Jill Ovens

Jill Ovens is a New Zealand trade unionist and anti-transgender rights activist. She is the founder of the Women's Rights Party an openly transphobic political party. She was co-leader of the Alliance party before changing her allegiance to the Labour Party. She is currently the National Secretary of the Women's Rights Party,[1] a New Zealand-based political party.

Jill Ovens in 2006

Union leader

She previously had a long history involved in New Zealand Unions, having served as the president of the Association of Staff in Tertiary Education and was heavily involved in the Council of Trade Unions (CTU) Women's Council Convenor and attended the ICFTU World Women's Conference as one of two CTU delegates.[2]

Since her election to the SFWU Ovens has been occasionally blogging on left wing social media websites and supporting union activities primarily based in Auckland. In December 2014 Ovens helped lead a walkout of food service workers at Auckland City Hospital.[3][4]

Political activism

Alliance Party

Ovens was an Alliance candidate in Auckland's Mount Albert electorate in the 1999 and the 2002 elections, both times contesting the seat against Labour leader Helen Clark. On the party list, she was ranked 28th and 12th, respectively. Ovens became president of the Alliance party in 2004.[5] She had previously been critical of the party's leader, Matt McCarten, for his close associations with the Māori Party. For the 2005 election she unsuccessfully contested the Manukau East electorate and was ranked first on the party list, having been elected a co-leader with Paul Piesse.

Labour Party

In 2006 she resigned as co-leader and left the Alliance party. After being elected the northern secretary of the Service & Food Workers Union in succession to Darien Fenton, she decided to join the Labour Party as it is affiliated with the Union.[5] She is a former Auckland/Northland regional representative on the Labour Party's Council.[6]

Women's Rights Party

In 2023 Ovens resigned from the Labour Party and founded the transphobic Women's Rights Party, dedicated to the removal of the rights of trans people and exclusion of trans people from New Zealand society and society in general, of which she is the national secretary.[7][8]

During the 2023 New Zealand general election, Ovens was ranked first on the Women's Rights Party's list, and failed to be elected, the party lost its electoral deposit. The party gained 1,836 votes which was 0.08% of the party vote[9]

Views and positions

In 2021 Ovens opposed the Conversion Practices Prohibition Legislation Bill, a Bill that sought to ban the practice of conversion therapy in New Zealand.[10]

References
  1. "The New Zealand health system has been distracted by a radical gender ideology". Women's Rights Party. Retrieved 26 May 2023.
  2. "Alliance New Zealand". Archived from the original on 6 February 2006. Retrieved 6 August 2006.
  3. "Auckland Hospital workers walk over outsource call". Stuff.co.nz. 15 December 2014. Retrieved 8 April 2017.
  4. "GUEST BLOG: Jill Ovens – Auckland Hospital worker cuts – Democracy the loser « The Daily Blog". Thedailyblog.co.nz. 17 December 2014. Retrieved 8 April 2017.
  5. Young, Audrey (6 August 2006). "Ovens switches to Labour after winning union vote". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 11 April 2017.
  6. "Party Information". New Zealand Labour Party. Retrieved 4 August 2017.
  7. Murphy, Megan (14 June 2023). "Jill Ovens resigned from New Zealand's Labour Party to start the Women's Rights Party". Feminist Current. Retrieved 28 June 2023.
  8. "Jill Ovens". Women's Rights Party. Retrieved 30 September 2023.
  9. "Election 2023 Candidates". Women's Rights Party. Archived from the original on 29 September 2023. Retrieved 29 September 2023.
  10. "Jill Ovens – New Zealand Parliament". www.parliament.nz. 30 May 2023. Retrieved 26 May 2023.
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