New Year Honours: Champion of Kiribati community honoured for work

For the past 20 years, Dr Rose Namoori-Sinclair has worked to enhance the wellbeing of people from Kiribati living in New Zealand.

Championing the Kiribati community in New Zealand for 20 years, Dr Rose Namoori-Sinclair from Ōtaki has been made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to the Kiribati community in the New Year Honours.

Since 2002, Rose has worked to enhance the wellbeing of people from Kiribati in New Zealand, translating texts from English to Kiribati, ensuring the longevity of the language and cultural traditions such as dance within the Kiribati community in New Zealand.

"It was shocking when I was informed of this honour," Rose said.

Not knowing who nominated her, Rose said, "What surprised me more was that the story about me that an unknown person wrote about me and my previous achievements was accurate".

Since migrating to New Zealand, Rose has worked for almost 20 years in the public sector in senior advisory and management roles at regional and international organisations, and government agencies.

"Whilst I don't have a chance to work directly with the Kiribati community, my doctoral study has allowed me to conduct research for government and international agencies and tertiary institutes that provide opportunities for Kiribati people to have a say and contribute to decision-making."

Rose has been a facilitator of the working group that established a conceptual framework for enhancing I-Kiribati wellbeing in 2015, a document titled Boutokaan te mweeraoi.

She helped translate all communications from the Ministry of Social Development into Kiribati and helped with translations and editing of the document.

She subsequently took the team lead role in writing the Maneaba Strategic Action Plan to implement the Boutokaan te mweeraoi framework and helped establish and chair the Kiribati Federation Aotearoa (KFA) from 2018-20.

As chairwoman, she ensured that KFA engaged with the Ministry for Pacific Peoples, including on the Kiribati language in the Pacific Language Week Series.

"I have always been an active community leader and member, volunteering my service to the Kiribati community not only in Wellington but across the country.

"My most exciting voluntary community project has been helping prevent family violence using culturally appropriate approaches, and maintaining and sustaining the Kiribati culture and language."

While championing the language and culture of Kiribati in New Zealand, through her extensive research Rose has expanded her focus to include an understanding of all Pacific peoples' contribution to the economy, the impact of climate change and migration on mental health and wellbeing, and revitalising Pacific language and culture.

She has helped write a training manual based on Kiribati heritage and cultural values to address violence towards women and men in the Kiribati community, obtaining funding for this training with four courses held in regions throughout New Zealand.