The announcement was made at the 2024 Inspirational Women Awards and Gala for Women’s Refuge on Saturday night, which raised more than $23,000 for family violence victims in the Queenstown Lakes district.
Now in its third year, the event was founded by Julia Strelou, of Queenstown, to fundraise to establish a safe house in the district while also celebrating female change-makers — to date, it has raised almost $80,000 for Women’s Refuge Services and Central Lakes Family Services.
Ms Strelou said while it was "phenomenal news", the event was still needed — although it would be held every other year in future — "because our statistics haven’t yet changed".
For the first time this year, women from across New Zealand were celebrated in two new categories in the Inspirational Women Awards.
Former Telecom chief executive and co-founder of My Food Bag Dame Theresa Gattung, who is also a women’s empowerment advocate, entrepreneur and philanthropist, was named New Zealand Woman of the Year.
Dr Assil Russell, a specialist endodontist and humanitarian, was the first winner of the Change-Maker of the Year award.
Dr Russell, of Auckland, founded ICare in 2010 to aid orphans and widows in Iraq, where she volunteers annually.
The following year she launched Revive a Smile, New Zealand’s only dental charity, directing a mobile clinic providing free dental care and education nationwide.
In the Otago categories, Victoria Crockford, the former chief executive of Community Housing Aotearoa who now leads the Coalition to End Women’s Homelessness, won the Inspirational Woman award, while Heidi Renata, renowned for her global impact on tech innovation and community empowerment — named Otago Daily Times Business Leader of the Year in 2022 — won the Entrepreneurial Woman award.
Foster Hope Otago and Blind Citizens Otago Network co-ordinator Juanita Willems, of Dunedin, won the Community Woman award, while Over The Top — The Helicopter Company founder and chief executive Louisa Patterson won the Resilient Woman award, for her work developing aviation safety device Eye in The Sky.
The People’s Choice awards winners were Sally Woods, of Queenstown, owner of Fierce Grace Yoga, and Miss Auckland 2023 Britney Pringle.
