Eleanor Joan Ferner (15 March 1933 – 10 June 2020) was a New Zealand women's rights advocate and public servant. Born in

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

, Canada, on 15 March 1933, Ferner emigrated to New Zealand in the 1950s after meeting her New Zealand-born husband in Canada. She became a naturalised New Zealand citizen in 1978. Ferner worked as a policy advisor in the New Zealand public service. She was a strong advocate for women's rights, especially in relation to equal pay, economic autonomy and access to higher education, and was active in the

Federation of University Women Graduate Women International (GWI), originally named the International Federation of University Women (IFUW), is an international organisation for women university graduates. IFUW was founded in 1919 following the First World War by both British and ...

and the National Council of Women. In the

2000 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 2000 for the United Kingdom and New Zealand were announced on 31 December 1999, to celebrate the year passed and mark the beginning of 2000. The ''Honours list'' is a list of people who have been awarded one of the various or ...

, Ferner 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 services to women and the community. Ferner died in

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...

on 10 June 2020.

References

1933 births 2020 deaths People from Vancouver Canadian emigrants to New Zealand Naturalised citizens of New Zealand New Zealand public servants New Zealand women's rights activists Companions of the New Zealand Order of Merit {{NewZealand-bio-stub