HONOUR FOR AROHA RERITI-CROFTS
Netball legend and real estate advocate Joan Harnett-Kindley says it was ‘‘always a battle’’ championing women in male-dominated worlds, but she’s proud her work has been recognised.
Harnett-Kindley was a trailblazer for netball in the 1960s, helping popularise the sport as a rising star, before going on to become one of the first female advocates for the real estate industry.
She has now been made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit (ONZM) for services to netball and the real estate industry in the 2020 Queen’s Birthday Honours.
Her life as a champion for women began with some advice from her mother.
‘‘My mother always said: ‘Women can do anything if they put their mind to it’. I must have listened to her.’’
She said netball was largely ignored in New Zealand when she was selected for the national team in 1963.
‘‘When I first started, women got very little publicity in sport. It was all rugby and nothing else in those days. We had to fight for recognition,’’ she said. ‘‘The media just always said the public don’t want it and we can’t give you any television coverage.
‘‘It was a battle, but when the public did get to see the sport they realised it was a good game to be part of and to watch and it started to come away.’’
She went on to play more than 100 matches for the national team between 1963 and 1974, including 23 matches across three World Cups, and became an inaugural inductee into the New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame in 1990.
‘‘The greatest moment for me was winning the World Cup in 1967.’’
After her sporting career, she moved into real estate and again became a champion for women. She was the first woman to be made a life member of the Real Estate Institute of New Zealand.
‘‘Similarly, in real estate it was a man’s world and there were just a handful of women. Women were always good at it, so it was an area worth breaking into and championing women again.
‘‘The biggest achievement in real estate would have been my life membership. I was the first woman to receive life membership.’’
She said she was delighted by the honour. ‘‘I have had a great life really. Everything I have done has been a pleasure.
‘‘I loved my sport and my business career. I set my goals and followed them through. I have championed women. It was always a battle though.’’
Ma¯ ori leader and women’s advocate Aroha Reriti-Crofts became a dame in this year’s Queen’s Birthday Honours.
The Christchurch resident was honoured for services to Ma¯ ori and the community after decades of public service. She has advocated for women’s health issues, represented Nga¯ i Tahu and influenced the rebuild of Christchurch after the 2011 Canterbury earthquakes. She has been a member of the Ma¯ori Women’s Welfare League since 1968, serving as international president for three years, represented the Nga¯i Tuahuriri ru¯nanga at Nga¯i Tahu, and was a board member of Nga¯ i Tahu Development Corporation.
She has advised on the rebuild of Christchurch as chair of the Matapopore Charitable Trust, which has helped incorporate Ma¯ori motifs and concerns in rebuild projects. The trust oversaw design elements like whariki (welcome) mats incorporated into the Avon riverside walkway, along with other design elements at the Margaret Mahy playground, Victoria Square and the new bus interchange.
Other South Islanders honoured include Olympic gold medallist Barry Maister, environmentalist Anne Richardson and musician Tom Rainey.