internationally on a largely voluntary basis since the 1990s, becoming the first New Zealander to sit on the sport's global governing body's (FIBA) executive committee.
In 2019, he was appointed vice president of FIBA, after chairing the World Cup tournament in China the same year.
He was also instrumental in growing the sport's profile in Oceania, leading the development of an initiative to build the capacity and capability of basketball by creating programmes in 22 Pacific nations.
These included a leadership initiative supporting women, basketball programmes for approximately 300,000 youth addressing public health issues and youth leadership, and a competition system allowing more opportunities for Pacific players to compete internationally.
Legendary athletics coach Arch Jelly has been made a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit (CNZM), at the age of 98.
Jelley, a former president of Athletics New Zealand, coached Sir John Walker during his heyday, when he won an Olympic gold medal in Montreal in 1976. He has been honoured for services to athletics and bridge.
Outside of athletics, Jelley has been involved with the Mt Albert Bridge Club since 1990, featuring as a tutor since 1996 and becoming president between 2003-2013.
Former world mountain running champion Melissa Moon, world champion and world record-holding freediver William Trubridge, and Lega Tagoa’i Muipu La’vasa Sagaga, the boxer known as 'Battling La’avasa', are also recognised with the MNZM honour for services to their sports and also charitable causes in Moon’s case.
