Alexia Helen Jean Rae Pickering (née Pilcher; 20 May 1930 – 27 April 2017) was a leading New Zealand disabilities rights campaigner.

Early life and family

She was born with spina bifida in Petone in 1930. Aged 10 months, she was operated on by orthopaedic surgeon

Alexander Gillies Sir Alexander Gillies (26 September 1891 – 19 February 1982) was a New Zealand orthopaedic surgeon who played a major role in establishing orthopaedics as a surgical speciality in New Zealand. One of the first to practise hip replacement in New ...

, and they became life-long friends. Her early education was at home or via correspondence. She was head girl at

Patea Patea ( ) is the third-largest town in South Taranaki District, New Zealand. It is on the western bank of the Pātea River, 61 kilometres north-west of Whanganui on . Hāwera is 27 km to the north-west, and Waverley 17 km to the east ...

School and won a scholarship to St Mary's School in Stratford, but they would not take her because of her disability. She attended Hawera High School instead. In the 1950s she married

Neville Pickering Neville George Pickering (18 November 1923 – 25 June 1988) was a New Zealand politician of the Labour Party. Biography Early life Pickering was born in Hāwera in 1923. He was educated at Hamilton Technical College where he was also keen s ...

, who went on serve as a Member of Parliament (1957–1960) and mayor of Christchurch (1971–74). The couple adopted three children before having one of their own, having believed that Alexia was unable to bear children.

Disability rights advocacy

During her husband's political career, Pickering began to speak out about issues of access for people with disabilities, drawing on her personal experiences. Following her husband's death in 1988, Pickering became director of the Disability Resource Centre, and her guidebook, ''Accessible New Zealand: a complete visitor guide for the traveller with restricted mobility'', was published in 2000. She was appointed as a

justice of the peace A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...

in 1990. Pickering served as a member of the national executive of the New Zealand Paraplegic and Physically Disabled Federation, a member of both the

Rehabilitation International Rehabilitation International (RI Global) is an international disability rights organization with member organizations in every region of the world. The RI secretariat is located in New York City. Founded in 1922, RI is a network of people with di ...

's Social Commission and ICTA Commission, and president of the New Zealand Federation of Disability Information Centres. She was appointed to the New Zealand Council for Recreation and Sport, and the New Zealand Building Industry Authority, and chaired the access advisory panel for the

Department of Building and Housing The Department of Building and Housing (Māori: ''Te Tari Kaupapa Whare'') was a government agency within the New Zealand government. Established in 2004 out of the former Ministry of Housing, it was disestablished in 2012. The department's forme ...

. She was involved in the establishment of the Barrier Free New Zealand Trust, the Laura Fergusson Trust, and the Hamilton Volunteer Centre Trust. Pickering was a recipient of the

New Zealand 1990 Commemoration Medal The New Zealand 1990 Commemoration Medal was a commemorative medal awarded in New Zealand in 1990 to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi, and was awarded to approximately 3,000 people. Background The New Zea ...

. In the

1996 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 1996 were appointments by most of the sixteen Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries, and honorary ones to citizens of other co ...

, she was appointed a Companion of the Queen's Service Order for community service. She was appointed a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to people with disabilities, in the

2005 New Year Honours New Year Honours were granted in the United Kingdom and New Zealand at the start of 2005. Among these in the UK were knighthoods awarded to Mike Tomlinson, the educationalist; Derek Wanless, who led a review of the National Health Service; and ...

Later life and death

Pickering remarried George Matthewson, a parliamentary messenger, in 1999. Their marriage was later dissolved. She died on 27 April 2017, aged 86, and was buried with her first husband at Memorial Park Cemetery in Christchurch.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pickering, Alexia 1930 births 2017 deaths People from Petone People educated at Hawera High School New Zealand disability rights activists Companions of the Queen's Service Order Companions of the New Zealand Order of Merit New Zealand justices of the peace Burials at Memorial Park Cemetery, Christchurch People with spina bifida New Zealand lawyers with disabilities New Zealand activists Activists with disabilities