Race unity work brings Queen’s Birthday honour
In this year’s Queen’s Birthday Honours, Mrs Beverley Watson has been appointed as an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for making “a significant contribution to promoting positive race relations in New Zealand”. A large proportion of that service has been her work in organising the Race Unity Speech Awards over the past 20 years.
Bev has also made notable contributions in support of several other aspects of human rights and social wellbeing in Aotearoa. The official citation states that her award is for “services to race relations and youth” and continues:
Mrs Bev Watson has made a significant contribution to promoting positive race relations in New Zealand since the 1990s.
Mrs Watson has made a significant contribution to the youth of New Zealand through her work in designing, implementing and sustaining a national annual speech competition on the importance of race unity. She has been Director of Race Unity Speech Awards and Hui since 2001 and the competition now extends to hundreds of secondary schools nationally. She was a member of the Executive of the National Council of Women from 1997 to 2015 and was a member of the National Executive during the same period for the United Nations Association New Zealand. She was instrumental in establishing the Human Rights Network and was its co-founder and first secretary in the late 1990s. As a member of this network she became involved in a range of human rights issues and through action with partners in the Network has been able to raise awareness of a broad range of issues, including the religious persecution the Bahá’í community. She has advocated for families of Iranian diaspora and members of the Bahá’í minority religion in Iran, leading delegations to Ministers and liaising with the NGO sector. Mrs Watson helped draft the first National Statement on Religious Diversity in 2007.
Responding to the announcement, Bev said she felt “incredibly honoured” and commented: “The Speech Awards and Hui have been amazing projects to work on and it has been hugely gratifying to see the impact they have made on so many students. It is critical that the youth of New Zealand have an opportunity to help shape the conversation about racism and race unity in this country.”
In recent years Race Unity Hui have strengthened and multiplied, from a single national event held in conjunction with the Speech Awards, to regional hui as well. These events enable youth to discuss race relations issues, solutions, and practical plans in more depth. Following this year’s National Hui, a number of young people from around New Zealand are now planning similar gatherings in their own areas.
The speech awards originated out of a collaboration forged in establishing Race Relations Day celebrations in New Zealand in 1999. Bev was a driving force in this as director of the Bahá’í Office of External Affairs (now Office of Public Affairs), collaborating with the Human Rights Commission and, prior to his untimely passing in October 1998, with Hedi Moani (a devoted believer with a special interest in promoting race unity). Following Hedi’s tragic death, which the Universal House of Justice designated as a martyrdom, Bev was instrumental in establishing the Race Unity Speech Awards in his memory.
An event to mark the 20th anniversary of the Race Unity Speech Awards is planned for later this year and Bev is sure to feature prominently in the celebrations, alongside some of the many young people who have benefited from her work over the years.
A report of this year’s speech awards is published in an article headed “Kia kotahi te hoe — Paddle as one”.
Credit: The featured photo was taken by Sylvia Aston.
Photos below: Bev Watson at this year’s Race Unity Speech Awards, where she served as the timekeeper of the national final.
