Helene Ruth Paula Ritchie (née Hess; born 16 March 1945)[1] is a former local body politician, registered psychologist and mediator, and a board member from Wellington, New Zealand.
As Wellington's longest serving City Councillor of over 30 years, she led the Labour team to a majority position on the council.
[10][12] Upon Braybrooke announcing his retirement in 2001, Ritchie was invited by the electorate chair to again seek the Napier seat, but lost out on the nomination to Russell Fairbrother.
[18] Ritchie stood for Mayor for a third time in 1992 as an independent, finishing second with 17% of the vote, compared to the 33% gained by the Labour candidate and former Wellington Central MP Fran Wilde.
Within one year, half of New Zealand was living in declared nuclear weapon free zones, and women were spurred on to increase their representation in local government.
There was major political fallout too: Mayor Michael Fowler, aligned to the National Party, announced the day after the motion was passed that he would quit at the end of the term.
Then on 14 June 1984, Prime Minister Robert Muldoon, furious that one of his members (Marilyn Waring) had crossed the floor and voted with the opposition to support the Bill banning nuclear ships,[26][27] called a snap election which he then lost.
A Labour Government and Prime Minister David Lange were elected on the issue, and later successfully passed the New Zealand Nuclear Free Zone, Disarmament and Arms Control Act 1987.
[28][29][30][31] Between 1984 and 1989 Ritchie spearheaded and led as a councillor the five year city-wide Moa Point campaign to build a sewage treatment plant.
Council finally agreed in 1989, ensuring that the city adopted land-based treatment to stop raw sewage being discharged into the ocean.
[33] Earlier, in 1982, Ritchie's motion stopped the demolition intention of the then mayor Michael Fowler, of the historic Wellington Town Hall.
In 1988, Council unanimously adopted a concept plan which included an integrated and innovative concept of eclectic and world class architecture, the protection of older buildings threatened with demolition – the former City Library and the Town Hall – and the construction of new buildings and an open Civic public square (formerly road), complete with the tall emblematic Nīkau palm structures designed by Ian Athfield.
In 2007 the Press Council upheld a complaint on the grounds of inaccuracy about two articles in the Dominion Post - as well as a third - that reported on Wellington City councillor Helene Ritchie's attendance record and remuneration while on sick leave for breast cancer.
Mrs Ritchie said the decision showed the City Council needed to “get real” about the Waterfront and acknowledge public concern about how it was being developed.” [39] She initiated opposition, and repeatedly over six years.
In 2016 Ritchie was in the media headlights after being caught parking her car (which had her name written on the bonnet and doors) over a pedestrian crossing in the carpark at Wellington Hospital.
She later apologised for the incident and stated that as a section of the carpark was fenced off by construction workers, she was worried that she would be late for a meeting if she spent any longer searching for a space.
[47] Ritchie's last six years on the council were primarily devoted to improving the natural environment in Wellington in her role as Portfolio leader of the natural environment - extending the Outer Town Belt with the procuring of land and earlier protecting the Old Coach Road in the Northern Ward after many years and alongside much effort by local people.
Introduced by the local member of Parliament, Grant Robertson, it protected and enhanced the over 600 hectares of public green space around the inner city.