Who will make it on to the New Year Honours List this year?
Video / NZHerald
Carla Donson
Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for service to women and the community
Whanganui Women’s Network manager Carla Donson has been made a member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for service to women and the community in the New Year Honours list for 2024.
She has been the manager of the women’s network since 2003 and has worked beyond her 30 paid hours a week to support and facilitate opportunities for local women.
Donson said being included in the honours list was humbling and rewarding.
During her time in community work, she said she and many others had hoped their work would make a difference and this achievement was proof it was.
“When we work in the community we don’t necessarily do this work for accolades but actually when there is a reward like this, it’s a really important time to be gracious and accept that acknowledgement,” she said.
“I’ve been volunteering in various roles since I was a teenager, so the best part of 35 [to] 36 years of my life, so it’s a nice reward for many contributions that have been made.”
Donson started volunteering when she was 14, joining the youth group of a local church.
One of the main for her getting involved in this work at such a young age was her mother dying of cancer.
“I lost my mum when I was 15 and all of our extended family live in England so it was quite an isolating time,” she said.
“One of the reasons I got involved in volunteering was to find a sense of connection in the community and a sense of belonging and that’s been really significant in shaping my life as a young person and continuing as an adult,” she said.
She said a highlight of her work at the women’s network had been founding La Fiesta, an annual women’s festival running in Whanganui from February until International Women’s Day in March.
The event was first held in 2009 as a fundraiser for the network and has grown to 100 activities over the month.
Whanganui Women’s Network manager Carla Donson, who has been recognised for her services to the community in the New Year Honours for 2024.
“It’s been hugely rewarding to see the community really jumping on board La Fiesta and bringing it to life and making it the vibrant community festival that it is.
“We’ve had families come out from places like England and Canada and Australia to join in the festival fun, so that’s something I look forward to every year,” she said.
She also established Winter Wonderfest, a similar event which runs during August and has taken place for the past eight years.
Outside her work in the women’s network, she’s also engaged with national organisations to offer events and activities across legal rights, education, health and fitness and various crafts and skills.
She also facilitated a group of rangitahi to propose a youth committee to work with Whanganui District Council.
“The youth committee is still an active part of the Whanganui District Council today so that’s something that I’m incredibly proud of.”
Being able to contribute to community initiatives like Life to the Max Trust and agencies like Te Whatu Ora had also been a meaningful part of her work.
