Jenny Pattrick

For her achievements in many areas which have enriched New Zealand’s literary and artistic heritage.  

Jenny Pattrick played an active role in the life of the college; she was a published writer in the school reporter and entered the Marjorie Nicholls speech competition several times during her time here. In 1952, Jenny was also in the school production of Androcles and the Lion.  Jenny Pattrick received an endorsed school cert 1953.

 After leaving school, she first trained as a teacher. In 1969 Jenny began her career as a jeweller. Her work has been exhibited in New Zealand and internationally, as well as featuring on the book cover of her second novel, Heart of Coal (Black Swan, 2004). Jenny Pattrick’s crowning achievement is her literature, making a name for herself from her successful debut novel, the Denniston Rose. Whilst she is widely known as a historical novelist, she has also written fiction for print and radio. The Denniston Rose and its sequel heart of coal are two of New Zealand’s biggest-selling novels. In 2009 Jenny Pattrick was awarded the NZ Post Mansfield Prize, incorporating the six-month Katherine Mansfield Fellowship in Menton France.

 Pattrick has long been active in the arts community and has served as President of the Crafts Council. She has chaired the Arts Council and has served on the boards of Toi Whakaari: New Zealand Drama School, the New Zealand School of Dance and the New Zealand Festival of the Arts’ New Zealand Post Writers and Readers Committee. This shows that she truly has made a wide ranging contribution to New Zealand’s arts and cultural heritage. Her contribution to arts and Culture in New Zealand is undeniable and she is the perfect role model, we hope she will inspire future female generations, and you girls sat here today to embrace New Zealand’s history and pursue a career in the arts.