Dame Margaret held senior leadership roles in the health sector,
the State Services Commission, the Ministry of Transport, the Fire
Service and the Department of Social Welfare. Dame Margaret's time
in the public service, during the 1980s and 1990s, placed her at
the centre of reform and she was often brought in to initiate and
lead profound change in an organisation.
Dame Margaret is currently the Chair of Environment Canterbury
and the New Zealand Fire Service Commission, Registrar of MPs
Pecuniary Interests and, until recently, a member of the Waitangi
Tribunal. She was also Chair of the Foundation of Research Science
and Technology. That's despite being 'retired' from the civil
service for almost a decade.
She is described as fierce, tough, apolitical and unwavering in
her determination to do the right thing and her willingness to make
tough calls. Throughout her career, from her time as a psychiatric
nurse through to CEO roles, Dame Margaret has instinctively sought
to reach out to local communities in a very practical way.
Before she left the nursing sector, Dame Margaret played a
significant leadership role in the transfer of nursing education
from hospitals into the education system. She is regarded by mental
health nurses as a true pioneer, someone who decided that
psychiatric patients were also human beings and should be treated
accordingly. It's telling that she cites her work transforming
nursing at Sunnyside Hospital as her proudest achievement in a
career that's won her an honorary doctorate and several
fellowships, the Dame Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit
and, in 1982, Air New Zealand Businesswoman of the Year.
Described as a government 'fix it' person, Dame Margaret has
restructured departments, faced down unions and contradicted prime
ministers.
She was instrumental in the development of the Ministry of
Social Development and instigatedStrengthening Families, a holistic
community-based approach to help at- risk families access needed
services andWelfare to Wellbeing, aimed at reducing welfare
dependence. In the transport sector she helped lead de-regulation
and also introduced initiatives that successfully reduced the
road toll. She transformed the Fire Service into a
world-leading organisation, focusing on prevention, with New
Zealand now having the lowest rate of fire deaths of any
country.
Dame Margaret played a leading role in encouraging public
servants to become conversant with tikanga Maori in the 1980s and
was ahead of her time in recognising the need to understand Maori
culture and structures.
She was one of the first women to achieve very senior rank in
the public sector in New Zealand and actively focussed on
structural barriers to equal opportunities, providing advice and
guidance, and introducing initiatives to give women access to
senior positions, including establishing public sector crèches in
the 1980s.
Her report into allegations against the New Zealand Police
included many recommendations to transform police culture. Dame
Margaret recruited the Auditor-General and State Services
Commission to monitor police progress and report back to
Parliament. More recently she conducted a fundamental review of the
Legal Aid System, recommending accreditation for lawyers accessing
public money.
A keen gardener and tramper, Dame Margaret has also shown her
love of sport by serving on the trust board of the Westpac Stadium
in Wellington.
Highly ethical in business dealings and leadership, Dame
Margaret has a strong commitment to the concept of public service
and the community. She believes that fairness and justice must be
done and seen to be done. We are all the richer for her
fearlessness.