Honour for board member

We’re thrilled an ŌCHT board member was recognised in the Queen’s Birthday honours.

ŌCHT board member Stephen Phillips was named a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to seniors and the community.

Stephen Phillips is a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to seniors and the community.

Stephen’s been an independent Ōtautahi Community Housing Trust trustee since 2016. He’s helped guide the Trust from inception and into a period of remarkable and rapdi growth.

He was chief executive of Age Concern Canterbury from 2008 to 2012 and has been vice president of Age Concern New Zealand since 2020.

He was a national board member from 2017 and a Canterbury board member from 2014.

He has been deputy chairman of the Canterbury District Health Board consumer council and a trustee of Canterbury Health Care for Elderly Trust since 2017.

The honours’ citation says Stephen empowered older people by establishing, promoting and supporting initiatives to improve the quality of services.

He has contributed to the development of city-wide policies to promote inclusive communities and ensured funding for organisations working with seniors.

Stephen was also instrumental in setting up service desks after the 2011 Canterbury earthquake. He was convenor of all service desks in Canterbury from 2012 to 2016.

Stephen has been a Justice of the Peace since 1996. He has had multiple governance roles with the Canterbury Justices of the Peace Association (CJPA) including as president from 2011 to 2013 and a council member from 2006 to 2015.

He has also been involved with the CPJA centennial 2018 committee.

Congratulations Stephen, from the ŌCHT team.