John Bowis, Lower Hutt, MNZM, for services to Save the Children New Zealand
Mr Bowis made a significant contribution to the Save the Children New Zealand (SCNZ) fund for 32 years until his retirement in 2008. He has been the North Island Vice President and was the New Zealand Executive Officer and the New Zealand executive director for 10 years respectively. As the first salaried official for the organisation, he was responsible for SCNZ’s overseas programme and established a SCNZ operational programme in Papua New Guinea; the first and largest by a New Zealand non-government organisation. He was a member of the New Zealand Agency for International Development’s External Reference Group during the agency’s establishment and was involved in the campaign for positive parenting and the repeal of Section 59 of the Crimes Act 1961. Mr Bowis was also a key member of the Every Child Counts Steering Group. He served as an elected member on the International Alliance Board and was involved in the development of the 2005-2010 Alliance-wide Strategy.