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Helen Kelly: Her Life
When Helen Kelly died in October 2016, with her partner by her side and a bunch of peonies by her bed, New Zealand lost an extraordinary leader. Kelly was the first female head of the country’s trade union movement, and much more: a visionary who believed that all workers, whether in a union or not, deserved fair treatment; a fighter from a deeply communist family who never gave up the struggle; a strategist and orator who invoked strong loyalty; a woman who stirred fierce emotions. Her battles with famous people were the stuff of headlines. She took on Peter Jackson, the country’s icon. She was accused in parliament of doing ‘irreparable damage’ to the union movement, and by employers of exploiting bereaved families of dead workers. While many saw her as a hero, to others she was ‘that woman’, a bloody pain in the neck.
In this brilliant book, award-winning journalist Rebecca Macfie takes you not only into Kelly’s life but into a defining period in New Zealand’s history, when old values were replaced by the individualism of neo-liberalism, and the wellbeing and livelihood of workers faced unremitting stress. Through it all, Helen Kelly stood as an electrifying figure.
In this brilliant book, award-winning journalist Rebecca Macfie takes you not only into Kelly’s life but into a defining period in New Zealand’s history, when old values were replaced by the individualism of neo-liberalism, and the wellbeing and livelihood of workers faced unremitting stress. Through it all, Helen Kelly stood as an electrifying figure.
- GenresNonfiction
416 pages, Paperback
Published May 1, 2021
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
January 2, 2022
Everybody should read this.
May 14, 2022
I hope this story of her life and times helps inspire others who share the simple values of fairness, equity and care for the vulnerable to get organised, and to be a bit more demanding, persistent and – if necessary – annoying too.
Helen Kelly is about a fighter. Someone who wore the wounds for others. Cut short at 52 by cancer, Kelly achieved a lot for someone without any governmental power, making do with a labour movement often under attack, particularly from 1990 onwards.
Antipodean Cassandra
A (slightly) disproportionate portion of the book is devoted to 2010’s “Hobbit Law” kerfuffle and Pike River Mine disaster. Macfie has a book on the latter, but they’re centrepieces here for a major reason: in 2010 Helen Kelly was portrayed as the obstructionist, the curmudgeon, the gaffe-prone unionist. We read how the media portrayed her as almost causing disaster for New Zealand’s film industry, and how she was cutting off at the knees the good man Peter Whittall.
Well, Kelly was right. History vindicated her. Helen Kelly is obviously biased to its subject, and it’s a little more complicated than “right” and “wrong” but:
Helen Kelly was right.
It’s something that needs to be in a book, because they were incidents that tore at the fabric of New Zealand society at the time. Kelly fought for the little guys against the big guys, even though who was “big” and who was “little” was grotesquely warped to make Kelly the bully. So I’m comfortable saying history (and the law) has been kind to Kelly on those.
While these are the major events in Kelly’s life, and therefore need to be covered in detail, Macfie also includes Kelly’s advocacy and organisational nous in other areas, such as death rates in the forestry industry, lack of support for low wage workers and organisational issues.
Sweep of History
Kelly’s ancestry and life is embedded in postwar union history. While describing the wider context of events is not unusual in biographies, it is particularly appropriate here, as the union movement waxed and waned (mostly waned) over the 60 year time period covered here. Macfie provides perspectives on Muldoonism, Rogernomics, Ruthanasia, the Fourth Labour Government and finally, National’s business friendly populism during the Great Recession. It’s interesting stuff. As I have stated elsewhere, a reader should not treat one book’s perspective as universal, but Macfie deserves credit for researching deeply and providing backing to her arguments beyond individual vignettes.
Otherwise, it is a warm history, despite its sad end. Highly recommended.
Helen Kelly is about a fighter. Someone who wore the wounds for others. Cut short at 52 by cancer, Kelly achieved a lot for someone without any governmental power, making do with a labour movement often under attack, particularly from 1990 onwards.
