A Selwyn District Council staff member has been recognised for her contribution to the country’s COVID-19 response.
Sanku Vyakaranam (pictured), a senior business analyst at the Council, received the Prime Minister’s Award for her service during the pandemic in 2020 and 2021, when she worked at the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, helping families who were stranded overseas to reconnect with their loved ones in New Zealand.
Ms Vyakaranam says she is humbled by the recognition.
“It has been a pleasure to serve the country during the pandemic, and I feel blessed that I could help families in need and support the COVID-19 response team,” she said.
In her role as an emergency allocation analyst, Ms Vyakaranam was tasked with reviewing applications for emergency spaces in managed isolation facilities.
“The whole thing was unprecedented. I got to work in a hardworking team in what was a stressful, high-pressure environment,” she said.
In addition to helping reconnect families, she used her data analyst skills to provide daily reporting to senior leadership. This information was important for Government officials in their decision-making during the response.
Since then, Ms Vyakaranam joined Selwyn District Council, where she works to support the organisation to enhance its digital products and services.
