The University acknowledges the passing of Emeritus Professor Dame Peggy Koopman-Boyden, aged 82.
Dame Peggy first joined the University of Waikato as Professor and Dean of Social Sciences in 1995, becoming Dean of the University’s then-Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences on its establishment in 1999.
From 2001 to 2005 she served as Deputy Vice-Chancellor Academic of the University and, until her retirement in 2015, she continued to work closely with the National Institute for Demographic and Economic Analysis (NIDEA), now Te Ngira Institute for Population Research.
Dame Peggy (R) at her DNZM investiture with then Governor-General Dame Patsy Reddy.
Dame Peggy made significant contributions to the humanities as a social gerontologist. Her expertise helped the University obtain highly competitive external research grants over the years, for which she was both a researcher and research leader, and her knowledge on ageing, wellbeing and social connectedness was influential in the development of health services policies at local and national levels.
In recognition of her career, Dame Peggy was named a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 1997, then a Dame Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2017 for services to the elderly. She also received the New Zealand Commemorative Medal for services to the community in 1990 and the Hamilton City Council’s civic award for services to people and wellbeing in 2015. She was awarded the title of Emeritus Professor of the University of Waikato in 2016.
In her retirement Dame Peggy continued to share her expertise, contributing to research projects and chairing committees and advisory groups including the Hamilton City Council’s Age-Friendly Group.
The University flag has been lowered to half-mast to mark Dame Peggy’s passing, and thoughts are with her family, friends and former colleagues.
