Edith Amituanai, of Auckland, MNZM, for services to photography and the community
Edith Amituanai is acclaimed for photographing her local Auckland Samoan community. She was the youngest artist to feature in Contemporary New Zealand Photographers, a major survey of photography. She won the inaugural Marti Friedlander Photography Award and was the first Walters Prize nominee of Pacific descent. Her works have been exhibited widely and belong in a number of collections. She is the Chairwoman of Ranui Action Project, an NGO and community development organisation. She has managed her local rugby league premier team and volunteered with the Auckland Migrant Centre. Mrs Amituanai has used art to engage with young people, including undertaking a six-week residency at Flaxmere’s KimiOra Community School.