Laureates
Elsie Gibbons (1916-2009)
Marsden Years: 1929-1933
This posthumous award recognises Dr Elsie Gibbons’ contribution to health of children in the Wellington in the 1950s and her encouragement to women in the medical profession.
A keen sportswoman and musician, and with many academic achievements, Elsie was dux of Marsden in 1933 and left school to pursue a medical career at a time when few women were accepted into Otago Medical School. Having completed further study in Edinburgh, and worked in London she opened her small General Practice, attached to her home, in Wellington in the 1950s.
With a strong community spirit, Elsie’s worked with all walks of society. Child care was a priority for her and she will be remembered by many patients from the Karitane Hospital in Melrose, the Home of Compassion Hospital, and Kimi Ora in Thorndon. She had a strong belief in education, especially for women and encouraged young women into the medical profession. She took leadership roles in the New Zealand Medical Women’s Association at both national and international levels.
Elsie had a strong personality and a sense of adventure. She travelled widely and as economically as possible and tramped many of the accessible routes in the New Zealand bush.
Elsie’s connection with Marsden was a long one – as a student, a member of both Boards, the chairperson of the Old Girls division first Development Project in 1966 and has endowed the school with many gifts including the set of bells which are proudly used by the bell-ringers today. Elsie showed a keen interest in all Marsden activities and her ability to converse with anyone on any subject gave her an instant rapport with all students.
Miranda Harcourt
Student at Marsden 1973 (Std 4) – 1980 (Upper 6th)
Receives this award in recognition of her work in the theatre and in other areas of the media.
Born into a theatrical family it was not unexpected that Miranda should choose an acting career and in 1982 she enrolled in the New Zealand Drama School. A few years later she was starring in Gloss, winning a nomination as best supporting actress in 1989. Miranda has gone on to become one of the country’s leading and much loved actresses, winning many awards in her chosen profession. Her work in the community has also been recognized by the Media Peace Prize, a New Zealand Suffrage Medal, and a WCC Safer Communities Award. She received the ONZM in 2002 for services to the theatre and community.
Miranda’s work has not only been involved with the stage and screen. She has written work, and performed in a wide variety of venues including in prisons where her interest in drama therapy has been put to good use. She has taught drama and from 1999 – 2007 was the Head of Acting at Toi Whakaari, and been an acting coach to international stars in a number of feature films.
More recently Miranda has written and directed work with her mother, Kate Harcourt – Flowers from my mother’s garden, and with her husband, Stuart McKenzie – Biography of my skin, both of which deal with personal family issues. Together they have has also recently published a children’s book directed at preschoolers.
Miranda’s connection with the school has continued through her teaching activities, her attendance at Old Girls’ functions and most recently as a consultant on the new Creative Arts Centre.
Miranda’s adage “ I want to do as much as I possibly can in as many media and not become addicted to any one” shows her deep understanding of the theatre world and the need to have a wide appreciation of all its facets in order to make a meaningful and positive contribution to the community and society.
Diana Lennon ONZM
Student at Marsden 1955(Primers) – 1966 (UVI)
Receives this award in recognition of her work in children’s health especially in the area of infectious diseases
Diana, the eldest of four daughters, completed all her school education at Marsden leaving as the 1966 Dux. A medical degree at Otago University followed, beginning a distinguished academic and medical career. Paediatrics was always an interest and after further study in the United States Diana returned to New Zealand to devote her time, research and energy to improving the health of New Zealand children as Senior Lecturer in Paediatric Infectious Diseases in 1982. She was appointed Professor of Paediatrics at Auckland University in 1988 and later in 1996, the Professor of Child and Youth Population Health. She is also the Paediatrician in Infectious Diseases at Starship hospital. She was Plunket Woman of the year in 1992, received the Dame Metge Medal from the Royal Society of New Zealand in 2008. In 2005 Diana was been made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to science and health.
