Honoured for safety work
An expert in traffic, road and vehicle safety has been awarded the Queen’s Service Medal.
Graeme Rice has contributed to road safety nationally, and particularly in the lower South Island, for 46 years.
Rice held various positions with the Ministry of Transport in Dunedin from 1974-94, including as traffic instructor, district manager and transport licensing officer.
He has worked with six different transport organisations, including the Land Transport Safety Authority, Land Transport NZ and Waka Kotahi.
He has contributed to a number of transport and road-safety initiatives including the imposition of carless days in 1979 and the launch of evidential breath-testing devices in 1992.
Rice was also involved in the spread of defensive driving courses, the introduction of child restraints and cycle helmets, and changes to the right-hand rule in 1976 and 2012.
He authored a motoring studies module in 1990 for sixth form – year 12 – certificate and has lectured on road safety and education at polytechnics, teachers’ colleges and the University of Otago.
“In 1990, his team completed the $3 million Drive Plan driver-education resource comprised of 20 videos, teaching notes and booklets on all aspects of driving and vehicle ownership,” states his citation.
“He has supported individual road safety co-ordinators throughout Otago and Southland in implementing initiatives from 1997 until retiring in 2020.”
Car-seat expert
Vivien Morton, who has been involved with Plunket since 1979, has received a Queen’s Service Medal for service to the community.
She was a member of the Plunket committee in Paremata and president for four years. She led a team of 45 volunteers to raise $20,000 towards the building of the new Plunket facility in Whitby.
Morton began the Plunket Car Seat Rental Service in Porirua in 1982, growing the service until 2017 to have 1,604 available for rent across northern Wellington.
She is a qualified child-restraint technician and trainer, training the police, rental car employees, car seat retailers and others on the correct installation.
