Mr Gary Williams, of Christchurch, KSO, for services to survivors of abuse in care
Gary Williams (Ngāti Porou) has been advocating for fellow disabled people in New Zealand institutions for several decades.
He has driven change for disabled people, serving as a specialist consultant to the government, non-government organisations, through Ngā Hau e Whā National Marae, Your Way Kia Roha Trust and the VisAble Trust. In his advocacy, he has used his national and international network connections, particularly as the New Zealand Government’s non-official member to the negotiating team for the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. He has been a member of the Survivor Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE) for the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Historical Abuse in State Care and in the Care of Faith-based Institutions since 2019, helping provide the inquiry with guidance and support to engage with survivors and their representative organisations on their experiences in state and faith-based care. Through SAGE, Mr Williams has advocated and represented the views of tangaata whaikaha and disabled survivors from state care, including to the media.