Grahame Webber, former Waipā District councillor, deputy mayor, and Cambridge Community Board member, has been awarded the King’s Service Medal for his outstanding contributions to local government and farming governance.
Webber received the prestigious award as part of the 2025 New Year’s Honours, which celebrate people who have made outstanding contributions to their communities.
Webber served as a Waipā councillor for 21 years, from 2001 to 2022, and was deputy mayor for nine of those years, from 2010 to 2019. He was also a member of the Cambridge Community Board from 1998 to 2022.
He said it was an absolute privilege and honour to be awarded the service medal.
“It was overwhelming and emotional. I never dreamed someone would put my name forward. When I first received the email about the nomination, it took me a week to open it because I couldn’t quite believe it."
During his time on the Cambridge Community Board, Webber played a key role in establishing annual tours to visit rural communities, and chaired the Sister City Committee, which oversaw Waipā's connections with Le Quesnoy in France and Bihoro in Japan.
"Starting the rural tours was one of my main focuses," he recalls. "Meeting with rural communities face-to-face was very well received. It allowed us to connect directly and understand their local issues better."
The rural tours were such a success that they have become an annual programme, running for over 25 years.
“I really enjoyed working in local government, being able to give back to the community that had given so much to me. It gives me a lot of satisfaction being able to contribute to my own community.”
One of the highlights of his tenure was the opportunity to visit Le Quesnoy, 100 years after the First World War. Le Quesnoy was liberated by New Zealand troops on November 4, 1918.
In addition to his local government service, Webber was deeply involved in the farming sector. He was a member of the Cambridge Federated Farmers from 1982 to 2020 and served as a director of the New Zealand Dairy Group from 1991 to 1994.
