RIP Penny Bright

Stuff reports:

Veteran activist Penny Bright has died. She was 64 years old.

Bright died just before 10pm on Thursday night, her partner of 13 years, Julian said.

Her last word was: “Thanks.”

Her former nemesis, John Banks, also paid tribute to the woman who kept democracy “on the right track”.

“Her heart was always in the right place and she stood up with courage for what she believed in.”

While the pair had their battles while Banks was mayor of Auckland, he said he only has good memories of Bright and the pair had made peace.

“I visited her in hospital last month and she was pleased to see me. Today she deserves a lot of credit, we often did agree to disagree.”

Bright was often front and centre during the years Banks was in office.

“She was an interesting protester and she always cut a dash, always had her bright red lipstick on and some amazing hats. …

Bright campaigned against successive Auckland local bodies and said her first campaign was when she was at high school in the 7th form.

If there is an afterlife I suspect Penny is being a pain in the arse to the powers that be and demanding greater transparency from them. May she rest in peace.