Professor Karen Smith, of Wellington, MNZM for services to education and volunteering
Professor Karen Smith is a Professor at the School of Management at Victoria University of Wellington and an expert in volunteering. She created an extra-curricular professional development module within the University’s MBA programme that has enabled students to work on projects with more than 50 not-for-profit organisations. She has published widely and contributed to international research projects. She is an internationally recognised researcher on event volunteering, including a project sponsored by the International Olympic Committee. Her research has focused on how volunteering practices vary within New Zealand, as opposed to simply promoting mainstream international methods. Professor Smith has served as Chair and Vice-Chair of the Board of Volunteering New Zealand.