Ms Deborah George, ONZM, of Auckland, for services to education and governance
Deborah George was co-founder and inaugural Chair of Ako Mātātupu Teach First New Zealand, which engages top graduates to teach in low-decile secondary schools.
She was involved in the establishment of InZone Education Foundation (IZEF) as advisor, Trustee and Chair. IZEF enables Māori and Pacific students to attend top-performing state schools by developing boarding hostels within the school zone and providing pastoral support.
She has owned education businesses in Hong Kong and New Zealand and was one of a team of three to expand the Duffy ‘Books in Homes’ programme nationwide.
She was on the Board of Trustees of Auckland Grammar School for five years. Ms George is a Trustee of the Woolf Fisher Trust and was a judge of the Prime Minister’s Education Excellence Awards.