Gillian Mary Hanly ( Taverner; born 1934) is a New Zealand artist. She is best known for documenting protests and social movements in New Zealand's recent history.

Early life

Hanly was born in 1934 in Levin, New Zealand. She has two younger brothers. She grew up on a sheep farm between the sea and the town of

Bulls Bulls may refer to: *The plural of bull, an adult male bovine * Bulls, New Zealand, a small town in the Rangitikei District Sports *Bucking bull, used in the sport of bull riding *Bulls (rugby union), a South African rugby union franchise operated ...

, where the family worked hard to contribute. She was home schooled until the age of 12, when she was sent to Nga Tawa school in Marton. She attended the

Ilam School of Fine Arts The Ilam School of Fine Arts at the University of Canterbury, located in the Ilam suburb of Christchurch, New Zealand, was founded in 1882 as the Canterbury College School of Art. The school became a full department of the university in the ...

in Christchurch in the early 1950s, where she trained to be a painter. She met her husband

Pat Hanly James Patrick Hanly (2 August 1932 – 20 September 2004), generally known as Pat Hanly, was a prolific New Zealand painter. One of his works is a large mural ''Rainbow Pieces'' (1971) at Christchurch Town Hall. Early life Born in Palmerston N ...

while at Ilam.

Career

After she graduated from university she moved to London for five years, where she worked as a props buyer for a production company. After she moved back to New Zealand she worked at University Bookshop for a decade. She started working for the feminist publication ''

Broadsheet A broadsheet is the largest newspaper format and is characterized by long Vertical and horizontal, vertical pages, typically of in height. Other common newspaper formats include the smaller Berliner (format), Berliner and Tabloid (newspaper ...

'' in 1972.

Artistic career

She has taken photographs of the 1981 Springbok tour, the

sinking Shipwrecking is any event causing a ship to wreck, such as a collision causing the ship to sink; the stranding of a ship on rocks, land or shoal; poor maintenance, resulting in a lack of seaworthiness; or the destruction of a ship either intent ...

of the Greenpeace ship '' The Rainbow Warrior'', the protest at

Bastion Point Takaparawhau / Bastion Point is a coastal piece of land in Ōrākei, Auckland, New Zealand, overlooking the Waitematā Harbour. The area is significant in New Zealand history as the site of protests in the late 1970s by Māori against forced ...

, and the 1984 land

hīkoi A ''hīkoi'' is a walk or march, and especially a protest march, in New Zealand. The word comes from the Māori language, and often implies a long journey taking many days or weeks. The most famous hīkoi was the 1975 Māori land march, on wh ...

. She has also documented the Queen Street riots and outrage at the

murder of Teresa Cormack Teresa Maida Cormack (18 June 1981 – 19 June 1987) was a six-year-old murder victim from Napier, New Zealand. After fifteen years, advances in genetic analysis led to conviction of Jules Mikus (28 September 1958 – 6 December 2019) for t ...

. Her photographs of the women's movement in the 1970s and 1980s featured prominently in the exhibition at

Auckland War Memorial Museum The Auckland War Memorial Museum (), also known as Auckland Museum, is one of New Zealand's most important museums and war memorials. Its neoclassical architecture, neoclassical building constructed in the 1920s and 1950s, stands on Observatory ...

, ''Are We There Yet?'' She says she is attracted to things "that were important". Hanly was associated with the long-running feminist magazine ''

''. However, she does not think she is a feminist. She also has an interest in photographing gardens. She does not describe herself as a photographic artist, but rather she sees herself as a "documenter". Hanly has been documented social protests since the 1970s including the reclamation of

and the 1981 Springbok Tour.

Recognition

In 1993 Hanly was awarded a

New Zealand Suffrage Centennial Medal The New Zealand Suffrage Centennial Medal 1993 was established by Royal Warrant on 1 July 1993. It was created to commemorate Women's suffrage in New Zealand and to recognize those New Zealand and Commonwealth citizens who had made a significant ...

. In the 1999 Queen's Birthday Honours, Hanly was appointed an

Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit The New Zealand Order of Merit () is an order of merit in the New Zealand royal honours system. It was established by royal warrant on 30 May 1996 by Elizabeth II, Queen of New Zealand, "for those persons who in any field of endeavour, have r ...

, for services to photography. In 2019, she was awarded an

medal, becoming a Companion of Auckland War Memorial Museum.

Personal life

Hanly was married to the painter

until he died in 2004. She has two children with Pat, and her husband had another daughter in a different relationship.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hanly, Gil New Zealand photographers 1934 births Living people People from Levin, New Zealand Ilam School of Fine Arts alumni New Zealand women photographers People educated at Nga Tawa Diocesan School Officers of the New Zealand Order of Merit Recipients of the New Zealand Suffrage Centennial Medal 1993