www.emiclassics.com/artists/biogs/kirb.html

Kiri came to international attention singing the role of Xenia in Boris Godunov and the Countess in The Marriage of Figaro. After achieving world-wide celebrity status, Kiri, a native Maiori New Zealander, was made an Officer of the Civil Division of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, an honor that was later sold at a police auction for £500 to raise money for the Mitchum Amateur Boxing Association.