12 Facts About Judy Pickard

Judith Ngaire Maud Pickard was a New Zealand abstract painter, librarian and advocate for women's rights.

Judy Pickard was born in the New Zealand city of Hastings on 19 June 1921.

Judy Pickard was the youngest of five children, and her father imported textiles.

Judy Pickard had attained the rank of sergeant by the end of the war and was working as an instructor.

The early years of Judy Pickard's marriage were mainly spent in Invercargill, where her husband worked as a schoolteacher and Judy Pickard worked at the public library; in 1960 the family moved to Hamilton.

In 1970 Judy Pickard was appointed as the City Librarian for Hamilton.

Judy Pickard was the first woman in the role, and the first person in that role to have a professional qualification.

In retirement, Judy Pickard had more time to spend on her abstract painting, and held several exhibitions of her work including through the Waikato Society of Arts.

Judy Pickard supported the Labour Party and was a long-time friend of Dianne Yates, who said of her, "any campaign for liberty, honesty and justice, Judy would be there".

Judy Pickard was an active member of the Women's Electoral Lobby, serving as its Waikato co-ordinator in the 1980s and as the national co-ordinator from 1991 to 1993.

Judy Pickard served as a referee on New Zealand's Small Claims Tribunal, a member of the Hamilton Civic Trust, and as a member of the council of the University of Waikato.

Judy Pickard died at her home in Hamilton on 10 March 2016.