Research in support of medicine has always been a priority for Diana. Her primary area of interest is infectious diseases in children and young people and their control by vaccine or other means. To this end she was closely involved in the nationwide meningococcal B vaccination programme and is currently working on a variety programmes to reduce the incidence of rheumatic fever in children. Her concern is largely for reducing healthcare access and housing disparities especially in Maori and Pacific populations.
Informing the profession by a variety of methods has also been important for Diana so that standards of care can be improved and knowledge shared.
When speaking of her rheumatic fever work Diana re-iterated a theme common in her career in the prevention of infectious diseases “Eradication must be a high priority for our community and should be a measure of how much we actually care for our children”.
Margaret Neave (1924-2007)
Marsden years: 1927-1937
This posthumous award recognises the contribution Dr Margaret Neave made to public health in New Zealand, the Pacific Islands and South East Asia.
Margaret’s Neave’s initial plan when she left school was to be a nurse, but this changed and during her time at Marsden and her desire to be a doctor meant the school had to make arrangements for scientific subjects to be made available. Leaving school in 1937 as dux, she went to Otago Medical School and graduated in 1943, and worked in the public hospitals in both Wellington and the Hutt Valley before furthering her study in paediatrics in Britain.
On her return she joined the Health Department. This stimulated her interest in children’s health in both Maori and Pacific Island communities and she volunteered to go to Western Samoa where she worked, with the local medical staff, to develop a maternal and child health programme. Service in Vietnam followed where her focus was on the children who were suffering from more than just the war going on around them. Fearless and innovative, Margie’s efforts were recognised when the Prime Minister, Norman Kirk, proposed and built a children’s’ ward at the Qui Nhon hospital in her honour.
Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, Laos, refugee camps in Hong Kong all followed as Margaret took her skills, good sense and Christian practicality to those in need – often as a volunteer for a variety of agencies.
Selfless, humble and inventive Margie avoided any honours, but kept close contact with her family and her school. In her early years she was often an inspirational speaker at Assembly and regularly enjoyed Old Girls functions.
Margie once said, “It’s been so very interesting seeing what the human race can do” and certainly Margaret Neave practised this to the full.
Sarah Billinghurst
Receives this award in recognition of her contribution to the Arts as an administrator both nationally and internationally.
Sarah’s career as an artistic administrator began in the 1970s when she moved to the United States having completed her Bachelor of Arts degree majoring in Political Science at Victoria University. Starting with voluntary work for the San Francisco Opera Company this soon led to permanent employment and eventually to the position of Artistic Administrator. Her skill and professionalism were sought after and in 1994 she moved to the Metropolitan Opera House in New York where she is Assistant Manager, Artistic with responsibility for all aspects of the 32 week annual Opera season amongst other activities.
Her career has brought her in contact not only with major opera artists such as Domingo, Pavorotti and Kiri Te Kanawa but also with the major opera companies of the world. A good business sense, organization and tact are cornerstones of her work as she is often in the position of dealing with emergencies and people and with “great and fragile egos”
Her responsibilities with the Met have also allowed her to extend the company’s performance to audiences beyond New York through the use of digital technology allowing broadcasts and high definition screenings of operas in cinemas throughout the world and New Zealand.
She returns to New Zealand often where she is on the Board of Kia Ora Foundation, a non profit organization which funds scholarships for educational purposes for New Zealand students. She is also continues to support opera in New Zealand through Wanganui Opera. She has maintained her interest in Marsden recognizes that her love of opera started at school with regular outings to concerts and opera performances in Wellington.
Full of energy she feels that chance and good fortune have led her to just the right career, both for her interests and her temperament, and she is totally absorbed, fulfilled and happy in its pursuit.
Jean Fleming, QSM
Receives this award in recognition of her research and teaching in various branches of science and most recently in the Centre for Science Communication at Otago University. As Professor of Science Communication she leads the popularising science stream of MSciComm students encouraging them to ensure the details and processes of science are made more accessible to the community at large.
