Ms Mary Ama, of Auckland, CNZM for services to the arts and the Pacific community
Ms Ama founded and is lead artist and mentor for Pacifica Mamas, a community arts collective that delivers Pacific-based arts and cultural programmes. The collective’s ‘Pacifica Experience’ programme has been delivered to about 6,000 New Zealand school students per year for 20 years, and has also been delivered in the Cook Islands, Samoa, Papua New Guinea, Hawaii, the United Kingdom and the United States. Ms Ama developed the ‘Polynesian Creations’ programme for Pacific prison inmates, which she has delivered at Springhill Prison for the last nine years. She is Patron of the Pacific Arts Centre and a Senior Assessor for Creative New Zealand. She has delivered Pacific arts, culture and community projects for Te Papa, Auckland War Memorial Museum, Auckland Council, Auckland Art Gallery, and ASB Polyfest.