Memea Ma'alelopa
Memea Ma’aelopa, of Christchurch, received the Insignia of a Member of the NZ Order of Merit for services to the Pacific Islands community. Mr Ma’aelopa has contributed to the Pacific Islands community in Christchurch for more than 25 years. He is an advocate for the development and advancement of Pasifika youth education and has been the Patron and Treasurer of the University of Canterbury’s Samoan Students’ Association for 20 years. He is the senior cultural advisor for the Christchurch Secondary Schools’ Pasifika Cultural Festival. He helped to establish the Pacific Trust Canterbury and has been a member of the Ministry of Pacific Island Affairs community reference group and was the Department of Internal Affairs Pasifika representative. Mr Ma’aelopa also been a volunteer at the Police kiosk in Cathedral Square for more than 20 years, and was involved with the Christchurch Arts Festival and the Christchurch City Council’s creative communities panel.