Cheerful and direct. An engaging smile.
Generous and hospitable. Boundless energy. Unwavering loyalty to Dunedin and the University of Otago.
Courageous. Warm. A wonderful sense of humour.
Opinionated. A bulldozer.
These are just some of ways in which Dame Elizabeth Hanan DNZM CRSNZ will be remembered by family, friends, colleagues, students, political opponents and the people of the city she served with indefatigable enthusiasm.
Dame Elizabeth was a remarkable figure in New Zealand’s local politics and a dedicated community leader, perhaps best known for her impactful role as deputy mayor of Dunedin from 1998 to 2004.
Dame Elizabeth embodied the spirit of innovation, serving as an author, educator and advocate for children’s safety.
Through her teaching, she nurtured a love for science in her students, and her political career was driven by a deep desire to serve her community.
Born on August 21, 1937, in the Melbourne suburb of Brighton, Australia, Elizabeth Ann Walsh was the daughter of legendary University of Otago Dean of Dentistry Sir John Patrick Walsh and his wife, Lady Enid Walsh.
In 1946, the family moved to New Zealand when her father was appointed professor of dentistry at the University of Otago. Known for his invention of the high-speed dental drill, he later received a knighthood for his contributions to dentistry.
Elizabeth’s educational journey took her through Columba College and Otago Girls’ High School before she attended the University of Otago (1955-60) and Canterbury University College (1960-61), where she earned a bachelor of science degree.
In 1966, she married local lawyer John Murray Hanan, and together they raised three children, Dave, Ali and Jude Hanan.
Son Dave recalls growing up in a busy household with hardly an idle moment, but also plenty of time left to their own devices.
"As long as we weren’t just sitting around, life was good. If we didn’t have free play, she’d organise play."
Her own children’s experiences at play sparked Dame Elizabeth’s first foray into the public sphere. Dave recalls childhood trips up and down the length of New Zealand to "test out" playgrounds and equipment, their father Murray making drawings to illustrate what became Elizabeth’s first book, Playgrounds and Play.
The book and her strong advocacy for children’s safety led to conferences around the world, and new safety regulations for New Zealand playgrounds, including limitations on equipment heights and installation of soft-fall protection.
Elizabeth launched her professional career as a secondary school science teacher; during the 1960s she taught at Avonside Girls’ High School in Christchurch, a school in a deprived area of South London while on her OE, and Kaikorai Valley High School when she returned to Dunedin.
She went back to teaching in the 1980s at Columba College.
She also held the position of laboratory supervisor and demonstrator at the University of Otago from 1975-86 and tutored in chemistry at Otago Polytechnic between 1982-85.
One student she made an impression on during her Kaikorai Valley College days remembers her as having run a tight ship in the science lab, but also bringing in the carcass of a possum which had fallen off her roof and having the students dissect it. That was one lesson he never forgot.
In 1986, Dame Elizabeth’s passion for her community led her to the Dunedin City Council, where she served as deputy mayor under Dame Sukhi Turner from 1998-2004.
Speaking via video at Dame Elizabeth’s funeral service at St Paul’s Cathedral, Dame Sukhi said it had been a "no-brainer" to appoint Elizabeth as her deputy for the last six years of mayoralty: "We were a dream team together. Your stable, empathetic positivity went a long way to still the horses around the council table. Your direct, no-nonsense approach hit the mark. Your enthusiasm, passion and sparkle in your eyes, and that disarming smile with a dimple is unforgettable."
Dame Sukhi thanked her for the "prodigious work and output" she had achieved on behalf of the people of Dunedin.
Dame Elizabeth’s commitment to community service was evident in the numerous organisations she became involved in, including the Otago Museum Trust, the Keep Dunedin Beautiful initiative and the Electrical Workers Registration Board.
Between 1990-92, she proudly served as president of the Otago branch of the New Zealand Federation of University Women.
In this regard, she followed in her mother’s footsteps. Lady Enid was a one-time president and was active in academic dress activities.
"Cheerful and direct, with an engaging smile, Elizabeth held Federation of University Women committee meetings in her home, which were always notable for the suppers she created, and her use of Enid’s lovely china," one federation member recalls.
But it was her crucial role in establishing the highly successful New Zealand International Science Festival in 1998 that was perhaps her greatest achievement.
Prof Emerita Jean Fleming, then a young and relatively inexperienced lecturer at the University of Otago, was shoulder-tapped by Elizabeth in 1996 to head a committee to identify engaging high-profile scientists who could speak at the festival and hold public workshops.
It was a daunting task for someone who had never organised such an event before, but she was "befriended and mentored" by Dame Elizabeth, becoming a very close friend in the process.
"I will always remember her courage, her generosity and her wonderful sense of humour," Fleming said in a recorded tribute at the funeral.
"Elizabeth instilled in me the confidence to go out there and do what needed to be done. She always had a bigger picture. She always looked to see what she could do to make Dunedin a better place to live and also to see how she could enhance the reputation of Dunedin within New Zealand. She had this big plan that Dunedin would become the City of Science."
Dame Elizabeth’s lifelong contributions were recognised through numerous accolades.
In 1990, she received the New Zealand 1990 Commemoration Medal, followed by the New Zealand Suffrage Centennial Medal in 1993. In the 1998 Queen’s Birthday Honours, she was appointed a Dame Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for her exceptional service to the community, an honour of which she was immensely proud.
She was also made a Companion of the Royal Society of New Zealand in 2003, and in 2010, she received the inaugural life membership from the New Zealand International Science Festival.
Aside from her public life, Dame Elizabeth was admired for her remarkable gift for friendship, characterised by a steadfast loyalty. Once she backed you, she backed you 110%. There was nothing she would not do for you if she could.
Lifelong friend and retired Environment Court judge Shonagh Kenderdine was befriended as a schoolgirl by Elizabeth: "She was amazingly welcoming, warm and generous of spirit. She had such courage and initiative."
Other friends recalled her beautiful smile, her humour, her kindness.
She could also be very opinionated, recalled Elisabeth Cunningham at the funeral: "She usually had strong-held opinions. And she was usually right."
But she also had a presence.
"A close friend described her moving through a group at a function as like a prow of one of Nelson’s ships at Trafalgar: serenely and queenly sailing through the waters."
Dame Elizabeth was predeceased by her husband in March 2022, a shock from which she never really recovered. Theirs had been a unique partnership, and she missed his companionship deeply.
Her last two years were marked by a series of strokes, but she enjoyed her final year at Summerset, still finding humour in the quirks of her fellow residents and pleasure in visits from friends and, especially, her adored grandchildren.
She was exceptionally proud of Jack, Luca, Rosa and Jesse. They meant the world to her, and in turn, they loved their Nana.
Dame Elizabeth had a fierce determination, a strong sense of purpose and more than a streak of stubbornness.
She taught her family the importance of friendship, of being practical, curious, courageous, hard-working, hospitable and devoted to serving others. Her legacy will continue to inspire generations to come.
Dame Elizabeth died in the early morning of October 13, less than two months after celebrating her 87th birthday.
She is survived by son Dave, daughters Ali and Jude, daughter-in-law Jill, son-in-law Paul and her grandchildren. — Jude Hanan and Jill Rutherford
