New Year Honours 2024: Mary-Jane Rivers made officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit

For services to community-led development, governance, and education, Mary-Jane Rivers has been made an officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the New Year Honours.

Rivers, from Ōtaki, has been a leader and innovator across several fields in her career and voluntary work, through her local communities, senior public sector roles, and later, adult and community education, community-led development and international development. She is one of 151 New Zealanders recognised in the 2024 New Year Honours.

One of her first feats was in 1970, when she helped found the first Women’s Refuge in the North Island. She was also the first policy director in the Ministry for Women, and the first CEO of the Citizen’s Advice Bureau, before consulting on social and organisational development.

Rivers also founded Inspiring Communities in 2006 and led its creation until 2011 before serving on the board.

Inspiring Communities has been significant in demonstrating the value and impact of locally-led development, including responses to complex issues such as equity, climate change and economic development.

Rivers says founding Inspiring Communities, and watching it flourish and grow since, has been the highlight of her career.

Mary-Jane Rivers has been made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit.

Most recently, in 2022, she was a founding trustee of He Puāwai with Kokiri Marae, building locally-led food resilience in the Hutt Valley.

Rivers has also been involved with multiple aspects of adult and community education since the 1990s and has chaired Reap Aotearoa since 2015 – an organisation that helps people do various things including getting a driving licence and accessing vaccines.

“One of the things people say to me is ‘you’re pretty passionate’... and I would have to agree that I am.”

When she first found out she was being made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit, she was “absolutely stunned”.

“I’ve nominated other people, but I have never expected it for myself.”

She said the overwhelming feeling was a massive appreciation for her colleagues who nominated her.

Rivers wanted to thank her family as they have been her biggest source of support over the years.

Mary-Jane Rivers has been made an officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit.

“I’ve done some really interesting stuff, and the people that have been there and supporting me along the line have been my husband and my son.

“I couldn’t be luckier.”

She also wanted to thank the colleagues she worked with throughout her career, as nothing ever “gets done by one person on their own”.

“It wouldn’t have happened without me, but it also wouldn’t have happened without them.”