The Philippine Embassy is proud to announce that Ms. Anita Mansell, a Filipino community leader in Wellington, was named as one of the awardees of The Queen’s Service Medal for service to the Filipino Community during the celebration of the Queen’s Birthday on 6 June 2011. The Philippine Embassy congratulated Ms. Mansell on this achievement which was given to her in recognition of her voluntary service to the community.
Ms. Mansell has been an active leader in both the Filipino and multi-ethnic communities in Wellington for many years now. She has been President of the Hutt Multi-Cultural Council since 2003. She also revived the Ethnic Women’s Group in New Zealand and has played an active role in the Women’s Council of the New Zealand Federation on Multi-cultural Councils and in the Human Rights International Film Festival. Ms. Mansell is also involved in working groups on government initiatives such as the National Police Ethnic Strategy and the Refugee Health and Well-being Forums
The New Zealand Filifest Dance Group that she started 2005 is known for its exquisite performances of Philippine native dances. Through her twenty-eight (28) years of residency in New Zealand , Ms. Mansell had also taken active roles in the leadership of Filipino organizations such as the Wellington International Filipino Society and the Mabuhay Association and has always been supportive of the Philippine Embassy’s activities particularly during Philippine Independence Day celebrations, the ASEAN Night Market and other socio-cultural events wherein performances of Philippine dances are needed. Ms. Mansell hails from Cebu.
The Philippine Embassy notes that Ms. Mansell is the third person of Filipino descent having been granted a prestigious award from the Queen. There have been two (2) other Filipinos in New Zealand who were given such honors and they are Dr. Antonio Noblejas who was given the award in 2007 and Ms. Sylvia Zonoobi who was given the Order of Merit in 2003. Dr. Noblejas was also one of the recipients of the Banaag Award in the 2009 Presidential Awards for Individuals and Organizations Overseas administered by the Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO). On the other hand, Ms. Sylvia Zonoobi was awarded the New Zealand Order of Merit, an Order of Chivalry instituted by Royal Warrant for service to refugees and migrant communities in 2003.