Dame Susan Glazebrook and Dr Oliver Sutherland, of Nelson, ONZM for services to the law and Māori and Pacific communities
Dr Oliver Sutherland joined the Nelson Māori Committee and became aware of differences in legal representation between Māori and Pacific defendants presenting in court and European defendants. He initiated an informal legal aid scheme for Māori and Pacific defendants in Nelson, which saw an increase of Māori defendants with lawyers from 18 percent to 79 percent, and a reduction of imprisonments by a third. The Nelson initiative led to the establishment of a national duty solicitor scheme. He helped establish the Auckland Committee on Racism and Discrimination. He researched and published ‘Justice and Race: Campaigns Against Racism and Abuse in Aotearoa New Zealand’ and has presented this as evidence to the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care. Dr Sutherland is a member of the Ngāti Koata Kaumatua Council.