Co-founder of the Outdoors and Freedom Party, prominent author, and steadfast anti-1080 campaigner Alan Simmons has been named in the 2026 King’s Birthday Honours List, receiving the Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit (“MNZM”) for his services to outdoor recreation, and community advocacy.
The prestigious acknowledgment highlights decades of tireless dedication to protecting New Zealand’s natural heritage, advocating for public access to the great outdoors, and championing civil liberties and environmental safety.
Alan Simmons was forced to step back from day-to-day political leadership after he was assaulted by police with riot shields at 6am on the final morning of the Freedom Village mandates protect at Parliament on 2 March 2022.
He was left on the side of the road with a broken hip, and supported for three hours by mandated doctors and nurses who had been part of the protest community, who cared for him on the roadside until an ambulance eventually arrived, before he was admitted to Wellington hospital for a week for an urgent hip replacement.
This firsthand experience formed the core of the book, Freedom Village: The Real Story of Our 23 Day Occupation of Parliament Grounds (2024), co-authored with Sue Grey. The book serves as a vital historical record of the camp from the perspective of those on the ground, capturing a definitive and deeply personal moment in modern New Zealand social history. His broader bibliography reflects his lifelong connection to the Kiwi backcountry, including titles such as Born to the Outdoors, how to hunt Sika Deer and Art of Fly fishing.
A central pillar of Simmons’ lifelong conservation work has also been his uncompromising stance against the aerial dropping of 1080 poison in New Zealand’s native bush. As a vocal and persistent campaigner for a poison-free environment, he has spent decades working alongside grassroots communities, hunters, and gatherers to protect local ecosystems, waterways, and native wildlife from broad-scale 1080 and other poison drops, advocating instead for safe, humane, trapping and other alternatives which benefit local communities.
Simmons expressed deep humility at the announcement of his honour.
“I’ve spent almost my entire life enjoying the outdoors and trying to protect freshwater, fish and the environment against 1080 poison and other contamination.
“My hope is access to our great outdoors will be protected forever, so all young New Zealanders can get out for recreation and relaxation and hunt, fish and gather food, as I have done throughout my life.”
As a foundational figure in New Zealand’s advocacy space, Simmons co-founded the NZ Outdoors and Freedom Party (originally the NZ Outdoors Party) to give a distinct political voice to the conservation, recreation, and freedom movements. His multifaceted career spans decades as a fishing and hunting guide, writer, and environmental campaigner, consistently bridging the gap between grassroots communities and national policy-making.
Colleagues, readers, and fellow advocates have praised the appointment, noting that Simmons’ tenacity, literary contributions, and commitment to public truths have left an indelible mark on the country’s social, political, and conservation landscape.