Originally trained as a biochemist, Jean has followed a traditional scientific career path of professorship and research, with a particular interest in reproductive biology and feminist issues; she also maintains a life long interest in the New Zealand environment. Jean was a member of the Royal Commission on Genetic Modification, and has always been an advocate for women to be involved in science at all levels. She has convened and participated in many scientific conferences. Her professional work has taken her to university both within and outside New Zealand.
Her current work includes teaching and research into ovarian biology at Otago University but also in the field of popularising science – bringing all branches of science to the community in a readily understandable way. She uses the all forms of the media to achieve this.
Jean’s ties to the school are close although she readily admits that her own years were not easy ones. She followed her two elder sisters though the school in the 1960s, her nieces followed the family tradition, and her great nieces are currently pupils. Jean’s acceptance of her difficulties at school have allowed her to acknowledge the impact it has had on her life and career and she has returned to the school on several occasions and opened the new science labs in 2001.
In her new role her aim is to “produce a new generation of young scientists more capable of getting their message across to young and old”.
Fiame Naomi Mata’afa
Receives this award in recognition of her public service to her people, particularly women and children in Western Samoa in promoting and advocating socio-economic and political equality.
Born in to a family of political and “ethnic’ leaders Fiame has used her traditional status, her education and political position to help bridge the gap between traditional and modern way of life for Samoan people. She was the first female Cabinet Minister of Western Samoa and is currently one of the longest serving Members of Parliament.
For fifteen years Fiame was the Minister of Education where she aimed to implement many of UNESCO’s Education for All (EFA) goals, working all levels of education from early childhood education to mentoring and training young women in IT and business skills. In her role as Minister she sat on many international boards including UNESCO, The World Meteorological Organization and the YWCA, as well as local organizations such as the Samoan National Council of Women and the Inailau Women’s Leadership Network. She was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2005.
After the 2006 elections she requested a change of portfolio and is now the Minister for Women, Community and Social Development; the Public Service Commission, the Remuneration Tribunal and the Office of the Ombudsman. In this role her Ministry offers political advice, social development sustainable economic development and local governance to communities throughout the country.
During the inaugural student trip to Safotu in Savaii (2010) Fiame gathered together other Marsden Old girls living in Samoa to share their experiences of Marsden life with current students.
Fiame’s wish is that “by 2015, despite missed deadlines thus far we will have achieved the set goals [EFA]. Our sub-region of small island states is working hard to hold up part of the sky through collaborative efforts….”
Katherine Mansfield
This posthumous award recognises the contribution Katherine Mansfield made to New Zealand literature.
Katherine Mansfield, for much of the 20th century was one of New Zealand’s best known writers. Her most popular and best loved short stories recall her childhood and love of New Zealand. Largely writing in England or France her work found a place in the modernist literary society of the period. Although much of her work was completed overseas, experts acknowledge that she herself considered herself a New Zealander “But New Zealand is in my very bones.”
A student at Fitzherbert Terrace School from 1900-1902 Kathleen Beauchamp was not an outstanding pupil although the first school history notes that “she lived though her schooldays with emotional intensity”. In 1903 she and her family left New Zealand for London where her father had a position in the Bank of New Zealand. Their return in 1906 was not a happy one for Kathleen who having experienced the excitement and sophistication of London longed to be back there. Although her father represented much of what his daughter disliked, he did support her ambition to be a writer and eventually allowed her to return to England.
Here, although continually troubled by illness, her writing began to be recognised through publication in magazines and developing friendships in a wide circle of famous literary individuals. Her place in New Zealand literature was largely recognised after her death. Her work is largely autobiographical using events and people to convey a message, and in her New Zealand stories these are largely experiences New Zealand readers are familiar with.
“You see, to me life and work are two things indivisible, it is only being true to life that I can be true to art – and to be true to life is to be good, sincere, simple and honest”
Picture: Katherine Mansfield, circa 1920. Location, and photographer, unidentified: (Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand, must be obtained before any re-use of this image)
Claudia Batten inducted 2009
This award recognizes the business acumen of Claudia Batten in developing computer software that downloads advertising into online video games. She and her business parters formed the international company Massive Inc. which was sold to Microsoft in 2006.
