Roma Balzer, of Hamilton, CNZM, for services to family violence prevention
Roma Balzer sat on the Board of Trustees for Te Runanga o Kirikiriroa for 20 years. She worked with the Ministry of Social Development to develop and deliver a Residential Youth Programme for vulnerable children in youth justice in Hamilton. She is currently helping establish Te Puanga, a holistic wellness home for rangatahi of Oranga Tamariki with complex care needs or in state care. She played a key role in establishing the Family Violence Technical Assistance Unit. She started the Silent Witness Project to identify women, children, and men who had been killed by their partners, fathers, or new partner’s husbands. She has represented the ‘Battery of Women Sector’ on several advisory panels, has represented New Zealand internationally on the subject, and has published numerous research articles and chapters.