CAMBRIDGE NEWS | 1
THURSDAY JANUARY 8, 2026
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JANUARY 8, 2026
Celebrating the champions… Two Cambridge identities made the 2026 New Year’s Honours List – Judith Hamilton becomes an officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit (ONZM) for her services to rowing and Kevin Burgess a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit (MNZM) for services to governance, the community and sport. Senior writers Mary Anne Gill and Viv Posselt caught up with them at Karāpiro where they live on opposite sides of the lake that plays such an important part in their royal
recognition. See their stories on this page and page 3. Two other Waipā people were also honoured – Judge Coral Shaw of Pirongia becomes a Dame for her services to public service the judiciary and the community (see page 2) and Waikato University professor Tom Roa (Ngāti Maniapoto, Waikato, Ngāti Apakura) a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit (CNZM) for his services to Māori language and education (see page 6). There were other Cambridge people who enjoyed
success as 2025 ended and 2026 got underway. Read about Kaleb Westlake (paraclimbing), Nick Collier (kayaking), Corban George-Potterton (Special Olympics), Rob Waddell (Business), Amelia Meertens (Teaching), Brendon Cameron and Mike Rodger (coaching, Halberg awards), Devon Briggs (para cycling/Halbergs) and Emma Twigg (coastal rowing/Halbergs) today. Waipā promotes itself as the home of champions – and we celebrate them in our first edition of 2026.
A trailblazing coach By Mary Anne Gill
Judith Hamilton has spent decades shaping some of the country’s finest athletes. Now, at 58, Rowing New Zealand’s general manager of performance has been appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit (ONZM) for services to rowing – something she describes with characteristic understatement as “a bit overwhelming”. Hamilton has never been one to seek the spotlight. In fact, she’d prefer to talk about almost anything other than herself. But her story is one of quiet determination, technical brilliance and a deep belief in the power of hard work - qualities that have helped cement New Zealand as one of the world’s top rowing nations. Hamilton grew up in Linden, north of Wellington, and attended Tawa College where she started rowing at the Porirua club. When she left school she joined
the Star Club in Wellington – she is now a life member – and represented New Zealand at junior and under‑23 level. She was part of a women’s eight which today would have travelled overseas to compete, but back then the emphasis was on the men, so most of Hamilton’s competitive rowing was trans‑Tasman. Coaching came almost by accident. After she retired from competitive rowing in her early twenties, former crewmates pestered her to coach them. “I kept saying, ‘I don’t know anything about coaching’,” she said. “I relented.” That summer, her crew won a national title - and Hamilton was hooked. Her coaching career accelerated quickly. She became Rowing New Zealand’s first female elite-level coach in the 1990s, led the junior national team, and later took on regional and national roles that shaped the next generation of talent. In 2018, she became the
organisation’s first female High Performance Director, overseeing the programme that delivered New Zealand’s most successful Olympics in Tokyo. Her leadership style blends technical precision - honed during her earlier career as a telecommunications and data engineer - with a deep understanding of people. “Consistency, curiosity, work ethic - you can see it in the way athletes train, the questions they ask,” she said. “The ones who succeed are the ones who want to be better every day.” Hamilton is also clear‑eyed about the realities of high performance. Centralisation – like the rowing and cycling models in Cambridge brings pressure. Not every talented 20‑year‑old is ready for the demands of an elite environment and not every rower will love every boat they’re placed in.
Continued on page 3
Judith Hamilton at Lake Karāpiro.
Photo: Mary Anne Gill
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