Dame Catriona Williams, of Masterton, DNZM for services to spinal cord injury research and equestrian sport
Dame Catriona Williams has been the founder and driving force behind the CatWalk Spinal Cord Injury Trust since its establishment in 2005 and was appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2014 for her contributions. Since 2014, Dame Catriona has continued to support spinal cord injury (SCI) research through further promotion, fundraising events and challenges. To date, CatWalk has raised more than $10 million towards research for an SCI cure, including $420,000 raised at CatWalk’s 10th anniversary fundraiser event in 2015, $350,000 at the ‘Remarkable’ event held in 2017 at the AJ Hackett Bungy Centre and recently $570,000 at the CatWalk Luminary event held at Ellerslie Auckland in 2024. She is a regular speaker around New Zealand, inspiring countless people by her example of courage and determination in the face of adversity, and dedicates time to engage with people who have experienced an SCI and are new to life in a wheelchair. Having herself navigated a second SCI in 2021, she completed an 11-day, 1,100 kilometre charity ride in the United Kingdom in 2024, a fundraiser in memory of equestrian Caroline March and supporting Spinal Research and the British Eventing Support Trust. Mrs Williams’ efforts have also seen her inducted into the Equestrian Sports New Zealand Hall of Fame in 2023 and win the Community and Not for Profit section at the 2016 New Zealand Women of Influence Awards.