JOHNSON, Mr Samuel Robert (Sam) (GAP, 2007)
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit
For services to the community and youth.
Mr Sam Johnson is a recognised civic entrepreneur and an advocate for the role of volunteers and young people in society.
Mobilising more than 11,000 university students in response to the Christchurch Earthquakes, Mr Johnson founded the Student Volunteer Army. He grew the organisation into a national volunteering centre that operates in 258 secondary schools, six universities, in Tasmania and South Australia, and in partnership with IHC to recognise volunteers with intellectual disabilities. As Chief Executive, he led more than 20 domestic disaster response efforts including the significant mobilisation of volunteers nationwide for the COVID-19 pandemic and the Nelson flood response, where 300 volunteers supported 110 households. He is respected globally for his approach to community mobilisations. He has worked alongside the United Nations Office for Disasters to mobilise global youth support for the 2015 Sendai Framework, embedding youth participation in global risk governance. He has served on a Christchurch City Council Community Board, with the Plunket Foundation, Ministry of Awesome, the International Association for Volunteer Effort, and the Pacific Development and Conservation Trust. He was a founding trustee of The King’s Trust Aotearoa New Zealand, contributing to the development of its strategy to support young people to create social enterprises, and of Paererewā, the 1,000 Year Bench Project. Mr Johnson remains Chair of Student Volunteer Army.
The honour recognises Sam, but the citation tells a story that belongs to a lot of people. Every student who signed up, logged hours, showed up for a neighbour, or led a project at their school is part of what this recognises. Young people are contributing to their communities every single day. SVA exists to make sure that contribution is seen, counted, and celebrated.
