Sue Piper

Piper was born in Wellington in 1951. Her parents were Leon Bremmer "Pip" Piper and Margaret Neilson "Tilly" Hunter, both were trade unionists and active members of the Communist Party of New Zealand (CPNZ).{{Cite web |title=Piper, Susan Margaret, 1951- |url=https://natlib.govt.nz/records/22352691 |website=National Library of New Zealand |language=en |access-date=19 March 2022 }} As a child Piper and her brother Michael told anyone who would listen that they were communists and accordingly "they expected to share everything we [others] owned."{{Cite web |url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/obituaries/4896367/A-life-full-of-politics-and-husbands |title=A life full of politics and husbands |last=Donoghue |first=Tim |date=18 April 2011 |website=Stuff |language=en |access-date=19 March 2022 }} Her mother Tilly divorced her father and remarried in 1959. Tilly had left the CPNZ and joined the Labour Party. Years later from 1993 to 2008 Tilly was Labour MP Annette King's electorate secretary for the {{NZ electorate link|Miramar}} and then the {{NZ electorate link|Rongotai}} electorates, despite not initially supporting King for the Labour nomination, regarding her as a right-winger.

Tilly was an unsuccessful Labour candidate for the Wellington City Council in both 1977 and 1980.{{cite report |last=Smyth |first=Alan J. |date=25 October 1977 |title=Declaration of Election Results |publisher=Wellington City Council }}{{cite report |last=Smyth |first=Alan J. |date=24 October 1980 |title=Declaration of Election Results |publisher=Wellington City Council }} She was later awarded a Queen's Service Medal for public services at the 2001 New Year Honours.{{cite web | url=https://dpmc.govt.nz/publications/new-year-honours-list-2001 | title=New Year honours list 2001 |date=30 December 2000 | publisher=Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet | access-date=17 August 2019}} Her father Pip was also an unsuccessful Labour candidate for the Wellington City Council in both 1986 and 1989 in the Northern Ward.{{cite report |last=Bly |first=Ross |date=24 October 1986 |title=Declaration of Election Results |publisher=Wellington City Council }}{{cite report |last=Bly |first=Ross A. |date=25 October 1989 |title=Declaration of Election Results |publisher=Wellington City Council }}

Piper was involved in the anti-Vietnam War movement and became a member of the Labour Party herself. In 1974 she stood as a Labour candidate for the Wellington City Council, but was unsuccessful.{{cite news |date=14 October 1974 |title=City Council |work=The Dominion }} She was on the organising committee of the 1975 United Women's Convention, working alongside leading feminist organisers such as Ros Noonan, Deirdre Milne and Margaret Shields.

Piper worked in a number of unions, including the Clerical Workers Union, the Early Childhood Workers Union and the Public Service Association (PSA), where she was an executive officer from 1982 to 1987. In 1988 she stood for president of the PSA and won with 56,027 votes to 36,790 for PSA vice-president Colin Feslier. She was the first woman to hold the position.{{Cite web |first=Peter |last=Franks |title=Sue Piper » PSA 100 |url=http://www.psa100.org.nz/stories/people/l-z/sue-piper/ |website=PSA100 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200122021517/http://www.psa100.org.nz/stories/people/l-z/sue-piper/ |archive-date=22 January 2020 |access-date=2 May 2020 }} In 1992 she stood for the Labour nomination for the seat of {{NZ electorate link|Western Hutt}} ahead of the {{NZ election link|1993}}, but lost out to regional councillor and former All Black Ken Gray.{{cite news |first=Brent |last=Edwards |title=Gray goes for Western Hutt |work=The Evening Post |date=1 September 1992 |page=3 }} A few months later Piper contemplated standing for the Labour Party in the 1992 Wellington Central by-election.{{cite news |last=Collins |first=Simon |title=Mayoral win opens up byelection |work=The New Zealand Herald |date=12 October 1992 |page=1 }} When Gray died before he could contest the Western Hutt seat Piper was nominated again for the seat as his replacement. As she lived outside the electorate she was thought an outside chance of winning with no local support base and looked opportunistic. Piper stated that the only reason she had been nominated was that there was in fact local support for her.{{cite news |first=Brent |last=Edwards |title=Six line up for Western Hutt Labour nomination |work=The Evening Post |date=27 February 1993 |page=2 }}

Piper was elected a member of the Wellington City Council from 1995 to 2004.{{Cite web|title=The Commissioners {{!}} Local Government Commission|url=http://www.lgc.govt.nz/the-role-of-the-commission/the-commissioners/|website=www.lgc.govt.nz|access-date=2 May 2020}} In her first term as a councillor she was appointed as chairman of the council's community, culture and recreation committee after the resignation of John Gilberthorpe after his appointment as executive director of the Wellington Museums Trust.{{cite news |title=New councillor gets committee chairmanship |work=The Dominion |date=28 March 1996 |page=11 }} After being re-elected in 1998 she became the leader of the Labour members on the council and was a contender for the job of deputy mayor.{{cite news |first=Lidia |last=Zatorski |title=Women's libber hot contender for deputy mayor's job |work=The Evening Post |date=29 October 1998 |page=3 }}

She was chair of the Local Government Commission for six years, and chair of Sport Wellington. She has been president of Croquet New Zealand and served on the board of Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa.{{Cite web |title=When you’re in a hole, stop digging |url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/auckland/local-news/manukau-courier/opinion/3526953/When-you-re-in-a-hole-stop-digging |website=Stuff |language=en |access-date=2 May 2020 }}

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Category:1951 births

Category:Living people

Category:New Zealand Labour Party politicians

Category:Wellington City Councillors

Category:People associated with the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa

Category:New Zealand trade unionists

Category:New Zealand sports executives and administrators