Gary Wilson, of Pukekohe, ONZM, for services to Māori and Pacific journalism and broadcasting
Gary Wilson joined the New Zealand Journalists Training Board in 1980. At that time, he identified that less than two percent of New Zealand’s journalists had Māori or Pacific heritage. In response, he pushed for the Board and the Department of Māori Affairs to fund introductory journalism courses for Māori and Pacific students. He then initiated national, full-time journalism training courses for Māori students in Rotorua. He initiated the same courses for Pacific students the following year in Manukau. He co-founded Mana Māori Media and launched Mana magazine, which he led for 10 years. He co-founded the Mana Trust, a charitable organisation aiming to strengthen the Māori and Pacific voice in the New Zealand media. Mr Wilson is a volunteer co-editor of the Mana Trust’s ‘E-Tangata’ website.