At least twenty-four Pacific people have been recognised in the 2023 New Year's honours.

A former Premier of Niue, Young Vivian, leads the list of distinguished Pacific people in the list.

Vivian has been made Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for his services to Niue.

Fiji-born Dr Api Talemaitoga, a familiar face to Pacific communities during the height of Covid-19 in Aotearoa, has been acknowledged for his decades of service in the medical sector.

The first Pacific priest ordained in Rome in 1990, Father Paulo Filoialii of Samoa, has been recognised for services to the Pacific community.

Also on the honours list is Lisa Taouma, the producer and director of Coconet TV, the largest pool of Pacific content on screen in New Zealand.

And the lead singer of the popular band Ardijah, Betty-Anne Monga, has been recognised for services to music.

Read more: https://www.rnz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/481702/this-is-for-you-24-pasifika-new-year-s-honours-recipients