Ms Kendal Collins, of Auckland, MNZM, for services to youth
Kendal Collins is a social worker and CEO of Sisters United New Zealand, which she co-founded with her sisters. The organisation develops young Pasifika women leaders through dance, music, spoken word and art. It launched the mentoring programme ‘Young Queens and Crown Yourself’ for young women, as well as ‘Brothers United’ for young men, with 700 young people graduating the programme each year, within 27 schools in Auckland. These programmes equip young people to build resilience and combat issues such as bullying and negative body image. The schools-based programmes have developed into a youth employment programme, ‘Connect’, which places disengaged young people into employment and other educational pathways.