To be a Companion of the Queen’s Service Order:
FANNING, Mr Francis Anthony
For services to the community
Mr Francis Fanning has undertaken voluntary community service for 45 years through a range of organisations, including in leadership and governance roles.
Mr Fanning began his involvement with the Sisters of Compassion in 1974, organising the annual Street Day Appeal raffle fundraiser for more than 20 years. He began volunteering with Wellington’s Compassion Soup Kitchen in the early 1990s, retiring from their meal services in late 2019, but continuing in a fundraising capacity. He volunteered with Wellington Night Shelter from 1990 to 1995. He joined the Soup Kitchen’s Board of Management in the 1990s, which later became the Suzanne Albert Compassion Centre, which he chaired from 2000 to 2008 before retiring from the Board in 2010. Under his leadership and direction, the Soup Kitchen grew to provide other support functions including emergency, transitional and long-term housing, assistance and facilitation with social welfare, employment and mental and physical health services. He has chaired Compassion Housing since 2017, which oversees 92 social housing units in Upper Hutt, having begun his involvement after retiring from the Soup Kitchen. He was instrumental in a joint venture with Willis Bond to purchase the social housing stock of Horowhenua District Council, bringing the total properties to 209. Mr Fanning is a member of Wellington South Rotary Club and has served three terms as President.
To be a Companion of the Queen’s Service Order:
SANDERS, Mr Jeffrey William (Jeff)
For services to social service governance
Mr Jeff Sanders has had a career with community-based social service and non-government organisations for 40 years.
Mr Sanders was a Methodist Presbyter from 1980 to 1988, General Manager for IHC New Zealand from 1989 to 2003, Director of Wesley Community Action from 2003 to 2005, Chief Executive of Relationships Aotearoa from 2005 to 2012 and Bamardos New Zealand from 2012 to 2019. Across these roles he has committed to supporting individuals and families to building future resilience. He advocated for building a more resilient NGO sector through more sustainable contracting and funding models by leading coordinated work programmes contributed to by Government, Māori, Pacific, and mainstream NGOs. Following the Christchurch earthquakes, Relationships Aotearoa coordinated and led the therapeutic response to the resulting trauma. He committed Barnardos to ensuring tamariki and rangatahi Māori experienced outcomes that were equal to or greater than the outcomes of non-Māori, and championed the organisation's Nga Pou e Wha Strategy for Māori Development. He has served on the Boards of the Community Social Services Industry Training Organisation, Wellington Night Shelter, and government task forces. He is currently a Board member of the Social Workers Registration Board, VOYCE Whakarongo Mai and the Roy McKenzie Centre for the Study of Families at Victoria University of Wellington and Chairs the Central Regional Health School.