Ruahine Albert
Ruahine Albert, of Hamilton, received the Queen's Service Medal, for services to Maori and the community. Ms Albert is one of the two founders of New Zealand’s first Maori Women's Refuge, Te Whakaruruhau, which opened in Hamilton in 1987, and is the service manager. She was one of the driving forces behind the establishment of a new family facility at Te Whakaruruhau in Hamilton, which was opened in 2011, that can accommodate 30 family members recovering from domestic violence. Along with her extensive involvement in women’s refuge work she has been involved in iwi relationship management. She has had leading roles in Child, Youth and Family, Work and Income, Housing New Zealand, Hamilton Abuse Intervention Project, the Maori Reference Group, the Waikato Youth Offending Team and Family Start. Ms Albert is on the External Maori Advisory Group for the New Zealand Police and is a representative of Hamilton Women’s Refuges at national and regional conferences.