Helen Kelly

When Helen Kelly died in October 2016, with her partner by her side and a bunch of peonies by her bed, New Zealand lost an extraordinary leader. Kelly was the first female head of the country's trade union movement, and much more: a visionary who believed that all workers, whether in a union or not, deserved fair treatment; a fighter from a deeply communist family who never gave up the struggle; a strategist and orator who invoked strong loyalty; a woman who stirred fierce emotions. Her battles