Helen Campbell-O’Brien, MNZM, Invercargill.
For services to literacy. Mrs Helen Campbell-O'Brien is an educationalist in Southland. She has worked to promote children’s literacy for 25 years. She developed and implemented the ‘Talk First’ Programme, targeting five year olds who come to school with little oral language. In 2009, along with support from the Invercargill East Rotary Club, she developed ‘The Starter Kit for Five Year Olds’. The Kit contains various literacy tools including a DVD and guide for parents, a children’s book, magnetic letters, a whiteboard, and a list of recommended book titles. The Starter Kit will be distributed to more than 4,500 five year olds in Southland. Mrs Campbell-O’Brien is a member of the Southland branch of the New Zealand Reading Association, and wrote the book “What is a Southlander?” for their ‘Books for Babies’ project in 2000.