Antipodean Cassandra
A (slightly) disproportionate portion of the book is devoted to 2010’s “Hobbit Law” kerfuffle and Pike River Mine disaster. Macfie has a book on the latter, but they’re centrepieces here for a major reason: in 2010 Helen Kelly was portrayed as the obstructionist, the curmudgeon, the gaffe-prone unionist. We read how the media portrayed her as almost causing disaster for New Zealand’s film industry, and how she was cutting off at the knees the good man Peter Whittall.
Well, Kelly was right. History vindicated her. Helen Kelly is obviously biased to its subject, and it’s a little more complicated than “right” and “wrong” but:
Helen Kelly was right.
It’s something that needs to be in a book, because they were incidents that tore at the fabric of New Zealand society at the time. Kelly fought for the little guys against the big guys, even though who was “big” and who was “little” was grotesquely warped to make Kelly the bully. So I’m comfortable saying history (and the law) has been kind to Kelly on those.
While these are the major events in Kelly’s life, and therefore need to be covered in detail, Macfie also includes Kelly’s advocacy and organisational nous in other areas, such as death rates in the forestry industry, lack of support for low wage workers and organisational issues.
Sweep of History
Kelly’s ancestry and life is embedded in postwar union history. While describing the wider context of events is not unusual in biographies, it is particularly appropriate here, as the union movement waxed and waned (mostly waned) over the 60 year time period covered here. Macfie provides perspectives on Muldoonism, Rogernomics, Ruthanasia, the Fourth Labour Government and finally, National’s business friendly populism during the Great Recession. It’s interesting stuff. As I have stated elsewhere, a reader should not treat one book’s perspective as universal, but Macfie deserves credit for researching deeply and providing backing to her arguments beyond individual vignettes.
Otherwise, it is a warm history, despite its sad end. Highly recommended.
June 20, 2021
Must read for anyone in or interested in Aotearoa politics, one of the most comprehensive summaries of recent union history I’ve read as well as a very beautiful tribute to a very cool woman
June 25, 2022
power to the workers, power of the workers ✊✊✊
July 12, 2021
Excellent and insightful book, highly readable.
Would have been good to hear more about her personal life - with Steve, Dylan, Chris etc. We got a sense of her personality in other contexts, but very little of how she was as a mother, wife or friend (as opposed to colleague).
Still, if you accept that this is focused on her work than it is a valuable read on the life of a important character, as well as on labour law, inter-union politics, and labour disputes over the past 20 years. As I said earlier, it is a brisk and easy read.
4.5/5
Would have been good to hear more about her personal life - with Steve, Dylan, Chris etc. We got a sense of her personality in other contexts, but very little of how she was as a mother, wife or friend (as opposed to colleague).
Still, if you accept that this is focused on her work than it is a valuable read on the life of a important character, as well as on labour law, inter-union politics, and labour disputes over the past 20 years. As I said earlier, it is a brisk and easy read.
4.5/5
February 6, 2022
A thorough and readable history of NZ political and economic history, as well as the story of one of its most compelling and passionate personas. Be warned that after several chapters detailing the ruinous impact of the Employment Contracts Acts on NZ union culture and workers' rights, then the slow clawing back of some protections, the final part of the book (involving Helen Kelly's cancer) feels particularly swift and brutal.
September 24, 2021
Wow what a book. A great read. I learnt so much about why New Zealand is as it is. Why the country changed. Details of Helen's work and life and the truth that lies behind the reported events.
March 19, 2022
Just finished this, and while it is is a bit too serious to say I enjoyed it, given some of the more sombre subject matter, I am very glad to have read it and feel enriched by it. It's excellently written and a great record of New Zealand over the second half of the 20th century and first decades of the 21st. Also very moving in parts- was biting back tears in the fish and chip shop cue, while reading parts of it. I can also recommend Rebecca Macfie's book about the Pike River incident.
December 22, 2022
I admired this person, though I was not always necessarily aligned with her politics, she came through as a strong, courageous and compassionate activist. New Zealand was much the better for her energetic stand for a fair society and promotion of worker's rights.
August 3, 2021
An inspirational story.
February 1, 2022
Excellent
December 17, 2022
Excellent.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews