Ruamahanga Restoration Trust Congratulates Chris Morrison, Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit (MNZM)

Mr Chris Morrison, MNZM, was recognised in the 2021 New Years Honours as a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to sustainable business and Fair Trade. The New Zealand Order of Merit is awarded to people who have served the Crown or country with merit, or become distinguished in any field.

Chris co-founded Phoenix Organics and All Good, New Zealand’s first Fair Trade banana business. He then launched Karma Drinks, a Fairtrade and organic range of soft drinks that are now available in more than 20 countries. Alongside the Karma Cola arm of All Good Organics is The Karma Cola Foundation, which donates money from every bottle sold to community and sustainable development projects in developing nations. Chris has promoted Fair Trade throughout local communities in support of Fairtrade New Zealand’s ‘Fairtrade Fortnight’, and by donating drinks and bananas to community groups for events and fundraisers. He currently chairs the Board of Organics Aotearoa New Zealand and is a trustee of the Ruamahanga Restoration Trust, which he co-founded with Campbell McLean in 2018. 

Trustees Campbell McLean and Michael Birch are extremely proud of Chris’s achievement and the kudos that it brings to their community organisation. According to Campbell McLean, Chris has always been a passionate advocate for organics and a healthy way of living. “Even during our school years together, Chris would drag me into health food shops and extoll the virtues of organic produce. He was passionate about it then and he still is today. Since then he has successfully encouraged all of us to think twice about what we eat, how we grow our foods, and how we give back to those communities that deserve it the most.”