Jeanette Mary Fitzsimons (née Gaston; 17 January 1945 – 5 March 2020) was a New Zealand politician and
environmentalist
An environmentalist is a person who is concerned with and/or advocates for the protection of the environment. An environmentalist can be considered a supporter of the goals of the environmental movement, "a political and ethical movement that se ...
.
She was the co-leader of the
Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand
The Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand ( mi, Rōpū Kākāriki o Aotearoa, Niu Tireni), commonly known as the Greens, is a green and left-wing political party in New Zealand. Like many green parties around the world, it has four organisational ...
from 1995 to 2009, and was a Member of Parliament from 1996 to 2010.
Early life
Born in
Dunedin
Dunedin ( ; mi, Ōtepoti) is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand (after Christchurch), and the principal city of the Otago region. Its name comes from , the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. Th ...
on 17 January 1945, Fitzsimons was the daughter of Doris Mary Gaston (née Harrison) and John Fisher Gaston.
She was raised in nearby
Mosgiel
Mosgiel (Māori: ''Te Konika o te Matamata'') is an urban satellite of Dunedin in Otago, New Zealand, fifteen kilometres west of the city's centre. Since the re-organisation of New Zealand local government in 1989 it has been inside the Dunedin ...
, and in
Waiuku
Waiuku is a rural town in the Auckland Region in the North Island of New Zealand. It is located at the southern end of the Waiuku River, which is an estuarial arm of the Manukau Harbour, and lies on the isthmus of the Āwhitu Peninsula, which ...
, near Auckland,
and was educated at Waiuku District High School from 1957 to 1959, and then
Epsom Girls' Grammar School
, motto_translation = ''Through difficulties to greatness.''
, coordinates =
, type = State Single Sex Girls Secondary (Year 9–13) with Boarding Facilities
, established = 12 February 1917
, MOE = 64
, principal = Lorraine Pound
, colo ...
in Auckland between 1960 and 1961.
She studied French and music at the
University of Auckland
, mottoeng = By natural ability and hard work
, established = 1883; years ago
, endowment = NZD $293 million (31 December 2021)
, budget = NZD $1.281 billion (31 December 2021)
, chancellor = Cecilia Tarrant
, vice_chancellor = Dawn F ...
from 1962 to 1964, graduating with a
Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...
degree, and was considered a talented violinist.
She also earned a Diploma of Education.
After teaching at her old school, Epsom Girls' Grammar, in 1966 and 1967,
Fitzsimons lived in Geneva, Switzerland, from 1968 to 1974, where she joined
Friends of the Earth
Friends of the Earth International (FoEI) is an international network of environmental organizations in 73 countries. The organization was founded in 1969 in San Francisco by David Brower, Donald Aitken and Gary Soucie after Brower's split with ...
and the
Environmental Defence Society. When the
Values Party
The Values Party was a New Zealand political party. It is considered the world's first national-level environmentalist party, pre-dating the use of "Green" as a political label. It was established in May 1972 at Victoria University of Wellingto ...
was formed to contest the
1972 New Zealand general election
The 1972 New Zealand general election was held on 25 November to elect MPs to the 37th session of the New Zealand Parliament. The Labour Party, led by Norman Kirk, defeated the governing National Party.
Background
The National Party had been ...
, her father sent her newspaper clippings about the party and she became interested in its environmentalist-based policies. When she returned to New Zealand in 1974, she joined the party.
From 1980 to 1992, Fitzsimons was a lecturer in
environmental studies
Environmental studies is a multidisciplinary academic field which systematically studies human interaction with the environment. Environmental studies connects principles from the physical sciences, commerce/economics, the humanities, and social ...
and energy planning at the
University of Auckland
, mottoeng = By natural ability and hard work
, established = 1883; years ago
, endowment = NZD $293 million (31 December 2021)
, budget = NZD $1.281 billion (31 December 2021)
, chancellor = Cecilia Tarrant
, vice_chancellor = Dawn F ...
. She was also active in environmental organisations such as the New Zealand Biological Producers' Council and the Environmental Council and worked as an environmental consultant to local authorities.
Political career
Fitzsimons' first entry into politics was with the Values Party. At the 1977 local body elections she stood as a Values Party candidate for the
Auckland Regional Authority
The Auckland Regional Council (ARC) was the regional council (one of the former local government authorities) of the Auckland Region. Its predecessor the Auckland Regional Authority (ARA) was formed in 1963 and became the ARC in 1989. The ARC ...
in the Auckland City and Waiheke Island ward, she was unsuccessful polling second to last. She was its energy spokesperson from 1977 to 1982, and stood as a candidate in the
1978
Events January
* January 1 – Air India Flight 855, a Boeing 747 passenger jet, crashes off the coast of Bombay, killing 213.
* January 5 – Bülent Ecevit, of Republican People's Party, CHP, forms the new government of Turkey (42nd go ...
and
1981 elections in the
Remuera electorate. When the Values Party merged with a number of other groups to form the Green Party, Fitzsimons became an active member of the new organization.
