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In a significant recognition of his life’s work, Gary Williams, a foundation member of our board, has been awarded the Companion of the King’s Service Order (KSO) for his transformative advocacy for survivors of abuse in care.
For Williams (Ngāti Porou), this latest honour – following his 2012 Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit (MNZM) – marks another milestone in a journey that began with his own experience of institutional care. Through decades of dedicated advocacy, he has emerged as a powerful voice for change, working as a specialist consultant to government and non-government organisations, and serving through organisations including Ngā Hau e Whā National Marae, the VisAble Trust, and as Patron of My Home, My Choice.
His impact resonates beyond New Zealand’s shores. As the country’s non-official representative during negotiations for the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, Williams helped shape international disability rights policy. Since 2019, his role as a member of the Survivor Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE) for the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Historical Abuse in State Care and Faith-based Institutions has been crucial in ensuring disabled survivors’ experiences are heard and understood.
Throughout his career, Williams has been a particularly powerful advocate for tāngata whaikaha Māori and disabled survivors from state care, challenging systemic barriers and advocating for fundamental change in New Zealand’s approach to disability rights and institutional care.
“This honour recognises Gary’s unwavering dedication to advancing the rights of tāngata whaikaha and his tireless advocacy for disabled survivor voices,” Megan Thomas, CEO said. “His work, though challenging, has been vital in creating meaningful change.”
When asked what drives his decades of advocacy work, Williams’ response cuts to the heart of the issue: “The system reduces people to a thing. I want people to be seen as people.” This fundamental belief underpins his approach to advocacy, which he describes as “changing mindsets, disturbing the status quo, so we continuously make things easier for disabled people to have control. From control comes choice.”
Reflecting on the evolution of disability rights, Williams acknowledges progress while emphasising the work ahead: “The fact that disabled people are not ‘things’ but people, and that disabled people know what’s best for them – these changes signify the path from where we came to where we are now. Of course there are so many more things to do, and we need more people and more ideas to get to making this world a better and more accessible place for all.”
As a board member at Your Way | Kia Roha, Williams sees organisational governance as another avenue for change: “I joined the board to be part of a team that comes up with new ideas to address the needs of disabled people, based on our values.”
His message to the next generation of advocates is both encouraging and challenging: “Stick at it. Keep going, even if they get disappointed by the outcomes. Every good idea has its time and it is worth keeping. When the time comes, get people to work with you. Everything is possible; it just takes conviction, the right time and the right people.”
Williams emphasises the crucial role of young voices in the ongoing fight for disability rights: “We need young people to come forward because, while we know how to get to our destination, we need voices and ideas to be heard and actioned.”
