Ranjna Patel

Ranjna Patel
ONZM QSM JP
Patel in 2017
Known forFounding Gandhi Nivas family violence prevention service

Ranjna Patel ONZM QSM JP is the founder of the Gandhi Nivas family violence prevention programme in New Zealand.

Work

Patel founded the Gandhi Nivas family violence prevention programme in 2014. The programme partners with Counties Manukau Police and Sahaayta Counseling and Social Support to deliver services to New Zealand men considered at risk of committing domestic violence, to support them to change their behaviour.[1] The "ground-breaking" programme removes men from the family home and places them in specially-run homes in order to support them to understand and change their behaviour. In nearly 60% of cases, men who have completed the programme do not go on to re-offend.[2]

Patel is also a co-founder and director of Tamaki Health, a primary healthcare group.[1]

Patel sits on a number of advisory boards, including New Zealand Police's National Ethnic Forum, the Mental Health Foundation and Diversity Works, New Zealand's national body for workplace diversity and inclusion.[1][3]

Honours and awards

In the 2009 New Year Honours, Patel was awarded the Queen's Service Medal, for services to the Indian community.[4] In the 2017 New Year Honours, she was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to health and the Indian community.[5] Also in 2017, Patel was the NEXT Woman of the Year in the Business & Innovation category.[6]

In 2020, Patel received a Community Hero award at the New Zealand Women of Influence Awards, for her work reducing family violence.[1] In 2021, she was awarded Innovator of the Year in the New Zealander of the Year Awards.[7]

References

  1. ^ a b c d "2020 Winners". Women of Influence. Archived from the original on 3 May 2021. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
  2. ^ "Male violence: How the groundbreaking Gandhi Nivas programme is reducing family harm". NZ Herald. Archived from the original on 1 May 2021. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
  3. ^ "Ranjna Patel". mentalhealth.org.nz. Archived from the original on 1 May 2021. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
  4. ^ "New Year honours list 2009". Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. 31 December 2008. Archived from the original on 14 April 2019. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
  5. ^ "New Year honours list 2017". Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. 31 December 2016. Archived from the original on 28 May 2021. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
  6. ^ Clifton, Emma. "NEXT Woman of the Year winners' stories". Now To Love. Archived from the original on 6 June 2021. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
  7. ^ "The 'Covid lady' wins New Zealander of the Year". Newsroom. 1 April 2021. Archived from the original on 18 October 2021. Retrieved 1 May 2021.