Queen honours Vanisa Dhiru as Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit

Vanisa Dhiru of Wellington, one of the brightest stars of our young generation has been honoured by the Queen in Her New Year Honours List announced early this morning.

Ms Dhiru has been appointed Member of the New Zealand Honour of Merit (MNZM), a recognition, which she not only deserves but will also inspire others in various communities to emulate her passion for fairness.

Passion for fairness, equality

The Citation said that she has been recognised for her services to the community for her advocacy of gender rights.

Her strong and convincing opinions on the need to achieve equality in societies and communities have made her a natural leader to promote these causes. A highly sought-after public speaker, Ms Dhiru is known for discussing such varied subjects as gender-diverse leadership and the importance of Sustainable Development Goals or New Zealand’s changing cultural landscape.

She is also passionate about challenging equity issues, developing young people and cultural relations. Her extensive experience in governance and advocacy has led her to be a champion for sector-wide collaboration and working together in the changing landscape of New Zealand. 

Broader Equity Issues

Although much of her work of late has been in advocating for gender equity, Ms Dhiru has broader equity issues fixed firmly in her sights, including race, class, employment, leadership and age equity. Her determination for diversity and equity, in New Zealand and globally, in her career is for digital equity space, her current role is Community Manager for InternetNZ, where she has responsibility for the organisation’s philanthropic arm, connecting the wider community with partnerships, grants and in-kind support.

National and Global accolades

Ms Dhiru has won national and global accolades, citations and honours for her work in various communities. She was a Member of more than ten Volunteer Boards, chaired three of them, and was appointed to at least ten national government Advisory Groups and Panels.

She was included in the 2016 Zonta District 16 ‘50 Women of Achievement’ list and was named a finalist for Kiwibank Young New Zealander of the Year in 2010. She led the New Zealand Council of Women New Zealand delegation to the CEDAW Monitoring Committee at the 70^th Session of the United Nations in 2018, to advocate for gender equality issues in New Zealand.

Readers of Indian Newslink honoured her with a Special Commemoration Award for her outstanding services to various communities at the Ninth Annual Indian Newslink Sports, Community, Arts & Culture Awards held on June 24, 2020 at Ellerslie Events Centre in Auckland.

She received the Award from the then Ethnic Communities Minister Jenny Salesa.

Champion of Diversity

With a strong reputation for her ability to work across sectors, age and social status, Ms Dhiru is a champion for the importance of diversity and inclusivity.

“Great things can be achieved when different people are brought together to contribute to a common objective,” she says of her work in this sector.

While she acknowledges success in this sector can be more challenging, she strongly believes that achievements will have greater impact and will be more rewarding for the entire community.

“The true benefit is in the reflection of different groups in the outcome,” she said.

Ms Dhiru is a community person and an excellent communicator with a talent for forging links and enabling collaboration, empowering those with different viewpoints and experiences to work together and build momentum.

The challenge continues

Speaking to Indian Newslink, Ms Dhiru said that she was humbled but there was more work to do.

“However, I realise that I have been recognised for my contribution to societal issues, issues where justice is yet to be realised – and so the fight continues. I aim to continue to work for equality for all, no matter what race, gender or background people may have. While my work in the past three years has been to highlight gender inequalities, it has been tackling racism and discrimination that has become more prominent to deal with. Without a doubt, I see addressing racism becoming a major part of my work and service to come,” she said.

Born, raised and educated in Palmerston North (Manawatu) in a family that traces its roots to India, Ms Dhiru has been a strong advocate of the under-privileged and has always shown her readiness to fight for their causes.

Her various advocacy roles throughout her career in both paid and volunteer commitments, has acquired an astonishing collection of skills across leadership, management, marketing, finance, communication and strategy.

Challenging Assignments

A leading advocate for equity and human rights, Vanisa is passionate about her work in communities, having served as Chief Executive for Volunteering New Zealand, and as Executive Director for the 20/20 Trust. She was the Chairperson for the Inspiring Stories Trust from 2012 to 2015.

She brought immense pride to Social Asian communities when she was elected to the post of President of the National Council of Women of New Zealand (NCWNZ), the first woman of Indian origin since its formation in 1896 by Kate Shepherd.

During her tenure as its President (from 2017 to 2019), Ms Dhiru raised its profile, increased the diversity of its membership and advocated the cause of women at the United Nations.

Commissioner Roles

She is currently the Commissioner at the New Zealand National Commission of UNESCO and Commissioner of the Library & Information Advisory Commission.

Based in Wellington, she is also a Member of the Department of Internal Affairs He Tohu Board, Lottery Wellington-Wairarapa Community Committee, the Spark Foundation and Victoria University’s Wellington School of Business & Government Advisory Board.

In 2019, she was appointed to the Manawatū Regional Te Aho Tāmaka Leadership Initiative.

She is also a member of Global Women NZ, the Institute of Directors, the Wellington Interfaith Council and the Global BMW Foundation Responsible Leaders Network.

Fourteen years ago, the New Zealand Management magazine described Ms Dhiru as ‘A woman to watch.’ A month later, writing in Indian Newslink October 1, 2006 Diwali Special, she said, “This should help me in my efforts to serve the New Zealand business world. Share, live and experience something you never thought you could: help people in your community and see how good it feels to be giving back to your world.”

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