{{Short description|New Zealand local politician}} {{Use dmy dates|date=October 2022}} {{Use New Zealand English|date= October 2022}} {{Infobox officeholder |honorific_prefix = |name = Jenny Rowan |honorific_suffix = {{post-nominals|country=NZL|QSO|JP|size=100%}} |image = Jenny Rowan.jpg |alt = |caption = Rowan in 2010 |order1 = 5th |office1 = Mayor of Kāpiti Coast |term_start1 = 2007 |term_end1 = 2013 |predecessor1 = Alan Milne |successor1 = Ross Church |order2 = 1st Mayor of Inglewood District |term_start2 = 1986 |term_end2 = 1989 |predecessor2 = ''New position'' |successor2 = ''Position abolished'' |birth_date = {{Birth year and age|1949|10}} |birth_place = |death_date = |death_place = |birth_name = |party = |spouse = {{marriage|Juliet Joslin|2006}} |relations = |children = |occupation = |profession = }} '''Jennifer Daphne Rowan''' {{post-nominals|country=NZL|QSO|JP}} (formerly '''Simpson'''; born October 1949)<ref name="staunch"/> is a New Zealand former politician. She served as mayor of the Kāpiti Coast from 2007 to 2013, and was the first openly lesbian mayor in the country.
==Career== Rowan was mayor of Inglewood District from 1986 until the 1989 local government reforms. She was then elected to the Taranaki Regional Council and served as deputy chair until 1991. She was a commissioner of the Environment Court of New Zealand from 1991 to 2007, and served as deputy chair of the Paekākāriki Community Board from 2004 to 2006.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.fairwayresolution.com/sites/default/files/documents/Press%20release%20-%20New%20role%20for%20ex%20Mayor.pdf |title=Press release – New role for ex Mayor |publisher=FairWay Resolution |access-date=19 October 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://marinenz.com/trustees |title=The Kapiti US Marines Trust – Trustees |publisher=Kapiti US Marines Trust |access-date=19 October 2022}}</ref><ref name="thumbs"/>
Rowan was elected mayor of Kāpiti Coast in 2007, defeating six opponents including former mayor Iride McCloy.<ref name="thumbs"/><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/your-vote-07-the-results/UIIK3KN2GSFVHVIIORM2BOIB5U/ |title=Your Vote 07 - The results |date=14 October 2007 |work=The New Zealand Herald |access-date=19 October 2022}}</ref> Major issues of her mayoralty included council spending, the Kāpiti Expressway, sea level rise, and water metering.<ref name="staunch">{{cite web |url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/7778728/Kapiti-mayor-staunch-in-face-of-flak |title=Kapiti mayor staunch in face of flak |date=7 October 2012 |work=Dominion Post |first=Anthony |last=Hubbard |access-date=19 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221022000724/https://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/7778728/Kapiti-mayor-staunch-in-face-of-flak |archive-date=22 October 2022 |url-status=dead }}</ref> These issues led to her failing to be re-elected in 2013, placing third behind Ross Church and K Gurunathan.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/local-elections-2013/9278634/Rowan-loses-Kapiti-post-to-Church |title=Rowan loses Kapiti post to Church |date=14 October 2013 |work=Dominion Post |access-date=19 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221021162359/http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/local-elections-2013/9278634/Rowan-loses-Kapiti-post-to-Church |archive-date=21 October 2022 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/local-elections-2013/9281326/Ousted-Rowan-stands-by-unpopular-water-meters |title=Ousted Rowan stands by unpopular water meters |date=14 October 2013 |work=Dominion Post |access-date=19 October 2022 |first=Kay |last=Blundell |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221224003727/https://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/local-elections-2013/9281326/Ousted-Rowan-stands-by-unpopular-water-meters |archive-date=24 December 2022 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
==Personal life== In 1995, Rowan and her partner Juliet "Jools" Joslin were one of three lesbian couples who unsuccessfully applied for marriage licences. In January 1996, they took part in a commitment ceremony in Wellington.<ref name="thumbs"/><ref>{{cite web |url=https://natlib.govt.nz/records/23198344 |title=Jenny Rowan and Jools Joslin – photographs taken by Phil Reid |publisher=National Library of New Zealand |access-date=19 October 2022}}</ref> They took their case to the High Court in ''Quilter v Attorney-General'' in May, but the court ruled against them and the Court of Appeal upheld the ruling in December 1997.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.equalrightstrust.org/ertdocumentbank/Quilter%20v.pdf |title= Quilter v. Attorney-General [1998] 1 NZLR 523 |publisher= New Zealand Court of Appeal |date= 17 December 1997 |access-date= 3 September 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160105200321/http://www.equalrightstrust.org/ertdocumentbank//Quilter%20v.pdf|archive-date=5 January 2016}}</ref> On 30 November 1998, they sued New Zealand before the United Nations Human Rights Committee. The committee rejected the case on 17 July 2002.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.unhchr.ch/tbs/doc.nsf/%28Symbol%29/CCPR.C.75.D.902.1999.En?Opendocument|title=Communication No 902/1999 : New Zealand. 2002-07-30|publisher= United Nations Human Rights Committee|date=17 July 2002 |access-date= 3 September 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151121150042/http://www.unhchr.ch/tbs/doc.nsf/%28Symbol%29/CCPR.C.75.D.902.1999.En?Opendocument|archive-date=21 November 2015}}</ref> In 2006, they flew to Canada to be legally married.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/18569/Kapiti-to-be-lead-by-out-mayor |title=Kapiti to be {{as written|le|ad [sic]}} by 'out' mayor |date=15 October 2007 |work=Stuff |access-date=19 October 2022 |first=Kay |last=Blundell |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221021162205/https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/18569/Kapiti-to-be-lead-by-out-mayor |archive-date=21 October 2022 |url-status=dead }}</ref> On 17 April 2013, they were in the public gallery to witness the passing of the Marriage (Definition of Marriage) Amendment Act 2013, which legalised same-sex marriage in New Zealand.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/eyewitness/audio/201813826/jenny-and-jools |title=Jenny and Jools |date=1 September 2016 |work=RNZ |first=Justin |last=Gregory |access-date=19 October 2022}}</ref>
Rowan was appointed a Companion of the Queen's Service Order, for public services, in the 1990 New Year Honours.<ref name="thumbs">{{cite web |url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/same-sex-marriage-pioneer-gets-thumbs-up-in-kapiti/QBF7WISDVHCDHCRI3NLKWAK6HI/ |title=Same-sex marriage pioneer gets thumbs up in Kapiti |date=14 October 2007 |work=The New Zealand Herald |first=Julie |last=Jacobson |access-date=19 October 2022}}</ref><ref>{{London Gazette |issue=51982 |date=30 December 1989 |page=31 |supp=2}}</ref> She was also awarded the New Zealand 1990 Commemoration Medal.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Taylor |first1=Alister |last2=Coddington |first2=Deborah |author-link1=Alister Taylor |author-link2=Deborah Coddington |title=Honoured by the Queen – New Zealand |year=1994 |publisher=New Zealand Who's Who Aotearoa |location=Auckland |isbn=0-908578-34-2 |page=337}}</ref>
==References== {{reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rowan, Jenny}} Category:1949 births Category:Living people Category:Mayors of places in the Wellington Region Category:Mayors of places in Taranaki Category:Women mayors of places in New Zealand Category:LGBTQ mayors of places in New Zealand Category:New Zealand lesbian politicians Category:New Zealand LGBTQ rights activists Category:Taranaki regional councillors Category:Companions of the Queen's Service Order Category:New Zealand justices of the peace