The investiture of Tauranga’s Dan Allen-Gordon, along with other NZ honours recipients, took place at Government House in Auckland.

Allen-Gordon, who was made a Companion of the King’s Service Order in this year’s King’s Birthday Honours, attended the ceremony with family on Thursday.

“I have brought my wife Josie, my daughter Larissa, son Sam, Carter my grandson, and my brother Heemi Allen,” Allen-Gordon said.

“It was such a moving experience meeting her excellency Dame Cindi Kiro. She has such mana and is so genuine.”

Twice a year, the Governor-General, on behalf of King Charles, holds investiture ceremonies at Government House in Wellington and Government House in Auckland for the people named in the New Year and King’s Birthday honours lists.

Honours recipients travel to these ceremonies from throughout the country. Each recipient brings close family or friends.  At the ceremony, the citations for the honours recipients are read out, and the Governor-General presents their insignia, medal or decoration to them.

Allen-Gordon, who received his Companion of the King’s Service Order for services to youth and charitable governance, said of his award in June that he felt “quite blessed to be able to help our young people in our long-term programmes and to continue long after they’ve graduated”.

As Bay of Plenty regional manager and top regional manager for the Graeme Dingle Foundation nationwide, Allen-Gordon has raised about $14 million, which has helped more than 49,000 young people in long-term programmes across the Western Bay.

He joined the Graeme Dingle Foundation, then known as the Project K Trust, in 2002, initially as a fundraiser in Auckland before establishing the Graeme Dingle Foundation Bay of Plenty in 2004.

After becoming chairman of the Bay of Plenty Kiwi Can Charitable Trust in 2002, he introduced the Kiwi Can programme into the region in 2005. It is now taught in 10 Western Bay of Plenty schools.

He also runs the Mount Maunganui Project K programme and has a skilled and dedicated team delivering the Foundation’s Kiwi Can, Project K, Stars and Career Navigator programmes.

His team delivers these programmes to nearly 4000 young people in the Western Bay of Plenty annually, empowering them at a personal level to succeed in their lives under difficult circumstances, empower them to succeed no matter what the world throws at them.

“What made it possible is having a family that supports me to do it.”

He said what he does is his life’s work.

“I’ll never stop doing work for the trust. There is such a growing need for what we do for young people, and I wish I had another 20-odd years to do it, or find more people to do it.”

He personally mentors young people, often after the programmes are over, to ensure the young person is on the right track.

Informetric research completed this year has found there is a $10.50 return for every $1 invested in the Graeme Dingle Foundation’s Youth Development programmes.

With a 30-year history, the foundation’s programmes have long made an impact on youth, enhancing wellbeing, engagement, and commitment to society through increased aspirations, positive trajectories and pipelines to the workforce - ultimately benefiting our country’s economy.

“With a return of $10.50 for every dollar invested, supporters of the foundation and its programmes know that, for example, for $100,000 invested, their organisation is providing over $1,000,000 return to New Zealand’s economy.”

Allen-Gordon works to reduce at-risk behaviours – such as truancy, bullying, suicidal ideation and other risks – to help young people to succeed.

“We see change every day,” Allen-Gordon said.

“I feel honoured to have received this KSO for the very thing I love, along with my team making Aotearoa a better place for our young people.”