After decades of shaping athletics behind the scenes, Sylvia and Peter Maunder were stunned to learn they had both been awarded the King’s Service Medal in the 2026 New Year Honours for services to the sport.
The Paeroa couple told The Profile the news came as “a complete surprise”.
Sylvia had just returned home from walking the dog to find Peter reading an email from the Honours Unit at Parliament. Assuming the message related only to him, she “urged” Peter to accept the honour. It wasn’t until later, Sylvia said, when she checked her own inbox, that she discovered she had also received an email.
The recognition acknowledges the couple’s four decades of service to athletics, much of it carried out in administrative and officiating roles in the Wellington region.
The Maunders spent countless hours travelling to meetings, officiating at competitions most weekends, and working to ensure the sport ran smoothly at every level.
“We’ve both just done what we thought was right for the sport,” Sylvia said.
“While we loved what we were doing, it all stemmed from a desire to support our three children who all achieved representative honours for New Zealand at various meets. We knew we didn’t have the skills to coach any of them, but what we could do for them was to ensure that the sport continued to run smoothly for them in both avenues where we were reasonably competent.”
Both Sylvia and Peter were drawn to athletics as students – Peter at school in Levin, where he competed in middle-distance running and cross country, and Sylvia in Christchurch, where she specialised in sprints and the long jump.
“That led to moderate success at intercollegiate sports events, and what eventually led to a lifetime love and spare-time-career in the sport,” Sylvia said.
Sylvia’s contribution has been particularly significant in athletics administration and officiating. She began officiating at Wellington Centre interclub events at Newtown Park in the 1980s and went on to serve as secretary of the Wellington Track and Field Committee for ten years, followed by three years as chairperson. She also served as Centre Delegate to the Athletics New Zealand Council for 18 years.
Her work extended to major events, including the Colgate Games, where she served on the organising committee and as competition secretary when the event was hosted in Wellington.
After gaining her National Technical Official qualification in 2000, Sylvia officiated at national and international championships, including the World Masters Championships and IPC World Para Championships.
She was made a Life Member of Athletics Wellington in 2004 and received the Athletics New Zealand Merit Award in 2015, before retiring in 2024 after 40 years of service.
Peter’s involvement dates back even further, beginning in the 1970s with the Scottish Harriers.
Over the years, he has held numerous leadership roles, including secretary, handicapper, chair of the Wellington Junior Committee, and chair of both the Track and Field and Centre Committees. He was appointed as Honorary Surveyor to the Centre in 1975, a role he fulfilled
for 30 years.
Like Sylvia, Peter officiated at Newtown Park most weekends for nearly two decades, predominantly for horizontal jumps, high jump, and throwing events. He worked at national and international championships across New Zealand and Oceania and was an internationally qualified road race course measurer.
He was also made a Life Member of Athletics Wellington in 2004 and received the Athletics New Zealand Merit Award in 2014.
The Maunders said they were proud of their behind-the-scenes contributions to athletics, as well as supporting young athletes to develop and achieve their goals. They also said sharing a lifelong love of athletics and contributing to the sport together as a family was the “glue” that held them together.
“We’ve both been inspired by the achievements of our three children, and throughout our careers that has been the root of our involvement and the glue that held us together,” Sylvia said. “Even when our children had retired from the sport and were bringing up their own families, we found we just loved doing what we did and the contribution we were still able to make keeping the sport fair for all competitors.
“The friendships we made throughout the country with other officials have also factored in our continued love of what we were doing.”
Though the Maunders said it was a hard decision to step away from the sport, and that there was “definitely a gaping hole” in their lives, they had great satisfaction in knowing younger, qualified people were now taking their places.
“That’s great for the sport,” they said.
They believed athletics held a special place in New Zealand, offering athletes the chance to be part of a group, compete to the best of their ability, and have fun, while also providing a pathway to international representation.
Sylvia recalled officiating at a New Zealand Secondary Schools Championships in Wellington where a young Valerie Adams competed, and said it was a privilege to have watched her career unfold.
Now retired to Paeroa, the Maunders were enjoying a life of relative anonymity, able to watch athletics from the sidelines, while their King’s Service Medal recognised their decades of commitment that never went unnoticed.
BY KELLEY TANTAU
