The Government has appointed a Christchurch based leading scientist and community leader Dr Surinder Tandon as a Member of the New Zealander Order of Merit.
He is the only person of Indian origin to be featured in the Queen’s Birthday Honours announced on June 1, 2014.
Dr Tandon will attend an investiture ceremony in due course at which Governor General Sir Jerry Mateparae will present with a medal and citation.
Awards are not new for Dr Tandon as his previous achievements include the Rotary International Paul Harris Fellow Medal (2005), Textile Institute Inaugural Product Innovation and Commercialisation Award (2008), the Royal Chartered Textile Institute Medal (2012), the New Zealand Federation of Multicultural Councils Merit Certificate (2013) and the NRI Welfare Society Hind Rattan (Jewel of India) Award (2014)
A senior scientist at AgResearch, Lincoln, Dr Tandon has been a significant contributor to the textile research and technology for more than 25 years, including his work with the Wool Research Organisation of New Zealand and its successor, Canesis.
As well as leading the development and commercialisation of a number of innovative wool fabric technologies for woolgrower groups and textile companies worldwide, he assisted AgResearch in taking new wool technologies to the New Zealand Fashion Week, capturing the attention of entrepreneurs.
Dr Tandon has a number of publications and patents to his credit.
He said that he was humbled by the latest honour.
“I will continue to work to promote technology and community welfare,” he said.
