Jo-anne Wilkinson MNZM
Jo-anne Wilkinson, of Leigh, received the Insignia of a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to youth. Ms Wilkinson co-founded the Foundation for Youth Development in 1995 and is the current Executive Director. She has worked in paid and unpaid capacities ensuring the success of the Foundation for Youth Development and its four programmes, Project K, KiwiCan, Stars and MYND. More than 18,000 young people in New Zealand are involved in these programmes every year, which employ more than 100 people and involve hundreds of volunteers. She is an accomplished outdoor adventurer and led an Antarctic trip for Project K graduates.