Dame Margaret Kerslake Shields DNZM QSO JP (née Porter, 18 December 1941 – 29 May 2013) was a New Zealand politician of the Labour Party. She had three terms in the House of Representatives in the 1980s and was afterwards a member of the Greater Wellington Regional Council, including as chairman.
Early life
editShields was born on 18 December 1941 in Wellington,[1] and was educated at Wellington Girls' College from 1955 to 1959.[2] She campaigned for women's rights throughout her career. In 1966, she was one of a group of Wellington women (members of Newlands Playcentre) who founded the Society for Research on Women (SROW).[3] She was a founding member of the Women's Electoral Lobby (WEL) in 1975 which aimed to get more women into parliament and public offices.[3][4] She worked at the Department of Statistics from 1973 to 1981, and served on the Wellington Hospital Board from 1977 to 1980.[3]
She was on the organising committee of the 1975 United Women's Convention, working alongside leading feminist organisers such as Sue Piper, Deidre Milne and Ros Noonan.[5]
Political career
edit| Years | Term | Electorate | Party | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981–1984 | 40th | Kapiti | Labour | ||
| 1984–1987 | 41st | Kapiti | Labour | ||
| 1987–1990 | 42nd | Kapiti | Labour | ||
Shields first stood for Labour in the 1975 election in the Karori electorate, coming second to Hugh Templeton.[6] Shields had initially been declared the winner of the 1978 election in the Kapiti electorate, but she lost by 83 votes on a magisterial recount to Barry Brill.[7]
From the 1981 election she represented the Kapiti electorate in Parliament, but in the 1990 election she was defeated by Roger Sowry; one of a number of losses contributing to the fall of the Fourth Labour Government. In 1983 Shields was appointed as Labour's spokesperson for Science & Technology and Statistics by Labour leader David Lange.[8] She was Minister of Customs and Consumer Affairs from 1984 and the Minister of Women's Affairs from 1987 to 1990.[7]
Post-parliamentary career
editIn 1990, she took up a position as director of INSTRAW, the United Nations International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women, based in the Dominican Republic.[9] She also held offices with the UN Development Fund for Women, the National Council of Women and the Federation of Graduate Women.[3]
In 1995, Shields was elected to the Greater Wellington Regional Council. She became its deputy chairwoman in 1998, and was its first female chair from 2001 to 2004.[6]
Honours
editIn 1993, Shields was awarded the New Zealand Suffrage Centennial Medal.[10] In the 1996 Queen's Birthday Honours, she was appointed a Companion of the Queen's Service Order for public services,[11] and later in the 2008 New Year Honours was appointed a Distinguished Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit. In the 2009 Special Honours, Shields accepted redesignation as a Dame Companion, following the reintroduction of titular honours by the government.[12][13]
Death
editShields died in Paraparaumu in 2013 and was survived by her husband Pat and one of her two daughters.[14]
References
edit- ^ Who’s Who in New Zealand, 12th edition, edited by Max Lambert p.575 (1981, Reed, Wellington)
- ^ School Ties: Wellington Girls' College alumnae newsletter. Issue 16, December 2012. Retrieved 20 July 2013.
- ^ a b c d Blundell, Kay (8 June 2013). "Feminist devoted career to boosting women's status". Dominion Post. Retrieved 19 October 2018.
- ^ Carlyon, Jenny; Morrow, Diana (2013). Changing times : New Zealand since 1945. Auckland: Auckland University Press. p. 226. ISBN 9781775585251. OCLC 873807321.
- ^ Franks, Peter. "Sue Piper » PSA 100". PSA100. Archived from the original on 22 January 2020. Retrieved 2 May 2020.
- ^ a b Schouten, Hank (3 June 2013). "Women's champion Margaret Shields dies". Fairfax NZ News. Retrieved 23 May 2015.
- ^ a b "Dame Margaret Shields dead". Radio New Zealand. 3 June 2013. Retrieved 23 May 2015.
- ^ "Labour leader allocates responsibilities". The Press. 17 March 1983. p. 3.
- ^ "New Zealand and the international women's movement". Walking backwards into the future : a collection of essays. Hamilton [N.Z.]: Women's Electoral Lobby (N.Z.). 1993. p. 120. ISBN 047701674X. OCLC 34630564.
- ^ "The New Zealand Suffrage Centennial Medal 1993 – register of recipients". Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. 26 July 2018. Retrieved 18 September 2018.
- ^ "Queen's Birthday honours list 1996". Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. 3 June 1996. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
- ^ "Dames and Knights Honours 2009 List" (12 August 2009) 118 New Zealand Gazette 2691.
- ^ Young, Audrey (14 August 2009). "Helen Clark loses: Ex-Labour MP takes title". The New Zealand Herald.
- ^ Dame Margaret Shields dies aged 71. (3 June 2013). The New Zealand Herald.