Sir Robert Kinsela Workman (born ), commonly known as Kim Workman, is a New Zealand criminal justice advocate.

Career

Following the Dawn Raids, Workman resigned as a senior sergeant in

Lower Hutt Lower Hutt ( mi, Te Awa Kairangi ki Tai) is a city in the Wellington Region of New Zealand. Administered by the Hutt City Council, it is one of the four cities that constitute the Wellington metropolitan area. It is New Zealand's sixth most p ...

police force over his opposition to the racism displayed in the police response. He served as Families Commissioner between 2008 and 2011, having previously been the national director of Prison Fellowship New Zealand. Workman has been a long-time advocate of prisoners' rights and for reform in the criminal justice system: he founded the Robson Hanan Trust, which is responsible for the Rethinking Crime and Punishment strategy, and was also the founder of JustSpeak, a youth network seeking changes in the criminal justice system, in 2011. From 2012 to 2013, he was a member of board of the Prisoners Aid and Rehabilitation Trust, and in 2013 he was appointed as an adjunct research fellow at

Victoria University of Wellington Victoria University of Wellington ( mi, Te Herenga Waka) is a university in Wellington, New Zealand. It was established in 1897 by Act of Parliament, and was a constituent college of the University of New Zealand. The university is well know ...

's Institute of Criminology.

Honours

In the 2007 Queen's Birthday Honours, Workman was named a

Companion of the Queen's Service Order The Queen's Service Order, established by royal warrant of Queen Elizabeth II on 13 March 1975, is used to recognise "valuable voluntary service to the community or meritorious and faithful services to the Crown or similar services within the pu ...

, for services to prisoner welfare. In the

2019 New Year Honours The 2019 New Year Honours are appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms to various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by citizens of those countries. The New Year Honours are awarded as part of the New Year celebratio ...

, Workman was appointed a

Knight Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit The New Zealand Order of Merit is an order of merit in the New Zealand royal honours system. It was established by royal warrant on 30 May 1996 by Elizabeth II, Queen of New Zealand, "for those persons who in any field of endeavour, have ren ...

, for services to prisoner welfare and the justice sector. Workman has been conferred honorary Doctor of Literature degrees by both Victoria University of Wellington (2016) and Massey University (2017). He was named Senior New Zealander of the Year at the 2018

New Zealander of the Year Awards The New Zealander of the Year Awards, currently known as the Kiwibank New Zealander of the Year Awards, celebrate the achievements of New Zealanders, and were founded in 2010 by Australian Jeffrey John Hopp. Nominations are accepted from the gen ...

Personal life

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the C ...

descent, Workman affiliates to

Ngāti Kahungunu ki Wairarapa Ngāti Kahungunu ki Wairarapa is a tribal division within the Māori iwi (tribe) of Ngāti Kahungunu in the south-east of New Zealand's North Island. It consists of a number of hapū (sub-tribes) located within the rohe (tribal area) north of the ...

References

Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Ngāti Kahungunu people New Zealand public servants Prison reformers Social justice activists Victoria University of Wellington faculty New Zealand criminologists Companions of the Queen's Service Order Knights Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit 1940s births {{NewZealand-bio-stub