Sr Marie Fitzpatrick, pictured after receiving her Queen's Service Medal for services to the community from Governor-General Sir Jerry Mateparae in Auckland on Wednesday, says she keeps herself busy "caring for the elderly". Photo from Government House.
She was 19 when she joined the Little Sisters in 1933.
During her 75 years as a sister, she was imprisoned in China during the Sino-Japanese War in 1937 and was a prisoner of war in France during World War 2.
She is also the former mother superior of the Little Sisters' rest-homes in Andersons Bay and Brockville.
Sr Marie still helps residents with their meals every day at Brockville, even though most are younger than her.
Sr Marie might be the oldest New Zealand recipient of a Queen's honour, Government House public affairs manager Antony Paltridge said yesterday.
