Jenny Rowan JP QSO (Life Member)
Jenny Rowan is a Life Member of the Trust. She was a foundation member and served as Chair of the Trust for eight years, before resigning to pursue a range of other interests.
Jenny is a skilled, visionary and courageous local government leader with 30 years’ experience in local, district-wide and regional government - most recently as a two-term Mayor of Kapiti District (2007-2013).
As Mayor of Kāpiti, Jenny advocated strongly for Kapiti U.S. Marines history to be collected, exhibited, preserved and told. She believed the Marines story was ‘one of the biggest untold stories in the district’ and worked hard to promote the work of the Trust.
As Chair, Jenny oversaw the early formation of the Trust and lead it strongly through the Salute 70 Anniversary celebrations. On ‘her watch’ the Trust undertook a number of large projects including: the installation of the Friend in Need exhibition at the Paekākāriki station Museum, the up-grade of the U.S. Marines’ Memorial in Queen Elizabeth Park, the installation of the Sailors’ Memorial and the restoration of the Marines’ Hut and its installation in the park. She also represented the Trust very effectively in a wide range of stakeholder forums.
Jenny was a Commissioner in the Environment Court for 16 years and was involved in hearings and writing decisions for over 200 court cases in a wide range of areas - from heritage and environmental protection to major sub-divisions, district plan hearings, marine farming, airport management and expansion, vineyard expansion and state highway development.
She was also a National Disaster Recovery Co-coordinator for the Ministry of Civil Defence - In this role she was appointed Disaster Recovery Coordinator for the Paekākāriki Floods in 2003 and 2004.
Jenny is still actively involved in the Kāpiti/Horowhenua community and is currently: Deputy Chair of the Kāpiti Retirement Trust, community representative for the Hokio Landfill Project Management group, Community Facilitator of the Wainuiwhenua Project; Community Representative on the GWRC Whaitua Project and an active member of the Budge House Project in Paekākāriki.