Divya Dhar

Divya became involved with the United Nations Youth Aotearoa New Zealand (UN Youth) at a young age and went on to become its first National Conference Director and Auckland Vice President. She served as Vice President of the New Zealand Medical Students' Association (NZMSA). A policy Divya wrote for NZMSA to combat the problem of doctor drain has been adopted by the government, enabling young doctors to be reimbursed up to $50,000 if they work in an area of need. Divya created a precedent for forming alliances between medical students and wider humanitarian organisations such as the Global Poverty Project where she was a key leader.

On entering medical school, Divya founded HealtheX, a research group bringing together 250 presenters and participants to showcase their research on health and develop student and faculty camaraderie. In 2007, she was instrumental in sending the first New Zealand delegation to the International Federation of Medical Students’ Association, the only student organisation represented in the United Nations. Divya gave a presentation on climate change at the event and through her efforts New Zealand Medical Students' Association was the first New Zealand organisation to join the Climate and Health Council Coalition, seeking to put pressure on government leaders ahead of Copenhagen.

Divya has been a consultant and speaker to the Manukau Indian Association Youth Development Project. In her early university years, she headed the youth rotary club Rotaract and was 2005 District Rotaract Representative, where she inspired the inception of a national Rotaract charity ball.

She organised OXFAM’s Biggest Coffee Break at the University of Auckland to promote Fair Trade, where she was also behind the STAND UP: UN Millennium Campaign which broke a Guinness World Records as millions around the world stood together to show support for eradicating extreme poverty. During her medical elective, she built houses for Costa Rica’s poorest in a flood-ridden region and raised over $20,000 for the Accor Cure Kids Charity Race.[5]