Rebecca Macfie: On Helen Kelly

Helen Kelly was an electrifying figure in the fight for worker’s rights in Aotearoa. As the first female head of the trade union movement she was at once a hero and a thorn in the side of those who sought to champion the values of neoliberalism. Acclaimed journalist Rebecca Macfie (author of Tragedy at Pike River Mine) has written an exceptional account of Kelly’s remarkable life and is joined by Jo Moir to discuss it.

Clear-eyed and powerfully written, this is a book every New Zealander should read. Much more than a biography of a brilliant leader, Macfie has crafted a compelling analysis of the carnage caused by Rogernomics and New Zealand’s descent into a low-waged, unequal society. – Kirsty Johnston, journalist, Stuff