Mary Jane Rivers ONZM (known as Mary-Jane,[1] born 1951) is a New Zealand community development leader. In 2024 Rivers was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to community-led development, governance and education.
Mary-Jane Rivers | |
|---|---|
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| Awards | Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit |
| Academic background | |
| Alma mater | Victoria University of Wellington |
Early life and education
editRivers was born in Christchurch in 1951.[2] She earned a Bachelor of Arts with Honours at Victoria University of Wellington in 1986.[3]
Career
editIn the early 1970s, while working at the Upper Hutt City Council, Rivers encountered a woman and her children in need of a safe house. The only women's refuge in New Zealand at that time was in Christchurch. Rivers helped found New Zealand's first North Island Women's Refuge in the Hutt Valley, despite receiving opposition from church groups concerned that women's refuges damaged families.[3][4] Rivers then led the Social Policy Unit in the Ministry of Works and Development, where she was responsible for assessing the community impact of large development projects.[4]
In 1985 Rivers was appointed as the Ministry for Women's first policy director, the ministry only having been established the previous year.[3][4] She was also the first chief executive of the Citizens Advice Bureaux.[3] In 2006, Rivers founded Inspiring Communities, an organisation aimed at supporting community-led development.[5]
Since 2015 Rivers has chaired REAP Aotearoa. REAP stands for Rural Education Activities Programmes, and REAP Aotearoa is the national body representing the thirteen individual programmes.[6][7][3] Rivers has consulted on community development internationally, and was involved in founding UnionAID, an international development agency, and served on the board for twelve years.[3][8]
Rivers has worked on food resilience, and in 2022 was a founding trustee of He Puāwai, which works in the Hutt Valley.[3]
Honours and awards
editIn the 2024 New Year Honours Rivers was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to community-led development, governance and education.[1]
References
edit- ^ a b "New Year Honours List 2024 – Citations for Officers of the New Zealand Order of Merit | Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (DPMC)". www.dpmc.govt.nz. 30 December 2023. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
- ^ "Interview with Mary–Jane Rivers". National Library of New Zealand. 4 August 2000. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g Wellington, Victoria University of (17 January 2024). "2024 New Year Honours recognise University alumni | News | Te Herenga Waka". Victoria University of Wellington. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
- ^ a b c Carson, Ian (18 January 2024). "Community at heart of Mary–Jane's ONZM". Ōtaki Today. Retrieved 6 November 2024.
- ^ "Mary–Jane Rivers becomes an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit | Inspiring Communities". 29 December 2023. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
- ^ "REAP Aotearoa". YEA – Youth Employability Aotearoa. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
- ^ "Congratulations to Mary–Jane Rivers – Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit | REAP Aotearoa". Retrieved 5 November 2024.
- ^ Odlum, Grace (30 December 2023). "New Year Honours 2024: Mary–Jane Rivers made officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit".