Ms Mary-Jane Rivers, of Ōtaki, ONZM for services to community-led development, governance and education
Mary-Jane Rivers helped found the North Island’s first Women’s Refuge. She was the first policy director in the Ministry for Women, and first CEO of Citizens Advice Bureaux, before consulting on social and organisational development. She founded Inspiring Communities and served on the Board. The organisation has demonstrated the value and impact of locally led development, including responses to equity, climate change and economic development. She was a founding Trustee of He Puāwai with Kokiri Marae, building food resilience in the Hutt Valley. She has been involved with adult and community education and chairs REAP Aotearoa. She is a respected consultant internationally, working on strengthening communities across the Pacific, Asia, Africa and Eastern Europe. Ms Rivers helped to establish and served on the Board of international development agency UnionAID.