Dame Reubina Ann Ballin (20 February 1932 – 2 September 2003) was a New Zealand psychologist and

victims' rights Victims' rights are legal rights afforded to victims of crime. These may include the right to restitution, the right to a victims' advocate, the right not to be excluded from criminal justice proceedings, and the right to speak at criminal just ...

advocate. In 2002, she was accorded New Zealand's highest civilian honour, membership of the Order of New Zealand.

Biography

Born in

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: People * Hamilton (name), a common British surname and occasional given name, usually of Scottish origin, including a list of persons with the surname ** The Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland ** Lord Hamilt ...

in 1932, Ballin was educated at St Hilda's Collegiate School in

Dunedin Dunedin ( ; mi, Ōtepoti) is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand (after Christchurch), and the principal city of the Otago region. Its name comes from , the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. Th ...

and

Waikato Diocesan School Waikato Diocesan School for Girls is a state-integrated single-sex girls' secondary school in Hamilton, New Zealand. It is an Anglican girls' Boarding school for students from Year 9 to Year 13. It also has day students. History Dio was first ...

in Hamilton. In her mid-teens, she suffered from a neurological condition that attacked her spinal column, confining her to a wheelchair for the remainder of her life. Ballin attended

Auckland University College , mottoeng = By natural ability and hard work , established = 1883; years ago , endowment = NZD $293 million (31 December 2021) , budget = NZD $1.281 billion (31 December 2021) , chancellor = Cecilia Tarrant , vice_chancellor = Dawn F ...

and the

University of Canterbury The University of Canterbury ( mi, Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha; postnominal abbreviation ''Cantuar.'' or ''Cant.'' for ''Cantuariensis'', the Latin name for Canterbury) is a public research university based in Christchurch, New Zealand. It was ...

, graduating BA in 1961 and MA in 1964. A qualified psychologist, she worked as a student counsellor at the University of Canterbury from 1974 to 1986, and served as president of the

New Zealand Psychological Society The New Zealand Psychological Society (NZPsS) is one of the professional associations for psychologists in New Zealand. It is the largest professional body for psychologists in New Zealand, providing for both research psychologists and practic ...

from 1979 to 1980. She chaired the Victims’ Task Force from 1988 to 1993 and pioneered changes in the criminal justice system to improve justice for victims of crime. Between 1987 and 1995, she chaired the New Zealand Council for Recreation and served on the Hillary Commission on Recreation and Sport from 1987 to 1990. From 1987 to 1988, she was a member of the Royal Commission on Social Policy and between 1980 and 1982 she was chairperson of the national committee of the

International Year of Disabled Persons The year 1981 was proclaimed the International Year of Disabled Persons (IYDP) by the United Nations. It called for a plan of action with an emphasis on equalization of opportunities, rehabilitation and prevention of disabilities. The slogan of I ...

. Ballin died in

Christchurch Christchurch ( ; mi, Ōtautahi) is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. Christchurch lies on the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula on Pegasus Bay. The Avon River / ...

on 2 September 2003.

Honours and awards

In the 1982 New Year Honours, Ballin was appointed a

Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

, for services to the disabled. She was promoted to Dame Commander of the same order in the

1993 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 1993 were appointments by most of the 16 Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries, and honorary ones to citizens of other countr ...

, for services to the community. Ballin received the

New Zealand 1990 Commemoration Medal The New Zealand 1990 Commemoration Medal was a commemorative medal awarded in New Zealand in 1990 to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi, and was awarded to approximately 3,000 people. Background The New Zea ...

, and was awarded an honorary

LittD Doctor of Letters (D.Litt., Litt.D., Latin: ' or ') is a terminal degree in the humanities that, depending on the country, is a higher doctorate after the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree or equivalent to a higher doctorate, such as the Doctor ...

degree by the University of Canterbury in 2001. In the 2002 Queen's Birthday and Golden Jubilee Honours, Ballin was appointed an additional member of the Order of New Zealand.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ballin, Ann 1932 births 2003 deaths People from Hamilton, New Zealand People educated at St Hilda's Collegiate School People educated at Waikato Diocesan School University of Auckland alumni University of Canterbury alumni New Zealand psychologists New Zealand activists New Zealand women activists New Zealand Dames Commander of the Order of the British Empire Members of the Order of New Zealand New Zealand public servants 20th-century psychologists