Suzanne Carter
Major Suzanne Carter, Royal New Zealand Nursing Corps, received the Distinguished Service Decoration for services to the New Zealand Defence Force. Major Carter deployed to Afghanistan in August 2009 as the Nursing Officer with the New Zealand Provincial Reconstruction Team. She initiated major improvements to the conditions for women and their children in Bamyan prison, and the local hospital. She initiated a project known as Bamyan Babies, which involved fundraising activities, providing resources, and basic medical care. She instituted the local manufacture of modern re-usable nappies, which also provided a business opportunities for women. She arranged for the recruitment of a child health specialist at Bamyan hospital and arranged for the specialists’ salary to be met by charitable donations for the first year.