Mrs Shirley Lanigan, of Lower Hutt, MNZM, for services to nursing
Shirley Lanigan began her nursing career at Lower Hutt Hospital in 1960.
In 1968, she set up a ward for survivors of the Wahine rescue. She later became Nurse Manager and then Nurse Coordinator in the Emergency Department.
She was instrumental in setting up the Short Stay Unit, with the commitment that the elderly and vulnerable should not be turned away in the middle of the night.
She worked as a blood nurse on the New Zealand Police’s mobile testing unit. She has continued to work on call as a sexual assault forensic nurse.
Mrs Lanigan provides palliative and respite care in her community on a voluntary basis.