Sevens Samoans are among 13 Pasifika people named on New Zealand's 2024 New Year Honours list.

They are Dame Sarai Bareman, Tupe Lualua, Tamasailau Suaalii-Sauni, Silao Vaisola, Tagaloa Makerita Urale and Robert Holding.

A host of Pasifika academics, artists, and advocates are on this list.

Dame Sarai Bareman leads the list of Pasifika recognised in the New Year Honours list. She has been made a Dame Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to football.

Dame Sarai has been FIFA's chief women's football officer since 2016 and had a large hand in organising the 2023 World Cup co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand.

She said she hoped her New Year Honours recognition would inspire a future generation of Pacific women.

Tupe Lualua is a dancer, choreographer, actor, director, producer and arts educator, and has been made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit.

Lualua, who trained at Whitireia Performing Arts, founded arts organisation Le Moana in 2013 and has used the platform to support other artists.

She said Pacific dance and Pacific contemporary dance have flourished in Wellington.

"It's great to see everyone who have been a part of Whitireia Performing Arts, Victoria University, Toi Whakaari, and Le Moana, go into their space, find their thing, and make beautiful contributions to the Pacific space in Aotearoa and the world."

Lualua said this honour is a tribute to her late parents who left Samoa for better opportunities.

Robert Holding created Pasifika Press to provide books for, by and about Polynesians.

He's been made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to Pacific literature and business.

In the early 1970s Holding was running the only bookshop in Samoa when he became aware of the dearth of Pasifika books so started publishing himself.

"It was really people coming into the shop, asking for things that didn't exist, that encouraged us to get involved," Holding said.

He started the business first called Polynesian Bookshop in Ponsonby in 1976 with his late wife Sheena, the operation moved to Karangahape Road in 1986 and stayed for about 12 years, there is no longer a bookshop but Holding is still publishing.

He said a priority was to create beautiful books.

"All the books were produced at a really high quality and I've drawn on the expertise from a lot of Pacific writers, artists, illustrators over the years.

The first book was 'Tala o Le Vavau', The Myths, Legends and Customs of Old Samoa which is still in print with over 20,000 copies sold.

Lemalu Silao Vaisola Sefo is the Chief Executive of South Seas, appointed in June 2016, responsible for overseeing the growth of the organisation and providing leadership as South Seas Healthcare takes the next step in developing our services and its vision.

Tamasailau Suaalii-Sauni is a Samoan academic in sociology/criminology at the School of Social Sciences, University of Auckland. Her academic work draws on and contributes to the building of Pacific indigenous knowledges, especially Samoan.

Pacific honourees in the New Year Honours for 2024 include:

DNZM: To be Dames Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit

Sarai-Paea (Sarai) Bareman - For services to football governance

ONZM: To be Officers of the New Zealand Order of Merit

Dr Cherie Maria Chu-Fuluifaga - For services to education

Barbara Helen Dreaver - For services to investigative journalism and Pacific communities

Robert George Holding - For services to Pacific literature and business

MNZM: To be Members of the New Zealand Order of Merit

Tevita Filisonu'u Funaki - For services to Pacific health

Christine Mary (Kira) Hundleby - For services to Pacific arts

Philippa Agnes Laufiso - For services to arts and the community

Tupe Lualua - For services to the arts

Silao Vaisola (Lemalu Silao) Sefo - For services to Pacific health

Dr Tamasailau Suaalii-Sauni - For services to education

Professor Yvonne Jasmine Te Ruki Rangi o Tangaroa Underhill - For services to tertiary education and Pacific Development

Makerita (Vaosa ole Tagaloa Makerita Urale) Urale - For services to Pacific arts

The Queen's Service Medal QSM

Rai Vaeruarangi - For services to the Cook Islands community