When the Green Party joined with several other left-wing parties to form the
Alliance Party, Fitzsimons became co-deputy leader, a position she held from 1992 to 1999.
In the
1993 election, Fitzsimons unsuccessfully contested the
Hauraki electorate under the Alliance banner. In 1995, she became co-leader of the Green Party, which remained within the Alliance.
Member of Parliament
In the
1996 election, the first to be conducted under the new
MMP electoral system, Fitzsimons was placed third on the Alliance party list. She also stood as the party's candidate in the
Coromandel
Coromandel may refer to:
Places India
*Coromandel Coast, India
**Presidency of Coromandel and Bengal Settlements
** Dutch Coromandel
*Coromandel, KGF, Karnataka, India
New Zealand
*Coromandel, New Zealand, a town on the Coromandel Peninsula
*Coro ...
. She was unsuccessful in the
Coromandel electorate, but entered Parliament on the Alliance list.
In 1998, Fitzsimons' Energy Efficiency Bill was drawn from the member's ballot. It was eventually passed into law as the
Energy Efficiency and Conservation Act 2000.
The Greens contested the
1999 election as an independent party, with Fitzsimons and
Rod Donald
Rodney David Donald (10 October 1957 – 6 November 2005) was a New Zealand politician who co-led the Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand, along with Jeanette Fitzsimons.
He lived in Christchurch with his partner Nicola Shirlaw, and their thre ...
serving as co-leaders. Fitzsimons was placed first on the party's list, and once again contested the Coromandel seat. To observers, it seemed that the Greens' chances of entering parliament were dependent on Fitzsimons' performance in Coromandel; in order to receive
proportional representation
Proportional representation (PR) refers to a type of electoral system under which subgroups of an electorate are reflected proportionately in the elected body. The concept applies mainly to geographical (e.g. states, regions) and political divis ...
, the party needed to either gain five percent of the national vote or win an electorate seat, and it appeared that the former option was unlikely. Labour Leader (and Prime Minister after the election)
Helen Clark
Helen Elizabeth Clark (born 26 February 1950) is a New Zealand politician who served as the 37th prime minister of New Zealand from 1999 to 2008, and was the administrator of the United Nations Development Programme from 2009 to 2017. She was ...
encouraged Labour supporters to give their constituency vote to Fitzsimons and their party vote to Labour. When normal votes had been counted, it appeared that Fitzsimons had been defeated in Coromandel by
National
National may refer to:
Common uses
* Nation or country
** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen
Places in the United States
* National, Maryland, ce ...
's
Murray McLean, but when special votes were tallied, Fitzsimons had a narrow lead. This guaranteed the Green Party seats in parliament regardless of whether it crossed the five percent threshold.
In her second term, Fitzsimons promoted bills to extend
New Zealand's nuclear-free zone
In 1984, Prime Minister David Lange banned nuclear-powered or nuclear-armed ships from using New Zealand ports or entering New Zealand waters. Under the New Zealand Nuclear Free Zone, Disarmament, and Arms Control Act 1987, territorial sea, la ...
and to reduce road traffic. Both were defeated at their second readings.
In the
2002 election, Fitzsimons was defeated in Coromandel. She remained in Parliament on the Green Party's list, and remained co-leader of the party until 2009.
Following the
2005 election, she became the spokeswoman for the government's solar heating promotion initiatives. This was agreed to as part of a policy package negotiated by the Green Party in exchange for its undertaking not to oppose the Labour-led Government on matters of
confidence and supply
In a parliamentary democracy based on the Westminster system, confidence and supply are required for a ruling cabinet to retain power in the lower house.
A confidence-and-supply agreement is one whereby a party or independent members of parl ...
until the next parliamentary elections. In the 2005 term, Fitzsimons had three member's bills drawn, addressing climate change
and dog microchipping. None passed, though her Resource Management (Climate Protection) Amendment Bill did reach a second reading.
Fitzsimons was a list only candidate in the
2008 election and retained a seat in Parliament as she was ranked at number one on the party list.
In February 2009, Fitzsimons announced that she would step down as party co-leader, and she was replaced by
Metiria Turei
Metiria Leanne Agnes Stanton Turei (born 1970) is a New Zealand academic and a former New Zealand politician. She was a Member of Parliament from 2002 to 2017 and the female co-leader of the Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand from 2009 to 2017 ...
on 30 May 2009. In June 2009, her Sustainable Biofuel Bill was drawn from the member's ballot. The bill passed its first reading, but was subsequently defeated at its second reading on 4 April 2012 by a vote of 69–51, with National, New Zealand First, ACT and United Future opposing it.
Fitzsimons left Parliament on 11 February 2010, and was replaced by the next candidate on the Green Party list,
Gareth Hughes
Gareth Hughes (23 August 1894 – 1 October 1965) was a Welsh stage and silent screen actor. Usually cast as a callow, sensitive hero in Hollywood silent films, Hughes got his start on stage during childhood and continued to play youthful lead ...
, whose biography of Fitzsimons was published in 2022.
She was the Green Party spokesperson on Climate Change, Energy, Finance & Revenue, Genetic Engineering, Research, Science & Technology, Sustainable Economics, Transport and Treaty Issues (Associate Spokesperson).