Leaving school in 1992, Claudia completed a Law degree with honours and a Commerce degree in Marketing and Management. She worked as a corporate lawyer in the Auckland office of Russell McVeagh specialising in contracts and technology law. She advised both the customers and the suppliers of companies on technology supply, licensing and outsourcing.
Moving to New York with her husband she continued legal work but combined it with business development fundraising and public relations.
In partnership with two Australians and a fellow kiwi she was involved in developing software which would download real-time advertising into the background features of video games while the user was online.
Finding this niche market was the key, but convincing large corporations that this was an innovative way to bring their product under the constant gaze of young Americans was more difficult.
Working on a very small budget, the team worked long hours to win companies such as Honda and Coca Cola as customers. As their company Massive Inc grew so did the Microsoft’s awareness of their success. In 2006 Massive was sold to Microsoft and Claudia is currently part of the Senior Management team as Vice President, Client Relations.
With her ethic of hard work and with a wide variety of skills Claudia was confident of the eventual success of Massive. She regards herself as a New Zealander and has joined the New Zealand Board of Trade and Enterprise’s Beachhead advisory group which connects New Zealand companies to an international network of advisors to provide valuable contacts, experience and expertise in specific markets. She has recently given feedback on the NZTE’s Digital Strategy 2.0
Valerie Cranfield (nee Handley) inducted 2009
Valerie Cranfield receives this award in recognition of her success as a business woman in the retail industry.
Brought up with a farming background, where her mother encouraged all her children to “go for it” if they had a good idea, Valerie started her career as an Economics teacher before family life intervened.
An enthusiastic shopper, but with an eye for quality, Valerie soon saw a niche market for handcrafted New Zealand made goods, which became a feature in her first shop “Mostly Floral” which became “the Kiwi shop” and led to the successful Cranfields stores.
Cranfields has grown from one in Wellington, to shops in Christchurch, Auckland and Melbourne.
In March 2009 Valerie accepted the GIA Award (Global Innovation Award) for the top homeware store for New Zealand, presented to her in Chicago and was among 26 country winners considered for the top global award
The success of this enterprise can be attributed to Valerie’s philosophy that good business is as much about commonsense and affordability versus practicality, hard work, and sacrifice as it is about good management. Instinct on stock selection and knowing her clients mean that the stock is refreshed regularly from New Zealand craftspeople and artisans from abroad. Good business practice through research, taking risks, adapting to change and responding to opportunities are all evident in the success of Cranfields.
Catherine Savage inducted 2008
2008 Laureate and Chairman of the Marsden Board of Management, Catherine Savage qualified as an accountant.
Her career has taken her from an accounting firm, to the National Gas Corporation and finally to AMP Capital Investors (New Zealand) Limited where, until recently, she was Managing Director with responsibility for setting the company’s strategic direction with its Board.
Trust and social responsibility are cornerstones of Catherine’s business ethic. She trusts staff to be accountable for their own decisions, and this, she believes, goes hand in hand with a responsibility to grow the funds of the community.
Beyond investment, Catherine is a member of the New Zealand Institute’s Think Tank, the Supporters’ Council of Enterprise New Zealand, and the Economic Committee of the Wellington Regional Strategy Committee. She is married with three children and has a personal interest in organic food.
By her own admission, Catherine grew up being told “she could do anything”. This allowed her to plan her goals, making choices and decisions as she set out to achieve them. She believes that success, both in career and in personal life, is based more on mental attitude than mental capacity.
Juliet McKee (nee Broad) inducted 2008
Juliet McKee's career as an economist has taken her all over the world. Completing an economics degree at Victoria University, Juliet worked in the Reserve Bank and Cabinet Office for several years before moving overseas and beginning employ in international bodies such as the Commonwealth Secretariat and the United Nations. Returning to New Zealand she formed her own company “Broad Horizons Limited” providing training and advice on governance to directors of corporate bodies, not-for-profit organisations and government bodies both in New Zealand and overseas – particularly in the Pacific. Business ethics and recognition of social responsibility and diversity are elements of corporate behaviour that Juliet espouses.
