Photo: Libby Kirkby-McLeod/RNZ
Teacher, lawyer, judge and head of a royal commission - Dame Coral Shaw's career has always been about giving back to those most vulnerable.
The 78-year-old has been made a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit and is enjoying her second retirement, volunteering at her local Citizens Advice Bureau.
The first time she tried to retire, she was appointed a commissioner of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care. Partway through she was made chair.
The findings, released in June 2024, ran to 2500 pages and catalogued a litany of abuse inside state and religious institutions between 1950 and 1999.
She told RNZ she was accepting the honour on behalf of the various organisations she had worked with.
"I hope just by having this honour, I can continue to advocate for the systemic changes needed [that] are vital if we're not to repeat the errors of the past."
New Years Honours are shrouded in secrecy with strict embargoes being enforced until the last day of the year.
So, after learning she was being considered for the honour, Dame Coral kept it a secret from family - even from her husband. She said her family's love and pride would have resulted in the secret getting out.
"I've kept it ent
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