Helene Ritchie
| Helene Ritchie | |
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| Deputy Mayor of Wellington City | |
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In office 1986–1988 |
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| Preceded by | Gavin Wilson |
| Succeeded by | David Watt |
| Wellington City Councillor | |
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In office 1977–1989 |
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In office 1998–2016 |
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| Wellington Regional Councillor | |
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In office 1980–1983 |
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In office 1989–1992 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born | Wellington, New Zealand |
| Political party | Labour (formerlry) |
| Spouse(s) | Peter Ritchie (d. 2001) |
| Alma mater | Victoria University of Wellington |
| Profession | Psychologist |
Helene Ruth Paula Ritchie is a former local body politician from Wellington, New Zealand. She served as a city councillor for a total of 30 years, including two as the Deputy Mayor.
Ritchie was born in Wellington to Czech refugee parents who had fled their home in Prague during the Holocaust. Ritchie grew up in a state house in Naenae and looked after her younger sister at night from age seven while her parents were at work. She attended Hutt Valley High School and became head prefect and later studied psychology at university. She later came into politics in the 1970s through the women's movement and joined the Labour Party.
Ritchie stood for the Ohariu electorate in the New Zealand House of Representatives in the 1978 general election for the Labour Party. She was unsuccessful placing second behind National's Hugh Templeton. At the following election she sought the Labour nomination for the Napier electorate, but lost to Geoff Braybrooke, who held the seat until 2002. Upon Braybrooke's retirement, Ritchie again sought the Napier seat, but lost out on the nomination to Russell Fairbrother.
Ritchie was first elected to the Wellington City Council in 1977 and served as a councillor for the next 12 years. She was the official Labour candidate for Mayor in 1983, finishing runner-up to Ian Lawrence. In 1986, Ritchie became Deputy Mayor to James Belich, the first woman to hold the position, but was dumped by her Labour colleagues on the council in 1988. According to Ritchie no reason was ever given and she thought the episode was "very unfair and unjust". She subsequently became an independent and in 1989 she stepped down as a councillor and stood for both the Mayoralty and Regional Council. She narrowly lost the Mayoralty but was elected to the Wellington Regional Council. Ritche stood for Mayor for a third time in 1992, finishing second again this time to former Wellington Central MP Fran Wilde.
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