Helen Kelly

Helen Kelly (19 September 1964 – 14 October 2016) was President of the New Zealand Council of Trade Unions from 2007 to 2015.

Early life Kelly was born in Wellington on 19 September 1964 to Pat Kelly and Catherine Eichelbaum, both strong social activists – Pat was a well-known unionist and Cath was active in the anti-Vietnam war movement – who met while selling a communist newspaper, People's Voice. Catherine was a cousin of Chief Justice Thomas Eichelbaum.

She said of her childhood:"I was brought up on unions. Mum would wake us by singing, "Wake up darlings from your slumbers". I used to play at going to meetings, rather than dress-up dolls. Our home was union central. We always had visitors who were discussing union business."

Kelly attended Wellington High School.

Career Kelly started her career as a primary school teacher, enjoying working for three years at Johnsonville Main School. She was appointed a union delegate on her first day teaching

After the 2010 Pike River Mine disaster that killed 29 miners, Helen Kelly worked for improved safety standards and justice through the courts for the miners' families. She was also recognised for her compassion and support of the victims' families. Other campaigns she led focused on farming, exposing farmers offering jobs at lower than the minimum wage, and she was a supporter of the Unite Union's campaign against zero hour contracts.

The Hobbit film dispute

In 2010, during the negotiations for the production of Warner Bros' The Hobbit films in New Zealand, Kelly got involved in a controversy regarding contract workers' rights in the film industry. Kelly said in a statement at the time: "let's get all the facts on the table about taxes, subsidies, and other issues – rather than just blaming the union for asking to meet on basic terms and conditions". In April 2011, Kelly published an extensive timeline of events around the negotiations.

Personal life and death Kelly lived in Mount Victoria, Wellington, with her husband Steve Hurring, and her son Dylan, from a previous relationship. During her illness, she campaigned for the right to die with dignity, and the right to use medicinal cannabis.