Waitaki deputy mayor Hana Halalele was honoured in Wellington yesterday (May 31), with the Queen’s Service Medal for services to Pasifika health.

Hana was named a recipient in the New Year’s Honours List, and received the medal from Governor General Dame Cindy Kiro at a ceremony held at Government House.

Hana is the first Pasifika councillor at the Waitaki District Council, and is the Oamaru Pacific Island Community Group (OPICG) manager. 

She supported the Pasifika community from the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, creating a frontline team to share information and guidelines.  

She advocated for support from the Southern District Health Board and Well South to run a vaccination clinic, and led her team to create its own community outreach vaccination workforce and provide a Covid-19 welfare response. 

The deputy mayor was also the establishment chair for Talanga ‘a Waitaki, an initiative for Pasifika parents to deliver the Talanoa Ako education programme.