Jenny Rowan

Jennifer Daphne Rowan QSO JP (formerly Simpson; born October 1949)^[1] is a New Zealand former politician. She served as mayor of the Kāpiti Coast from 2007 to 2013, and was the first openly lesbian mayor in the country.

Jenny Rowan QSO JP
Rowan in 2010
5th Mayor of Kāpiti Coast
In office 2007–2013
Preceded by	Alan Milne
Succeeded by	Ross Church
1st Mayor of Inglewood District
In office 1986–1989
Preceded by	New position
Succeeded by	Position abolished
Personal details
Born	October 1949 (age 74–75)
Spouse	Juliet Joslin ​ (m. 2006)​

Career

Rowan was mayor of Inglewood District from 1986 until the 1989 local government reforms. She was then elected to the Taranaki Regional Council and served as deputy chair until 1991. She was a commissioner of the Environment Court of New Zealand from 1991 to 2007, and served as deputy chair of the Paekākāriki Community Board from 2004 to 2006.^[2][3][4]

Rowan was elected mayor of Kāpiti Coast in 2007, defeating six opponents including former mayor Iride McCloy.^[4][5] Major issues of her mayoralty included council spending, the Kāpiti Expressway, sea level rise, and water metering.^[1] These issues led to her failing to be re-elected in 2013, placing third behind Ross Church and K Gurunathan.^[6][7]

Personal life

In 1995, Rowan and her partner Juliet "Jools" Joslin were one of three lesbian couples who unsuccessfully applied for marriage licences. In January 1996, they took part in a commitment ceremony in Wellington.^[4][8] They took their case to the High Court in Quilter v Attorney-General in May, but the court ruled against them and the Court of Appeal upheld the ruling in December 1997.^[9] On 30 November 1998, they sued New Zealand before the United Nations Human Rights Committee. The committee rejected the case on 17 July 2002.^[10] In 2006, they flew to Canada to be legally married.^[11] On 17 April 2013, they were in the public gallery to witness the passing of the Marriage (Definition of Marriage) Amendment Act 2013, which legalised same-sex marriage in New Zealand.^[12]

Rowan was appointed a Companion of the Queen's Service Order, for public services, in the 1990 New Year Honours.^[4][13] She was also awarded the New Zealand 1990 Commemoration Medal.^[14]

References

1. Hubbard, Anthony (7 October 2012). "Kapiti mayor staunch in face of flak". Dominion Post. Archived from the original on 22 October 2022. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
2. "Press release – New role for ex Mayor" (PDF). FairWay Resolution. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
3. "The Kapiti US Marines Trust – Trustees". Kapiti US Marines Trust. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
4. Jacobson, Julie (14 October 2007). "Same-sex marriage pioneer gets thumbs up in Kapiti". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
5. "Your Vote 07 - The results". The New Zealand Herald. 14 October 2007. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
6. "Rowan loses Kapiti post to Church". Dominion Post. 14 October 2013. Archived from the original on 21 October 2022. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
7. Blundell, Kay (14 October 2013). "Ousted Rowan stands by unpopular water meters". Dominion Post. Archived from the original on 24 December 2022. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
8. "Jenny Rowan and Jools Joslin – photographs taken by Phil Reid". National Library of New Zealand. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
9. "Quilter v. Attorney-General [1998] 1 NZLR 523" (PDF). New Zealand Court of Appeal. 17 December 1997. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 January 2016. Retrieved 3 September 2012.
10. "Communication No 902/1999 : New Zealand. 2002-07-30". United Nations Human Rights Committee. 17 July 2002. Archived from the original on 21 November 2015. Retrieved 3 September 2012.
11. Blundell, Kay (15 October 2007). "Kapiti to be lead [sic] by 'out' mayor". Stuff. Archived from the original on 21 October 2022. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
12. Gregory, Justin (1 September 2016). "Jenny and Jools". RNZ. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
13. "No. 51982". The London Gazette (2nd supplement). 30 December 1989. p. 31.
14. Taylor, Alister; Coddington, Deborah (1994). Honoured by the Queen – New Zealand. Auckland: New Zealand Who's Who Aotearoa. p. 337. ISBN 0-908578-34-2.