John Raymond Hopkins AM OBE (19 July 1927 – 30 September 2013) was a British-born Australian conductor and administrator. 　　John Hopkins was born in Yorkshire in 1927. He was the assistant conductor of the BBC Scottish Orchestra from 1949 to 1952 and then conductor of the BBC Northern Orchestra until 1957. He moved to New Zealand in 1957 to succeed James Robertson as conductor of the then National Orchestra (now the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra). In 1959 he founded the New Zealand National Youth Orchestra. He was present for the orchestra's 50th anniversary season in 2009.[2] As part of his contribution to youth music he also conducted the South African National Youth Orchestra.