Hamilton City has honoured five of its most exceptional citizens by conferring upon them the city’s most prestigious awards.

At a well-attended and moving ceremony this evening internationally renowned scientists, ecologists and conservationists Dr Beverly Clarkson and her husband Professor Bruce Clarkson were both awarded the Hamilton-Kirikiroa Medal.

Alongside them, former Hamilton Gardens director Dr Peter Sergel was similarly honoured. Dr Sergel received the medal in recognition for his development of the Hamilton Gardens, as well as other projects in the city.

Tonight’s ceremony was made even more significant by the further conferring of two rare Freedom of the City Awards.

Well-known Hamilton-based respiratory specialist Dr Noel Karalus alongside his wife and prominent Pasifika leader and champion Elisapeta (Peta) Karalus were both presented with Hamilton City Council’s Freedom Holder of the City Award.

Mayor Paula Southgate, who presented the awards alongside Deputy Mayor Geoff Taylor and long-serving Councillor Martin Gallagher said the event was “quite extraordinary”.

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“For a range of reasons, including Covid-19, the city has been unable to properly honour these exceptional individuals until now. So to have five wonderful Hamiltonians in the room, along with their friends and family, and to see their achievements recognised and honoured was very, very special.”

Southgate said Hamilton had been privileged to have Beverley and Bruce Clarkson “at our sides, guiding conservation initiatives and projects for the city and beyond”.

“I have been incredibly lucky to know Beverley and Bruce for many years and to see first-hand their extraordinary efforts on behalf of our environment. The work they have done on projects like Waiwhakareke Natural Heritage Park, on our wetlands and on bringing nature to people in our city will benefit our children, our grandchildren and beyond.”

Dr Peter Sergel’s work had already delighted millions of people and would go on to delight millions more, she said.

“Peter is possibly best well-known for his vision, drive and tenacity which delivered the world-class Hamilton Gardens to our city. The Gardens will be an astonishing legacy for him, but they will not be his only legacy,” she said.

“Peter has been involved in many, many other projects on behalf or our city and I was thrilled to present him with his medal tonight.”

“Finally, to stand alongside Noel and Peta once again, and this time honour them for their important work over many years to improve people’s health was quite emotional because I understand their journey. While all our recipients remain incredibly humble, it was wonderful to see them formally recognised by our city.”

Councillor Martin Gallagher, who chaired the City Honours Assessment Panel, noted the “staggering achievements” of all five recipients. While each worked in different fields, all five were deeply respected and all had made an immeasurable contribution to Hamilton, he said.

“I have had the privilege of knowing all of them. But I know Noel and Peta particularly well as a city councillor, as a Member of Parliament and as a former board member of the Waikato District Health Board,” he said.

“It has been a privilege over many years to witness and applaud their passionate commitment to the wellbeing of our Pasifika community and beyond. They are both unrelenting in their dedication to achieving better health outcomes for our community and they are both worthy holders of the Freedom of the City. I am thrilled for them,” he said.

“We have talented, motivated and highly respected people in our city doing incredible work and they deserve to be recognised so we can all applaud and appreciate their achievements.”

Southgate noted only six people had been awarded the Hamilton-Kiririroa Medal. Philanthropist and city identity John Gallagher was the first recipient in 2014. Bunny Mortimer and John Mortimer who founded and gifted the Taitua Aboretum to the city, were honoured in 2020. John Mortimer, who died in 2018, was honoured posthumously. Bunny Mortimer died in 2021.

The last person to be presented with the Freedom of the City was Peter Bos in 2019, who became the 26th recipient of the prestigious civic honour, bestowed upon individuals for their lifetime.

Current Freedom Holders of the City are:

Dr Beverley and Professor Bruce Clarkson

Before focusing on their individual efforts and achievements, it bears mentioning that Dr Beverley and Professor Bruce Clark are each nationally renowned for their contribution to the natural environment. They are a force to be reckoned with. Having dedicated their careers to understanding and protecting Aotearoa’s special landscapes, each are highly respected leaders in terrestrial ecology.

The Clarksons’ early work also provided new insights into plants growing in New Zealand’s volcanic landscapes. Their most recent work acting as a source of plant material and training ground for Professor Clarkson’s teaching programmes on native flora and vegetation.

Combined, they have successfully sought millions in research funding, written hundreds of peer-reviewed papers, supervised more than 25 postgraduate students. They have also supported many community projects and environmental/conservation advisory organisations.

