Susan Jane Huhana Hickey is a New Zealand Māori lawyer and

disability advocate The disability rights movement is a global social movement that seeks to secure equal opportunities and equal rights for all people with disabilities. It is made up of organizations of disability activists, also known as disability advocate ...

Biography

Hickey grew up in Taranaki, in New Zealand's North Island. She left high school after three years' study and initially trained to be a nurse aide, however had to discontinue her training when the symptoms of her

multiple sclerosis Multiple (cerebral) sclerosis (MS), also known as encephalomyelitis disseminata or disseminated sclerosis, is the most common demyelinating disease, in which the insulating covers of nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord are damaged. This d ...

began to increase. She enrolled at the University of Waikato to study psychology and later law. Hickey completed a PhD in law at the university, becoming the first Māori woman, second Māori and first disabled person to do so. In 2008, Hickey became the first lawyer to work for Auckland Disability Law. Hickey is a member of the New Zealand Human Rights Review Tribunal. Hickey became a member of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2015 for services to people with disabilities. She served on the board of Housing New Zealand 2018-2019.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hickey, Huhana Living people Year of birth missing (living people) Whakatōhea people University of Waikato alumni Members of the New Zealand Order of Merit New Zealand Māori women academics New Zealand women academics New Zealand Māori academics