Commitment to social equity wins recognition
university-of-waikato
Tue Aug 25 2009 12:00:00 GMT+1200 (New Zealand Standard Time)
Commitment to social equity wins recognition
Tuesday, 25 August 2009, 10:41 am
Press Release: University of Waikato
Media Release
August 25, 2009
Commitment to social equity wins recognition from University of Waikato
Equal Employment Opportunities Commissioner Dr Judy McGregor, CNZM, is to be officially recognised by the University of Waikato for her exemplary contribution to human rights, equal employment opportunities and the media, and in particular for her tireless championship of women in leadership.
She is one of three alumni to be given Distinguished Alumni Awards on September 4 at a university function hosted by the Chancellor, former Prime Minister Jim Bolger, and the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Roy Crawford.
Dr McGregor is recognised nationally and internationally for her work on human rights advocacy and policy-making. As EEO Commissioner for the Human Rights Commission, her current focus is on pay equity, ageism in the workplace and matters around redundancy.
She graduated from the University of Waikato in 1970 with a Bachelor of Arts, and went on to qualify in law before gaining a doctorate in political communication. Starting as the founding editor of Waikato’s student newspaper Nexus, she has had a distinguished career in journalism during which she was editor of the Sunday News and the Auckland Star.
Moving into academia, she subsequently published widely on communication and the media, and the power of the press to present ideas. She is both a passionate supporter and trenchant critic of public service broadcasting, and has served on the Broadcasting Standards Authority.
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In 2004, Dr McGregor was awarded the Companion of New Zealand Order of Merit (CNZM) for services to journalism. She currently works internationally with emerging human rights institutions in Jordan, Palestine, Nepal and the Maldives on media development strategies.
During her tenure as a professor at Massey University, Dr McGregor founded the New Zealand Centre for Women and Leadership, publishing three major surveys on women’s participation in leadership roles. She was also instrumental in setting up the New Zealand Women in Leadership Programme (NZWIL) in 2007, the first nationwide attempt to boost the number of women in senior academic roles.
“Dr McGregor is a woman of integrity, intelligence and courage who has given considerable public service to New Zealand,” said Prof Crawford. “In her commitment to the pursuit of excellence and social equity, she has exhibited all the characteristics of the best of graduates from the University of Waikato.”
“The University of Waikato opened up to me the power and privilege of education and to the influence of journalism,” said Dr McGregor. “I’ll always be grateful for the fantastically rich undergraduate life experienced at Waikato, and to the inspiration provided by the academics who taught me.”
The university’s distinguished alumni awards are made each year to no more than three people. They recognise and celebrate Waikato University alumni who have made an outstanding contribution to their profession, to the community, to the arts or sport, or to more than one of these areas since graduation from Waikato University.
The other two recipients this year are disarmament expert Alyn Ware and celebrity chef Annabelle White. All three recipients will be presented with a limited edition cast-glass figure created exclusively for the award.
ends
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