Ria Mcbride Management Award Recognises Outstanding Women Public Servants

The State Services Commissioner, Michael Wintringham, in conjunction with the New Horizons for Women Trust, today announced that Leanne Gibson, IT Customer Services Manager at the Ministry of Social Development, is the winner of the Ria McBride Management Award.

Ms Gibson is the fourth winner of the Ria McBride Public Service Management Award, which provides a grant of $15,000 for study and associated costs," he said.

The Award's namesake was an outstanding woman public servant of her generation. Ria McBride joined the Public Service Commission (the predecessor of the State Services Commission) in 1946 and in 1955 became the first woman appointed to the prestigious position of Chief Clerk.

She overcame many barriers. She fought not only for her own right to a career, but for better pay and conditions for women across the Public Service.

"Like Ria McBride, Leanne Gibson is a role model for women in the Public Service. Ms Gibson leads a team of 80 staff in the largest information technology organisation in government and the fifth largest IT organisation in New Zealand.

She intends to use her Award to complete a Master of Public Management through the School of Government at Victoria University.

"Compared with Miss McBride's day, the current generation of talented women public servants have many more opportunities for advancement.

"The government jobsite http://www.jobs.govt.nz , features profiles of enthusiastic and skilled women public servants - some doing jobs that were undreamt of in Miss McBride's day. But we can still do better.

"In July this year a new senior leadership and development strategy was launched for the Public Service. The main aim of this strategy is to build a group of home grown talented managers of the required quality, quantity and diversity to meet the future needs of the Public Service," Mr Wintringham said.

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