In 2014 Williams was appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to spinal cord injury research.
[2] Williams was suffered a spinal injury in a fall while riding in the horse trials at Kihikihi on 10 November 2002.
The trust gave a large grant to found the Spinal Cord Research Facility at the University of Auckland, led by Louise Nicholson, Simon Carroll and Colin Green.
[9][7] In the 2014 Queen's Birthday Honours Williams was appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to spinal cord injury research.
[10] In 2016 Williams was winner of the Community Hero section of the New Zealand Women of Influence Awards.