Recognition for all Justices of the Peace
For Denise Hutchins, being a justice of the peace is all about helping people out.
‘‘I’m a grocer’s daughter from way back, so I was brought up with my parents in a shop – and it’s about giving people service,’’ she said yesterday.
In the 2019 New Year honours, Hutchins was made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for her services as a Justice of the Peace and to the health sector.
Hutchins has been a Justice of the Peace in Nelson since 2002.
She was appointed as president of the Royal Federation of New Zealand Justices Association from 2016 to 2018.
Hutchins said she was ‘‘surprised and delighted’’ to find out about her nomination.
‘‘I thought there’s thousands of justices throughout the country that give lots of their time,’’ she said.
‘‘They can’t all be acknowledged I guess, so I look at it really as not just for me, but for the office of Justice of the Peace.’’
Hutchins said she became a Justice of Peace as a way of giving back to the community.
‘‘I get a lot of pleasure from being able to help people get on with their lives easily, that’s what it’s about.’’
‘‘Justices of the Peace are the front facing part of the justice system.
‘‘Most New Zealanders won’t get into the court system, they may not ever go to a police station.
‘‘Most won’t go to the High Court but will need some service from a Justice of the Peace at some point in their lives.’’
Hutchins has also been involved in the health sector for 44 years, as both a nurse and a manager.
During that time, she served on several national bodies.
She was vice president of the New Zealand Nurses Association from 1989 to 1990, a member of the National Interim Provider Board from 1991 to 1993, and a member and chairwoman of the National Health Epidemiology and Quality Assurance Advisory Committee between 2002 and 2006.