Individually and together, the Clarksons’ commitment to focusing on research that matters, and their dedication to making a difference, is truly inspirational. Not only do they focus on problems which people care about, they also go on to shape and deliver valuable and practical solutions to some of our country’s most challenging environmental implications.

Dr Beverley Clarkson

Following the early work on New Zealand’s volcanic landscapes, Dr Beverley Clarkson established the New Zealand National Wetland Database, gathering data from over a thousand research plots.

Dr Clarkson has been a member of the Waikato Conservation Board. She is currently a member of the International Mire Conservation Group, the International Society of Wetland Scientists, and the National Wetland Trust. This incredible professional is well-known for her ‘best practice’ handbook on wetland restoration.

Alongside her role as an honorary lecturer at The University of Waikato, Dr Clarkson is a wetland plant ecologist at one of our region’s prominent science providers: Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research, Hamilton. It’s here that she leads a Government-funded research project on the functioning and restoration of New Zealand wetlands.

We are proud to recognise Dr Beverley Clarkson’s work and achievements with the Hamilton/Kirikiriroa medal.

Professor Bruce Clarkson

Professor Bruce Clarkson’s resume is equally impressive. Based at the University of Waikato (where he was formerly Deputy Vice Chancellor), he currently leads a Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment-funded research programme – ‘People, Cities, and Nature.’ This programme focuses on restoring highly damaged or depleted indigenous ecosystems in cites.

Professor Clarkson was a key contributor to the New Zealand Biological Survey of Reserves and the New Zealand Protected Natural Areas Programme. He is also co-author of an independent review assessing progress on New Zealand’s Biodiversity Strategy. His research has had a direct impact on Hamilton’s gully restoration initiatives and the Waiwhakareke Natural Heritage Park project near Hamilton Zoo.

In 2006, Professor Clarkson was awarded the Loder Cup, New Zealand's premier conservation award. In 2016, he received the Royal Society of New Zealand Charles Fleming medal for environmental achievement. He is chair of the Australasian chapter and a board member for the International Society for Ecological Restoration. Professor Clarkson is also an ambassador for the New Zealand's Biological Heritage National Science Challenge.

We congratulate and take great pleasure in awarding Professor Bruce Clarkson the Hamilton/Kirikiriroa medal.

Dr Peter Sergel

Responsible for the concept that has turned the Hamilton Gardens into an award-winning international attraction, Dr Peter Sergel is a true legend of Hamilton/Kirikiriroa.

Dr Sergel first stepped foot in Hamilton Gardens in 1978. At this time there wasn’t much to see, nor was there any budget allocated for development. It had previously been used as dog-dosing strip, sand quarry, go-cart track and rubbish dump. 

Devoted to creating something special, Dr Sergel worked tirelessly with community groups to raise the funds. This dedication to fundraising continued to set up trusts for ongoing fundraising and promotion, including the creation of the Friends of the Hamilton Gardens group over 25 years ago.

Dr Sergel was responsible for the park's first concept plan and went on to develop more than 20 gardens. He is the mastermind behind the Gardens’ unique concept of telling the story of gardens throughout civilisation.

Dr Sergel was appointed Director of the Hamilton Gardens in 1995. His energy and drive have seen the 58ha site become a major visitor destination loved by residents and tourists, which also contributes to the social, cultural and economic life of our city.

His vision has received international recognition, including the 2014 International Garden of the Year Award. Dr Sergel also received an honorary doctorate in 2009 from the University of Waikato in relation to his work with Hamilton Gardens.

Dr Sergel has driven other local projects such as the 1980s Riverbank Development Scheme and the redevelopment of Woodlands. He’s instigated several events, the best-known being the Hamilton Gardens Arts Festival, which he established in 1998. He ran the festival for its first few years, before creating the organisation that took over the responsibility for doing this.

Dr Sergel’s passion, creativity and ability to inspire others with his vision have made the Gardens the magnificent city and regional asset it is today. If you have been to Hamilton Gardens, you will know exactly what we mean.

Dr Peter Sergel is truly deserving of this award, and we can’t thank him enough for the work he has done in shaping our city and putting Hamilton/Kirikiriroa on the map as a world class destination.

Dr Noel Karalus

Dr Noel Karalus graduated from the University of Auckland’s medical school, after beginning his studies in 1970 – only the third year that medicine was offered as a course there. Since then, he’s done big things and made huge contributions to the medical profession – especially in Hamilton/Kirikiriroa. 

