New Zealander of the Year nominee – David White

White Ribbon Ambassador David White has recently been announced as a nominee for the 2020 New Zealander of the Year Awards. We couldn’t be more thrilled that David’s tireless work to prevent violence is being celebrated. He is a thoroughly deserving candidate for this prestigious award.

Eleven years ago David’s daughter Helen Meads was shot dead by her millionaire racehorse breeder husband Greg Meads. To ensure tragic stories like his daughter’s aren’t repeated David has spent the last seven years sharing his experience with people all over New Zealand. His commitment to changing New Zealand society for the better in the face of immense personal loss is inspiring. This year David embarked on his Harm Ends Futures Begin tour visiting each of the 71 electorates, making 120 presentations from February until the end of May.

David White on Good Morning in 2014

His work has helped to bring domestic violence out of the shadows where it has thrived for far too long. Recently David has stepped back from some of his work on  government committees and working groups in an attempt at retirement but he is still committed to changing the culture around men’s violence towards women and he continues to work with Police and Corrections to that end.

We are extremely grateful for David’s advocacy for White Ribbon and his powerful delivery of the kaupapa wherever he goes. He has travelled New Zealand on the White Ribbon Ride connecting with people in small communities and sharing his story. We regularly get requests for him to speak at community events and he always makes it a priority. In addition to all the time he has put into connecting with individuals and advising on committees David has also written two books Helen: the Helen Meads tragedy in 2012 and Family Violence: Lifting New Zealand’s Dark Cloud in 2016.

Since their inception in 2010 these awards have celebrated some remarkable New Zealanders. The 2019 New Zealander of the year Mike King has used the platform to focus national attention on the impact of mental health issues, particularly among Maori and young people. We think David would be the perfect successor to Mike King as he has demonstrated the same passion to foster vital change in our society and eliminate men’s violence towards women.