Ros Noonan

Rosslyn Joy Noonan CNZM (née Shaw, born 1946) is a New Zealand politician and trade unionist. She was an organiser for several trade unions and the Labour Party and served for a time in local government. Later she served as New Zealand's Human Rights Commissioner.

Ros Noonan

CNZM
Wellington City Councillor
In office
11 October 1980 – 11 October 1986
Personal details
Born
Rosslyn Joy Shaw

1946
Political partyLabour
Spouse(s)Michael A. Noonan
Children2
Alma materUniversity of Auckland
ProfessionTrade unionist

Biography

Early life

Rosslyn Joy "Ros" Shaw was born in 1946 to journalist parents. Her father was Trevor Shaw, who worked as a reporter for The New Zealand Herald. Much of her early childhood was spent overseas, first in Nigeria and the then in the Belgian Congo before returning to New Zealand and finishing school at Auckland Girls' Grammar.[1] She later married Michael A. Noonan, a prominent New Zealand filmmaker and producer with whom she had two children.[2]

Political career

Noonan joined the Labour Party in her youth and while studying at Auckland University joined the famous Princes Street branch. She was the first in her family to attend university where she studied history and focused on the emergence of trade unions and wrote her MA thesis on the unemployed riots of 1932 during the Great Depression.[1] Her history professor was Michael Bassett, himself later a Labour MP. In the lead up to the 1975 election she challenged Porirua MP (and pro-life advocate) Gerry Wall for the Labour Party nomination. She was critical of Wall's members bill to close private abortion clinics, but was unsuccessful in her challenge.[3]

In 1980 Noonan unsuccessfully contested the Wellington mayoralty against Michael Fowler.[4] Despite losing the mayoralty, she was elected for two terms as a councillor on a Labour ticket between 1980 and 1986. During her time on the council she led the opposition to proposals to privatise city council housing. Arguing that the provision of low-cost, affordable housing was of enormous benefit to the city which had flow-on benefits to ratepayers. Wellington ended up keeping the state housing, one of the few councils that did so.[1] In 1987 she turned down the offer to be Labour's candidate at the Otari Ward by-election saying she had insufficient time to be both a councillor as well as fulfill her duties with the Royal Commission on Social Policy, to which she had been recently appointed.[5]

Other activities

Noonan was involved with trade unionism and entered the field herself via the Kindergarten Teachers' Association. From there she launched her career with the unions and worked for the New Zealand Educational Institute, including eight years as its national secretary from 1988 to 1996. She then left for a position as the human rights coordinator for Education International, an international teachers' organisation in Brussels.[1]

She later returned to New Zealand in March 2001 to succeed Pamela Jefferies as New Zealand's Human Rights Commissioner.[4] She held that position for over a decade until stepping aside in August 2011.[6] In 2018, she was appointed to head a review panel of the family court system in New Zealand by Justice Minister Andrew Little.[7]

In the 2020 Queen's Birthday Honours, Noonan was appointed a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to human rights.[8]

Publications by Noonan
  • Noonan, Rosslyn J. (1969). The riots of 1932 : a study of social unrest in Auckland, Wellington, Dunedin (MA). Auckland: University of Auckland. OCLC 152541040.
  • Noonan, Rosslyn J. (1975). By design : a brief history of the Public Works Department Ministry of Works 1870-1970. Wellington: Ministry of Works and Development. OCLC 229355033.

References
  1. du Chateau, Carroll (31 May 2001). "Our Liberal Leaning Rights Commissioners". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 27 February 2017.
  2. "Money, time frustrate 'issues' ex-councillor". The Evening Post. 22 November 1986.
  3. "Dr Wall for Porirua again". Auckland Star. 31 October 1974. p. 2.
  4. "Union leader to get human rights post". The New Zealand Herald. 20 March 2001. Retrieved 27 February 2017.
  5. "Labour Looks". The Evening Post. 25 February 1987.
  6. Vance, Andrea (5 July 2011). "Human rights head steps aside". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 27 February 2017.
  7. "Andrew Little reveals appointments to Family Court review panel". Radio NZ. 1 August 2018. Retrieved 1 August 2018.
  8. "Queen's Birthday Honours List 2020". Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. 1 June 2020. Retrieved 1 June 2020.
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