Māori tennis trailblazer Ruia Morrison has been awarded a damehood in this year's Queen's Birthday Honours for her services to her sport.
Dame Ruia was recognised having been the first Māori player to compete at Wimbledon in 1957, before she again competed in 1958, 1959 and 1960.
While breaking barriers, Dame Ruia encouraged other Māori and women to do so themselves as she volunteered her time as a coach and mentor to the tennis community and was involved with Aotearoa Māori Tennis Championships for many years.
She was the New Zealand Open singles champion in 1960, the doubles champion in 1961 and singles and doubles champion in 1962 and 1964.
She was captain and player for the 1965 New Zealand Federation Cup Team against Argentina and Australia and in 1972 she was captain against Columbia, Finland and the Netherlands.
She was Aotearoa Māori singles, doubles and mixed doubles champion in 1965 and 1970. She was awarded Life Membership of Aotearoa Māori Tennis Association in 2001 and Tennis New Zealand in 2014.
Almost 64 years to the day since she arrived at Wimbledon as the first Māori player, Morrison has been made a dame as part of the Queen’s Birthday Honours. (Source: Other)
She was inducted into the Māori Sports Hall of Fame in 2004 and the Te Arawa Hall of Fame in 2014.
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