Elspeth Kennedy
Elspeth Kennedy, of Nelson, received the Insignia of a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit on 24 March 2009 for services to the community. Mrs Kennedy's key focus since her retirement has been to expand the facilities for the care of terminally ill patients in the Nelson region. She has been the Trustee and Chairman of the Nelson Region Hospice Trust since 1998. She was involved in fund-raising to renovate the hospice and increase the number of its in-patient beds and provide ancillary rooms, which were opened in 2008. Mrs Kennedy has also been involved with a number of other charitable organisations, including serving on the Nelson Scanner Appeal Trust.