Acknowledging the recent passing of Hilary Stace

It is with sadness that we learned this morning of the passing of Hilary Stace. Whaikaha joins the disability community in acknowledging the passing of Hilary. 

On Wednesday Hilary had a fall and she was immediately admitted to intensive care.

Many in the disability community will be experiencing a sense of loss. Her lived experience, respect, advocacy, and knowledge is a loss to the neurodiverse community and the disability community.

Over the last few days the words “family, champion, community, mentor, knowledge, commitment, social justice, academic, researcher, disability rights, human rights, loss” have frequented the conversations about Hilary. 

One of those conversations included the following…“We considered her one of the “Godmothers of the Ministry”. She advocated for its formation using both her experience as a whānau member and a respected scholar in public policy.”

Hilary was committed to social justice from a very young age and brought her lived experience as a strong and committed feminist to an understanding of disability. 

She made disability related links to wider social policy – such as the recent Royal Commission on Abuse in Care. She was strongly committed to the growth and development of disabled people as leaders. 

To Hilary’s loved ones  – e aroha nui atu ana ki a koutou i tēnei wā (thoughts and deepest sympathy with you at this time).

Ngā mihi aroha,

Paula Tesoriero MNZM PLY

Dr Hilary Janet Stace 1954-2025 

• Honorary Research Associate, Victoria University of Wellington
• Diploma New Zealand Library School (1975)
• BA (History and Asian Studies)
• BA Hons (Women’s Studies)
• PhD public policy, Victoria University of Wellington (2011)

Research interests: disability, particularly autism and intellectual impairment, ethics (history, policy etc), New Zealand history, particularly disability, education, women, activism, politics etc.

Research approach: prefer participatory approaches underpinned by social justice (ensuring that the voices of participants were central to research and gains from it).

Her Ph.D thesis “Moving Beyond Love and Luck: Building Right Relationships and Respecting Lived Experience in New Zealand Autism Policy”, examined autism policy in New Zealand using a transformative framing which sought to use policy and scholarship as a vehicle to practically improve the lives of people being researched. 

Hilary and Martin Sullivan jointly authored A Brief History of Disability in Aotearoa New Zealand