Post-retirement life
Fitzsimons continued an active involvement in environmental causes following her retirement from politics. In 2013, she joined Greenpeace executive director
Bunny McDiarmid
Bunny McDiarmid ( born 1957 or 1958 in Christchurch) is an environmental activist from New Zealand, she has been, (with Jennifer Morgan) Executive Director of the non-governmental organization Greenpeace International since April 4, 2016. She has ...
on a ship which was protesting oil drilling off the coast of
Raglan.
In 2017, she was part of a group of protesters who chained themselves to a gate at
Fonterra
Fonterra Co-operative Group Limited is a New Zealand multinational publicly traded dairy co-operative owned by around 9,000 New Zealand farmers. The company is responsible for approximately 30% of the world's dairy exports and with revenue exce ...
's Clandeboye factory in South Canterbury as a protest against the company's use of coal.
She was a patron of the Soil & Health Association, and on the advisory board of the
University of Otago
, image_name = University of Otago Registry Building2.jpg
, image_size =
, caption = University clock tower
, motto = la, Sapere aude
, mottoeng = Dare to be wise
, established = 1869; 152 years ago
, type = Public research collegiate u ...
Centre for Sustainability.
Recognition
''
The New Zealand Herald
''The New Zealand Herald'' is a daily newspaper published in Auckland, New Zealand, owned by New Zealand Media and Entertainment, and considered a newspaper of record for New Zealand. It has the largest newspaper circulation of all newspapers ...
'' named her New Zealand Politician of the Year in 2007. In October 2008, respondents to a ONE News
Colmar Brunton
Colmar Brunton was a market research agency founded in New Zealand in 1981. It was later merged with Kantar in both Australia and New Zealand in 2020–21.
Services
There are two Colmar Brunton organizations, which operate in the Asia Pacific ...
poll regarded Fitzsimons as the most trustworthy political party leader in New Zealand. In the
2010 Queen's Birthday Honours
The 2010 Birthday Honours for the Commonwealth realms were announced to celebrate the Queen's Birthday on 7 June 2010 in New Zealand, on 12 June 2010 in the United Kingdom, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Sain ...
, Fitzsimons was appointed a
Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit
The New Zealand Order of Merit is an order of merit in the New Zealand royal honours system. It was established by royal warrant (document), royal warrant on 30 May 1996 by Elizabeth II, Monarchy of New Zealand, Queen of New Zealand, "for those ...
for public services.
Personal life
Fitzsimons was married twice. She married her first husband, Bevin Fitzsimons in 1966, and they moved to Geneva, Switzerland in 1968.
They lived there for six years and had two sons while in Geneva.
After divorcing in 1986, she remarried, to Harry Renford Parke, in 1994.
In 1991, Fitzsimons and Parke bought land in the Kauaeranga Valley east of
Thames
The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after the R ...
at the base of the
Coromandel Peninsula
The Coromandel Peninsula ( mi, Te Tara-O-Te-Ika-A-Māui) on the North Island of New Zealand extends north from the western end of the Bay of Plenty, forming a natural barrier protecting the Hauraki Gulf and the Firth of Thames in the we ...
and established Pakaraka Farm.
The farm operates from
solar power
Solar power is the conversion of energy from sunlight into electricity, either directly using photovoltaics (PV) or indirectly using concentrated solar power. Photovoltaic cells convert light into an electric current using the photovoltaic e ...
and
micro-hydro power systems and sells olive oil, chestnut products, pecans and livestock.
Death
On 5 March 2020, Fitzsimons suffered a fall on her farm. She died in Thames Hospital of a stroke in the evening of the same day, aged 75. Politicians from across the political spectrum including her Green colleagues and Prime Minister
Jacinda Ardern
Jacinda Kate Laurell Ardern ( ; born 26 July 1980) is a New Zealand politician who has been serving as the 40th prime minister of New Zealand and leader of the Labour Party since 2017. A member of the Labour Party, she has been the member of ...
paid tribute to her.
Notes
References
Further reading
* Hughes, Gareth. (2022). ''A gentle radical : The life of Jeanette Fitzsimons.'' Auckland: Allen & Unwin.
External links
Jeanette Fitzsimonsat the Green Party website
, -
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fitzsimons, Jeanette
1945 births
2020 deaths
Alliance (New Zealand political party) MPs
New Zealand activists
Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand co-leaders
Women members of the New Zealand House of Representatives
University of Auckland alumni
University of Auckland faculty
Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand MPs
Companions of the New Zealand Order of Merit
Values Party politicians
New Zealand list MPs
Members of the New Zealand House of Representatives
New Zealand MPs for North Island electorates
People from Coromandel Peninsula
Unsuccessful candidates in the 1993 New Zealand general election
20th-century New Zealand people
Unsuccessful candidates in the 1978 New Zealand general election
Unsuccessful candidates in the 1981 New Zealand general election
21st-century New Zealand politicians
21st-century New Zealand women politicians
New Zealand women activists
People educated at Epsom Girls' Grammar School
People from Mosgiel