Ngā mihi nui ki a koutou and warm congratulations to Global Women members Ranjna Patel, Ruth Richardson and Chris Duggan, for their recognition in the King’s Birthday Honours List 2025! We are delighted to celebrate this deserved acknowledgement of these three wāhine, who are role models and trailblazers for women in Aotearoa and abroad.
Ranjna Patel
Founder and Director of Tāmaki Health, Ranjna Patel (ONZM, QSM, JP) is an entrepreneur and philanthropist, and established leader in the Indian community of South Auckland. Founder of Ghandi Nivas, an initiative providing early prevention services for people at risk of committing family harm, a trustee for the Swaminarayan Temple, Ranjna was the first woman President of the Manukau Indian Association. She is a leader dedicated to service, who actively uplifts women and ethnic communities through her work.
Ranjna has been appointed a Dame Companion to the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to ethnic communities, health and family violence prevention.
Ruth Richardson
A public policy consultant and governance director, the Honourable Ruth Margaret Richardson was Minister of Finance from 1990 to 1993. Since leaving parliament, Ruth has advised sovereign governments, international agencies, ministries of finance, and private sector agencies across Aotearoa and the globe. In her work as a governance director, Ruth serves as the Chair of Syft Technologies Ltd, New Zealand Merino Company Ltd, and the Kula Fund. She is also a director of Synlait Milk Ltd and Bank of China Ltd.
Ruth has been appointed a Companion to the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services as a Member of Parliament and to governance.
Chris Duggan
House of Science Chief Executive Officer Welmoed (Chris) Duggan is a trained biochemist and taught secondary school science, biology and chemistry for 15 years in the Bay of Plenty region. In 2013, Chris established House of Science, a charitable trust that produces fully bilingual science resource kits for primary and intermediate schools across Aotearoa. Aligned to the NZ curriculum and incorporating mātauranga Māori, these kits have supported teachers to deliver quality hands-on science lessons to more than 200,000 students.
Chris has been appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to science education.
Whakamihi ki a koutou! Congratulations to Ranjna, Ruth and Chris, and a further congratulations to all of the remarkable Aotearoa leaders honoured in the King’s Birthday Honours List.
The full list of King’s Birthday Honours recipients for 2025 is available here.