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Noma Shepherd

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New Zealand community leader (1935–2023)

Noma ShepherdONZM JP
Shepherd in 2022
BornNoma Jeanne Tidswell
(1935-08-12)12 August 1935
Died19 November 2023(2023-11-19) (aged 88)
Kawakawa, New Zealand
OccupationCommunity leader
Spouse Doug Shepherd ​(died 2008)​

Noma Jeanne Shepherd ONZM JP (née Tidswell; 12 August 1935 – 19 November 2023) was a New Zealand community leader. Based in Kawakawa in the Bay of Islands area, Shepherd's contributions to the community over many years included supporting the creation of the Hundertwasser Toilets and being instrumental in the establishment of Te Hononga Hundertwasser Memorial Park, which opened in 2020.

Life and career

Shepherd was born Noma Jeanne Tidswell on 12 August 1935, the daughter of Phyllis Jeanne and Raymond Clarence Tidswell.

Shepherd and her husband Doug were the farm managers for Friedensreich Hundertwasser at Kaurinui. In 1999 she worked with Hundertwasser and local volunteers to build the Hundertwasser Toilets, which became a tourist attraction in Kawakawa. She read a speech on Hundertwasser's behalf at the opening of the toilets, and re-read it at the 20-year anniversary celebration in 2019.

In 2007, Shepherd was the founding member of the Kawakawa Hundertwasser Park Charitable Trust, a charity set up to honour Hundertwasser's legacy in Kawakawa. She became the chair of the trust in 2011. In 2017, she successfully obtained council and government backing for the establishment of a memorial complex, which commenced building in 2018. The complex is designed to celebrate both Hundertwasser and local Māori heritage, and incorporates a library, visitor information centre, cafe and other facilities. Te Hononga Hundertwasser Memorial Park was opened by prime minister Jacinda Ardern in October 2020. Shepherd was instrumental in the development and opening of the building, and described it as one of her greatest achievements.

Shepherd was the chair of the Bay of Islands Community Board from 1997 to 2006, and served as secretary and chair of the Kawakawa Domain Board from 1997 to 2007. From 2003 to 2021 she was president of the Bay of Islands Senior Citizens' Club, from 2009 to 2021 she was the chair of the Kawakawa Memorial Museum Library Charitable Trust, and from 2005 to 2015 she was the Bay of Islands coordinator for the New Zealand Cancer Society's Daffodil Day. She was also president of the Taumarere Ōpua Women's Institute for 24 years, and served as a justice of the peace.

Shepherd died in Kawakawa on 19 November 2023, at the age of 88. She had been predeceased by her husband, Doug Shepherd, in 2008.

Awards

In the 1997 New Year Honours, Shepherd was appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to the community. In the 2021 Queen's Birthday Honours, she was promoted to Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to the community, in recognition of her continued significant contributions to the Kawakawa and Bay of Islands communities. On her promotion, Shepherd said the award belonged to the whole community; "You can't do anything on your own. You've got to take the people with you or go with them."

References

  1. "Birth search: registration number 1935/37503". Births, deaths & marriages online. Department of Internal Affairs. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
  2. de Graaf, Peter (4 March 2013). "Hundertwasser park gets under way". The Northern Advocate. p. A3. Retrieved 3 January 2024.
  3. ^ "Second royal honour for stalwart of Kawakawa". The Northern Advocate. 8 June 2021. p. A10. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
  4. de Graaf, Peter (18 December 2019). "Hundertwasser loos turn 20". The Northern Advocate. p. A2. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
  5. ^ Jackson, Peter (8 June 2021). "Another honour for Noma Shepherd". Northland Age. Retrieved 3 January 2024.
  6. Laird, Lindy (15 June 2018). "Hundertwasser hub begins". The Northern Advocate. p. A5. Retrieved 3 January 2024.
  7. "Kawakawa welcomes government funding". The Northern Advocate. 8 March 2018. p. A16. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
  8. "Local firm wins park design job". The Northern Advocate. 12 January 2017. p. A4. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
  9. Carter, John (10 June 2021). "Moving forward together: Time to honour our community advocates". The Northern Advocate. p. A8. Retrieved 3 January 2024.
  10. ^ Piper, Denise (6 June 2021). "Northlanders behind iconic Hundertwasser projects and online learning honoured". Stuff. Retrieved 7 January 2024.
  11. "Justices of the peace (retired)". New Zealand Gazette. 25 August 2020. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
  12. "Noma Shepherd obituary". The New Zealand Herald. 21 November 2023. Retrieved 7 January 2024.
  13. "Douglas Graham Shepherd". Far North District Council. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
  14. "New Year honours list 1997". Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. 31 December 1996. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
  15. "Queen's Birthday honours list 2021". Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. 7 June 2021. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
  16. "Queen's Birthday honours 2021 – citations for Officers of the New Zealand Order of Merit". Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. 7 June 2021. Retrieved 7 January 2024.
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