Juliet’s diverse experience has been harnessed by many Boards including NZ Windfarms Ltd., Coast Health Care, Wellington Airport, NZ-On-Air, St James Theatre Ltd and the Management Board of Marsden School.
Juliet won the Institute of Directors study award to London in 1994. She is an Accredited Fellow of the New Zealand Institute of Directors, and is an Honorary Fellow of the Victoria University School of Government.
Juliet was awarded the Queens Service Order for Public Service in 1996 and a Commonwealth Medal for Community Service in 1990.
While Juliet believes women can do anything, she also believes that a good balance of skills is more valid for a job than gender. Successful in business and as a mother, Juliet is a role model for young women of today who wish to achieve in both professional and domestic lives.
Bronwen Holdsworth (nee Pearson) inducted 2007
Bronwen Holdsworth is an entrepreneurial businesswoman who is known for her generosity to the community in her home town of Gisborne. She and her inventor engineer husband, Peter, left farming in 1983 to set up Pultron Composites Ltd, to become the biggest composite materials and technology pultrusion company in Australasia. The family business, still based in Gisborne, makes industrial, lifestyle and leisure products from a material which looks like plastic but feels like steel. Peter runs the technical and invention side of the business, while Mrs Holdsworth is the managing director, responsible for marketing, management and administration. She is also company secretary of Paringahau Farm Co Ltd, an agro-forestry business. Pultron, which exports most of its products, has won numerous business, quality and export awards.
A keen musician and accomplished pianist, Mrs Holdsworth has been involved with a large number of visual art, music, education and business organisations in Gisborne. Lately she has focussed on emerging artists, including sponsoring the Gisborne Music Competition prize for the best performance of a New Zealand composition. She says her family is committed to helping young composers and musicians develop their skills and expand their horizons.
Chosen as the 1988 MORE Businesswoman of the Year, Mrs Holdsworth was made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 1997 for services to business, the arts and the community. The Holdsworths have four children, all engineers.
In 1988, Mrs Holdsworth paid tribute to Marsden in a newspaper interview. “The women who taught me (at Marsden) inspired achievement,” she said.
Jenny Morel inducted 2007
Jenny Morel is one of Wellington’s most prominent businesswomen. After a career in merchant banking and directorships which included New Zealand Rail Ltd and The Rural Bank, in 1998 she set up her own investment bank with another partner, a high risk capital venture fund which became Morel & Co. A year later they formed No 8 Ventures Management Ltd, which invests in early stage New Zealand technology companies.
The fund has now invested in 14 young companies, from telco software to early stage human pharmaceuticals biotech. Several have grown to be international companies with significant operations outside New Zealand.
For No 8 Ventures, Jenny is chairman of Open Cloud Ltd, a director of Argent Networks Ltd, VCU Technology Ltd, Proacta Inc, Surveylab Ltd and GNM Ltd. Her past directorships include NZ Trade and Enterprise, Centreport Ltd, Trust Bank NZ Ltd, AgResearch Ltd, The Rural Bank and NZ Rail. She has been a member of the Council of the Institute of Directors in New Zealand, the NZ Arts Council, the Government’s ICT Taskforce and a Trustee of the Hi Growth Project which resulted from that. She is chairman of the Hi Tech Association which organises the Hi Tech Awards in New Zealand and a trustee of the Jayar Charitable Trust.
Recognised in 2006 as a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for Services to Business, Jenny is highly respected in the financial world for her determination, formidable intellect and passion for helping young, innovative businesses. Her entrepreneurial flair is combined with sober banking insight and an ability to analyse quickly and clearly the causes and solutions to problems. Jenny is married with two sons, studying in the United States at Stanford and Harvard.