Rotorua Daily Post
  • Rotorua Daily Post home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Sport
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Lifestyle
  • Sport

Locations

  • Tauranga
  • Te Puke
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Tokoroa
  • Taupō & Tūrangi

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales

Weather

  • Rotorua
  • Tauranga
  • Whakatāne
  • Tokoroa
  • Taupō

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Rotorua Daily Post

Queen's Birthday Honours: Rotorua's Dr Jackie Blue, a wāhine toa

Samantha Olley
Samantha Olley
Rotorua Daily Post·
2 Jun, 2019 05:00 PM2 mins to read
‌

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save
    Share this article

"I took up a series of opportunities, not realising each one would lead to."

That's how Dr Jacqueline Diane Miller, widely known as Dr Jackie Blue, describes her career advocating for women.

In 1992 she was work general practitioner when he was asked if she wanted to become a breast physician.

"It is a highly specialised area helping people with breast cancer. I couldn't stand the thought of anyone else doing it. So I took a leap of faith."

Dr Jackie Blue. Photo / Stephen Parker
Dr Jackie Blue. Photo / Stephen Parker
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

In that role, Dr Blue lobbied tirelessly for breast cancer screening programmes to be expanded in New Zealand.

During one visit to Wellington, she met Dr Mary English and her husband Bill at a dinner and was inspired to become an active National Party member.

She stood in Mt Roskill in 2005 against Phil Goff, and despite losing the fight for the seat, her eight-year career as a list MP began.

"It was the scariest time in my life when people can asking you anything, at any time."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

She chaired three cross-party parliamentary committees with a focus on human rights and women's rights.

These roles led straight into a job as the Equal Employment Opportunities Commissioner at the Human Rights Commission when she left Parliament.

This meant highlighting pay discrepancies and the interests of minority groups in gender equality including Māori, Pacific, disabled, transgender and non-binary women.

Dr Blue had been holidaying in Rotorua for fifteen years visiting her mother and after finishing her time at the commission in October last year, she and her husband David moved to Lake Tarawera permanently.

Discover more

Sue Winters acknowledged for services to education

03 Jun 06:30 PM

Sacrifices paved the way to honour

02 Jun 05:00 PM
New Zealand

Queen's Birthday Honours: Bonnie's doing it for Matatā

02 Jun 05:00 PM

Police warn motorists to drive carefully this weekend

29 May 10:55 PM

She's not putting her feet up though, she has since started a massage course at Toi Ohomai.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Dr Blue says becoming a member of the New Zealand Order of Merit is an acknowledgement of the women she has fought for.

"That just means so much to me, it's huge."

Save
    Share this article

Latest from Rotorua Daily Post

Rotorua Daily Post

Bay of Plenty on alert as heavy rain, landslide risk and Cyclone Vaianu line-up

07 Apr 01:15 AM
Rotorua Daily Post

150km/h winds: Tropical Cyclone Vaianu now Category 3

07 Apr 12:39 AM
Rotorua Daily Post

Person dies after being pulled from Taupō water

06 Apr 10:01 PM

Sponsored

Sponsored: The deposit myth putting Kiwis off building

24 Mar 04:35 PM
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Rotorua Daily Post

Bay of Plenty on alert as heavy rain, landslide risk and Cyclone Vaianu line-up
Rotorua Daily Post

Bay of Plenty on alert as heavy rain, landslide risk and Cyclone Vaianu line-up

MetService now expects 100mm to 140mm of rain west of Whakatāne.

07 Apr 01:15 AM
150km/h winds: Tropical Cyclone Vaianu now Category 3
Rotorua Daily Post

150km/h winds: Tropical Cyclone Vaianu now Category 3

07 Apr 12:39 AM
Person dies after being pulled from Taupō water
Rotorua Daily Post

Person dies after being pulled from Taupō water

06 Apr 10:01 PM


Sponsored: The deposit myth putting Kiwis off building
Sponsored

Sponsored: The deposit myth putting Kiwis off building

24 Mar 04:35 PM
NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Rotorua Daily Post e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Rotorua Daily Post
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • NZME Digital Performance Marketing
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2026 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP