Funeral Celebrates the Life of Sonja Davies

The Governor-General, Dame Silvia Cartwright, and the Prime Minister, Helen Clark, will be among the speakers at Sunday's funeral in Wellington to celebrate the life of Sonja Davies.Sonja Davies, ONZ, a former MP, trade unionist and peace activist, died on Sunday in Wellington. She was 81.

Her funeral will be held at the Wellington Town Hall on Sunday, June 19 at 4.30pm.

"Sonja left very clear instructions that her funeral service was to be a celebration of her long and achievement-filled life," said her friend and lawyer Charles Chauvel. "We have been organising a farewell to Sonja that we hope will live up to her expectations and reflect the things in which she so passionately believed."

Other speakers include Parliament's Speaker, Margaret Wilson, CTU secretary Carol Beaumont, Sir Tipene O'Regan, on behalf of Sonja Davies' iwi, Ngai Tahu, her brother, David Mackersey, and Charles Chauvel.

Labour MPs to confirm their attendance so far are Mark Burton, Lianne Dalziel, Helen Duncan, Harry Duynhoven, Ruth Dyson, Martin Gallagher, Marian Hobbs, Steve Maharey, Ross Robertson, Judith Tizard, Jill Pettis, Darren Hughes and Lesley Soper.

Women friends of Sonja Davies who are bringing her into the town hall for the funeral are expected to include peace activist Kate Dewes; Lynne Bruce, secretary, NZEI; Rosslyn Noonan, Chief Human Rights Commissioner; Margaret Shields, former Minister of Women's Affairs; writer and publisher Diane Grant; film-maker Gaylene Preston; and the executive director of the Council for International Development, Rae Julian.

The men bringing her out of the town hall after the funeral are likely to be her three grandsons Ben, Tim and Tony; her neighbour Charlie Baldwin; Ken Douglas, foundation president of the New Zealand Council of Trade Unions; Ron Burgess, former secretary of the Post Office Workers' Union; Peter Conway, CTU director industry/policy and economist; and Don Swan, assistant general secretary of the Service and Food Workers' Union.

Books of remembrance, and donation boxes for the Sonja Davies Peace Award, the charity that Sonja Davies wished to be mentioned on her death, will be available at the town hall on Sunday.