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Wāhine Māori prominent in managing government, local government and iwi have been recognised in the King’s Birthday Honour’s List.
Three were made Companions of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
– Former Manukau deputy mayor Anne Candy, who at 80 is still sitting on the Manurewa Local Board;
– Arihia Bennett, who capped what had already been a long career of service with 12 years as chief executive of Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu;
– and Megan Tamati-Quenell, the curator of Māori and Indigenous Art at Te Papa and the curator of the first major survey of Ngāi Tahu art.
Elizabeth Cunningham was made a companion of the Kings Service Order for services to governance.
She’s a long serving member of Te Runanga o Ngai Tahu, the first Māori elected to the Canterbury Area Health Board from 1991 to 1993 and the first Māori elected to Environment Canterbury from 2004 to 2007, a member of the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority and a sitting member of the region’s Civil Defence and Emergency Management Group.
Also from Ngai Tahu, former Manukau city councillor Colleen Brown was awarded a KSO for services to people with disabilities, local government and the community
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