Janet Hesketh
Janet May Hesketh was a New Zealand women's leader. In 1988 she was awarded the Queen's Service Medal, and in 1996 she was appointed a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to the National Council of Women.
Early life and education
Hesketh was born on 23 December 1934 in Hamilton, to Lilian May Harris and electrical engineer Eric Bruce Mackenzie. She attended primary school in Nelson, and then attended Wellington East Girls' College after the family moved to Wellington in 1946. Hesketh graduated from Victoria University of Wellington in 1955 with a Bachelor of Science in geography. Hesketh worked as a geography demonstrator and began studying for a master's degree. She also taught at Otago Girls' High School for a year. Hesketh did not finish her masters degree, passing her work on to others to finish when she had her first child. She had married dentist Craig Hesketh in December 1957, and they had four children together.Work
Hesketh's husband did not want his wife to work, although she assisted in administration for his dental practice. Through her children's activities, Hesketh became involved in time-keeping and judging for water polo and swimming, and in the Mother's Union and Girl Guides. Hesketh attended the Wellington branch meetings of NCWNZ as the representative of the Association of Anglican Women. In 1981 Hesketh became convenor of the NCWNZ Parliamentary Watch Committee, and in 1984 she was elected national secretary of NCWNZ, a position she held for four years. She was elected vice-president in 1988, and was president from 1994 to 1998, following on from Alison Roxburgh. Hesketh said later that she was expected by her family to be at home, and would not have been president of NCWNZ without having earlier separated from her husband. Hesketh attended the 1995 Beijing Conference on Women on NCWNZ's behalf. Hesketh was concerned about women's reproductive rights, violence against women and matrimonial and de facto property law.Hesketh died on 29 August 2018, aged 83.