Dame Lesley Max (née Shieff; born 20 September 1945) is a New Zealand children's advocate.

Early life and family

Max was born Lesley Shieff in

Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...

on 20 September 1945. She was educated at

Takapuna Grammar School Takapuna Grammar School is a state coeducational secondary school located in the suburb of Belmont on the North Shore of Auckland, New Zealand. Established in 1927, the school mainly serves the eponymous suburb of Takapuna and the entire Dev ...

, and then studied at the

University of Auckland The University of Auckland (; Māori: ''Waipapa Taumata Rau'') is a public research university based in Auckland, New Zealand. The institution was established in 1883 as a constituent college of the University of New Zealand. Initially loc ...

between 1963 and 1966, graduating MA(Hons). In 1967, she married Robert Peter Max, an

orthodontist Orthodontics (also referred to as orthodontia) is a dentistry specialty that addresses the diagnosis, prevention, management, and correction of mal-positioned teeth and jaws, as well as misaligned bite patterns. It may also address the modificati ...

, and the couple went on to have four children.

Career

Max worked as a secondary school teacher and freelance journalist. After one of her children was born with a disability, Max began to focus on child development, and finding ways to allow children to develop to their full potential. In 1990, Max and Gordon Dryden established the Great Potentials Foundation, an organisation that assists underprivileged children and young people to succeed, with Max becoming the chief executive officer. She advocated strongly for the formation of a national programme for the prevention of child abuse, which led to the establishment of Family Start. She has also chaired the Parenting Council, was a government appointee on the Northern Regional Health Authority and the Family Violence Advisory Committee, and was a founding member of the Brainwave Trust. Max introduced programmes to New Zealand to assist parents and young people, including the Home International Programme for Parents and Youngsters (HIPPY) and the Mentoring and Tutoring Education Scheme (MATES). Her book, ''Children: Endangered Species?'', was published by Penguin in 1990. Max was an executive member of the Auckland branch of the IHC Society, and a member of advisory committees at Auckland Institute of Technology,

Auckland College of Education The Auckland College of Education, earlier known as the Auckland Training College and the Auckland Teachers' Training College, was a teachers' college in Auckland, New Zealand's largest city. It was established in 1881 and was based in the Au ...

, and the

, and is patron of the

Manukau Institute of Technology Established in 1970, Manukau Institute of Technology (MIT) () is a Category One Institute of technology in Auckland, New Zealand. Category One is the highest possible educational rating as evaluated by the New Zealand Qualifications Authorit ...

early childhood centre and the Family Help Trust. She has served as secretary of the New Zealand Jewish Council and an executive member of the New Zealand Zionist Federation.

Honours and awards

In 1990, Max was awarded 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 3,632 people. Background The New Zealand 1990 Com ...

. In the

1994 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 1994 were appointments by most of the sixteen 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 ...

, Max was appointed a

Member of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

, for services to children. She was made a

Dame 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 ...

, also for services to children, in the

2010 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 2010 were announced on 31 December 2009 in the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Cook Islands, Barbados, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Saint Lucia, Belize, Antigua and Barbuda, Saint Christopher and NevisSaint Chris ...

. Max's damehood followed that of her cousin,

Barbara Goodman Dame Pearl Barbara Goodman (née Robinson, 5 October 1932 – 21 June 2013) was an Auckland, New Zealand politician. Early life and family Born in Auckland on 5 October 1932, Goodman was educated at St Cuthbert's College. She married Harold G ...

, in 1989; it is thought to be the first time two Jewish cousins received damehoods.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Max, Lesley 1945 births Living people Activists from Auckland People educated at Takapuna Grammar School New Zealand Jews University of Auckland alumni Children's rights activists New Zealand Members of the Order of the British Empire Dames Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit New Zealand Zionists