Mrs Priscilla Dawson, of Clevedon, QSM for services to refugees and the Burmese community
Mrs Priscilla Dawson has assisted asylum seekers from Myanmar as an interpreter for the Refugee Status Branch of Immigration New Zealand and the Refugee Status Appeals Authority since the 1980s. She began working for Refugees as Survivors New Zealand in 2000. She was initially employed as an interpreter at the Mangere Resettlement Centre, but soon became a qualified counselling and support person. She has provided assistance with education, housing, health, financial, employment, family and legal matters. Mrs Dawson has organised language and cultural lessons for Burmese children, as well as Burmese New Year water festival events.