Nirmala Nand, Palmerston North, QSM, for services to the community
Mrs Nirmala Nand has established and maintained support networks for ethnic groups in and around Palmerston North. She is currently the President of the Manawatu Multicultural Council and has previously served as secretary. She established the Manawatu Newcomers Network in 2009 to support incoming refugees and migrants. She has been the secretary of the New Zealand Federation of Multicultural Women’s Council. She recently established the Palmerston North Indian Cultural Society Inc. She has served on the Palmerston North City Council’s Creative Communities Funding Committee since 2008, and was appointed for a second term until 2013. Through MidCentral Health, she has worked with Pacific communities in Manawatu and Horowhenua as a health promotion advisor having had a background as a dietician and nutritionist in Fiji. Mrs Nand is a Justice of the Peace and has received numerous awards including the University of Philippines Outstanding International Alumni Award for Excellent Community Service in 2003.