Specialising in respiratory conditions, Dr Karalus played a big role in establishing the Waikato Medical Research Foundation and its philanthropic arm. Previously its Chair, Dr Karalus assisted in setting long-term supports in place for the charitable trust to promote, encourage and fund medical research in the Waikato region. The Foundation does truly remarkable things – putting our local researchers at the forefront of life-saving discoveries.

As a driving force in clinical research himself, Dr Karalus’s passion for improving medical care for the community is evident through the number of people he’s influenced, the research papers he’s written and his personal work through the Foundation. Dr Karalus has changed the way clinical care is delivered and inspired many junior medical staff to become physicians.

Dr Karalus played an instrumental role writing the New Zealand Tuberculosis Guidelines as part of working group for the Ministry of Health. His special research interests include mycobacterial infection, and to this day, he is still involved in high-quality research with the Tuberculosis  laboratory at the University of Waikato.

Raising money for those in need is something Dr Karalus and his family are well-known for. Their involvement in philanthropic work includes the raising of money for those in need of medical assistance. These activities have helped people with conditions such as rheumatic heart disease, provided financial assistance for parents to accompany their children to New Zealand from Samoa to have surgery, and gifted educational scholarships so people from Samoa can attend secondary school and gain access to tertiary education.

A true sign of Dr Karalus’s leadership is the awarding of a matai (chief) title – 'Pauli' – which was given to him by a village in Samoa.

Dr Karalus has been recognised by many in the community as an extremely humble person, an innovative leader and a visionary. His extensive experience as a respiratory specialist and general practitioner has made a huge contribution to medical research in our region.

We are proud to recognise him as a deserving recipient of a Freedom of the City Award, alongside his wife Peta, who is also receiving an award at today’s ceremony.

Leaupepe Elisapeta (‘Peta’) Karalus

Now a well-known Pasifika leader in the Waikato, Peta has certainly made her mark since leaving Western Samoa as a trainee nurse to start her life in New Zealand. It was in her final year of training that she met her husband Dr Noel Karalus – who is also receiving an award in today’s ceremony.

They met when Peta called for a doctor after a patient collapsed. The couple went on to have nine children together.

After a stint in Samoa, Peta worked at Waikato Hospital. Over the years, Peta completed a Bachelor’s and a Masters’ degree, and tutored nursing at Wintec.

In 1999, Peta got sick of seeing poor health statistics for Pacific people and created ‘K'aute Pasifika’. This Trust provides a range of services to Pacific peoples, or ‘Pasifika’, and other disadvantaged groups in the Waikato region, aimed at improving their wellbeing.

Peta led the organisation for 18 years before handing the reins over to her daughter, Rachel Karalus. The Trust now provides health, social, and education services to more than 4000 Pasifika around Hamilton.

It doesn’t stop there. Peta’s other achievements include leading the creation of the Aere Tai Regional Collective and Network. This organisation links Pasifika providers from Tauranga to Taranaki, as well as the education-focused Pasifika ‘PowerUP Plus’ programme.

Created in 2016, this programme actively supports Pasifika parents and families to champion their children's learning.

Peta’s honours are many. She holds a ‘high chief’ title – ‘Leaupepe’ – from the village of Fasito'outa, Samoa. In 2006 she was also awarded a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit and in 2019, she was given an honorary fellowship by Wintec.

Peta’s achievements and service to her community extends beyond K'aute Pasifika. She has contributed through service and governance on multiple levels to church and community organisations as well as schools.

Peta has been appointed by the Government to the Waikato District Health Board; she is a member of the Ministry of Education Regional Working Group; and a former Trustee and now Chair of Trust Waikato.

She’s also a lecturer at Wintec, a member of the Waikato Catholic Diocese Finance Committee, and a member of Marian School’s Board of Trustees. The list continues – too extensive to cover adequately here.

Peta has been described as a person of great heart and uncompromised integrity. Her achievements show her remarkable work ethic. Her various roles illustrate that she is widely respected among her peers.

We know that there is plenty more to come for Peta. She has overcome a range of challenging obstacles to bring to life her vision of a Pan Pasifika Community Hub for Hamilton.

This Hub will offer a range of wellbeing services and a place for all our community to belong to, while also providing a home for all our community and a place to welcome visitors to the Waikato region.

It’s clear that Peta has dedicated her life to people and given each and every project her all. With all of this in mind, it is our pleasure to give her this Freedom of the City award today.

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