Petersen was a city councillor for Palmerston North . He edited four editions of the '' Who 's Who in New Zealand '' . Of Danish parentage , he was active his whole life for Danish interests . As a member of the Danish Society in Palmerston North , he raised money for the Danish underground , and he was awarded the King Christian X 's Liberty Medal in 1946 for his actions . From 1948 , he acted as vice-consul for Denmark , and was appointed consul in 1966 . He was the New Zealand liaison person for the second Galathea expedition . For this work , he was awarded the Galathea Medal of Denmark in 1956 , and for his overall contribution to Denmark was made Knight of the Order of the Dannebrog in 1958 , and was promoted to Knight 1st Class in 1968 . He was awarded an honorary Doctor of Letters by Massey University in 1964 ; this was only the second honorary doctorate awarded by this university
King Christian X 's Liberty Medal
King Christian X's Liberty Medal
George Petersen (historian)