1. Jeanette Mary Fitzsimons was a New Zealand politician and environmentalist.
19 Facts About Jeanette Fitzsimons
1. 2.
Jeanette Fitzsimons was the co-leader of the Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand from 1995 to 2009, and was a Member of Parliament from 1996 to 2010.
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Jeanette Fitzsimons was raised in nearby Mosgiel, and in Waiuku, near Auckland, and was educated at Waiuku District High School from 1957 to 1959, and then Epsom Girls' Grammar School in Auckland between 1960 and 1961.
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Jeanette Fitzsimons studied French and music at the University of Auckland from 1962 to 1964, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree, and was considered a talented violinist.
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From 1980 to 1992, Jeanette Fitzsimons was a lecturer in environmental studies and energy planning at the University of Auckland.
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Jeanette Fitzsimons was 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.
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Jeanette Fitzsimons was its energy spokesperson from 1977 to 1982, and stood as a candidate in the 1978 and 1981 elections in the Remuera electorate.
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Jeanette Fitzsimons stood as the party's candidate in the Coromandel.
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Jeanette Fitzsimons was unsuccessful in the Coromandel electorate, but entered Parliament on the Alliance list.
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Jeanette Fitzsimons was placed first on the party's list, and contested the Coromandel seat.
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When normal votes had been counted, it appeared that Jeanette Fitzsimons had been defeated in Coromandel by National's Murray McLean, but when special votes were tallied, Jeanette Fitzsimons had a narrow lead.
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Jeanette Fitzsimons remained in Parliament on the Green Party's list, and remained co-leader of the party until 2009.
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Jeanette 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.
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In February 2009, Jeanette Fitzsimons announced that she would step down as party co-leader, and she was replaced by Metiria Turei on 30 May 2009.
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Jeanette Fitzsimons left Parliament on 11 February 2010, and was replaced by the next candidate on the Green Party list, Gareth Hughes, whose biography of Jeanette Fitzsimons was published in 2022.
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Jeanette Fitzsimons continued an active involvement in environmental causes following her retirement from politics.
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Jeanette Fitzsimons married her first husband, Bevin Fitzsimons in 1966, and they moved to Geneva, Switzerland in 1968.
18.
On 5 March 2020, Jeanette Fitzsimons suffered a fall on her farm.
19.
Jeanette Fitzsimons died in Thames Hospital of a stroke in the evening of the same day, aged 75.