Ms Rez Gardi, of Auckland, MNZM for services to refugees and human rights advocacy
Ms Rez Gardi is New Zealand’s first female Kurdish lawyer. She has developed multiple organisations, shaped law and policy, and contributed to academic literature. She co-founded and is Co-Managing Director of Refugees Seeking Equal Access at the Table (R-SEAT). She has created a framework that positions refugees as experts within United Nations structures and within government delegations, advising on forced displacement policies. Within New Zealand, she founded Empower Youth Trust, a refugee-youth-led organisation addressing educational inequity. She co-founded the Centre for Asia Pacific Refugee Studies at the University of Auckland. Ms Gardi has worked with the New Zealand Human Rights Commission across constitutional law, social cohesion and community engagement.