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A passion for conservation and sustainability has earned Ōrewa resident Lyn Mayes the King’s Service medal in the 2025 New Year Honours List, recognising her years of dedication to the field.
Saying she was “totally surprised” to receive the award with no idea it was under consideration, her colleagues and peers would have said it was well overdue.
For more than three decades, Lyn has worked tirelessly to promote better sustainable practices for businesses.
Her interest first grew in the United Kingdom when she investigated options like alternative fuels for a logistics company that distributed temperature controlled food to Marks & Spencer.
“When we moved to New Zealand, I set up my business Mad World with a focus on sustainability and worked closely with the NZ Business Council for Sustainable Development at that time.”
In 2014, Lyn was appointed to the Auckland Conservation Board and served on it for seven years, including four years as chair.
For more than three decades, Lyn has worked tirelessly to promote better sustainable practices for businesses.
During her time there, she was involved in developing and approving a new conservation management plan for Hauturu/Little Barrier Island, one of the first such plans jointly prepared and approved with a Treaty partner
“You learn so much about issues you never knew about,” Lyn said.
“For example ,the Niagara shipwreck off the Northland coast, which went down in 1940 with oil held in its bunkers. The Conservation Board spoke out about this ecological time bomb.
“As chair, it was an opportunity to represent the Board and Aucklanders at hearings, for example, to present concerns about the location of the Dome Valley landfill or the impact of dredging in the Hauraki Gulf.”
More recently, she has worked with New Zealand businesses to introduce greater sustainability into their business models, particularly recycling of soft plastics.
Over the past two years, Lyn has been involved in a co-design project led by The Packaging Forum and the NZ Food & Grocery Council. Supported by the Government’s Waste Minimisation Fund, the project aims to develop a mandatory plastic packaging product stewardship scheme.
If that’s not enough, Mayes is also a keen sportswoman, winning several Masters weightlifting titles, as well as promoting the sport in her role as vice-president of Weightlifting New Zealand.
