Three TEU legends honoured with life memberships.

Neil Ward and Harvey Jones, both from Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa | Massey University, became Life Members of TEU at our Annual Conference dinner last Thursday night. Peter Cranney, our lawyer since our union’s inception, also received Honorary Life Membership at the same event.

Neil Ward began working in the sector in 1969 and has remained as a staff member of Massey University, Palmerston North, working in veterinary sciences.

He is admired for his commitment to his profession, to the community, and to his fellow workers. Neil can always be relied on to support learners, colleagues, and union members in both their daily work and at times of need. He is a compassionate and caring colleague, who puts others first.

Neil was recognised with a TEU Award of Excellence alongside two colleagues for groundbreaking work with staff in universities who are required to work with animals, (often in very trying circumstances) and who are exposed to considerable workplace stress.

And not only was Neil’s work recognised by union colleagues, but Neil was also given the ANZCCART Technician’s Animal Welfare award for services and contribution to the welfare of animals that are used in teaching and research.

Harvey Jones, in his unmistakable Australian Stetson, has been a strong delegate, committee member, and national activist in the TEU for over two decades.

His work at the branch level and Massey University, Palmerston North, has been unwavering.

Harvey’s dedication to AUS and now TEU began 23 years ago, and he’s not missed a year of service for our union in that time.

Those who know and have worked with Harvey confirm his value to the collective – he is always ready to share his experience, expertise, and historic knowledge.

At branch level, Harvey’s contributions have included being on negotiating teams, Branch President for AUS from 2002 to 2006, and TEU Branch President from 2009 to 2012. He has also been Vice President from 2016 to 2025. At the national level, Harvey has been a contributing member of our Industrial and Professional Committee for over 10 years.

Harvey’s institutional knowledge is extensive and his contribution to Massey University Branch Committee incomparable.

Peter Cranney has been a stalwart and a visionary in the employment law field for both TEU and the whole union movement in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Peter worked as a cleaner and on factory floors where he was a union delegate for years, organising his colleagues. He combines organising knowledge, a legal brain and a drive for change, embedded in socialist values, that make him rare as hen's teeth. Not all lawyers know the struggle of being a worker or know that instead of a challenge to an employer a case may represent an opportunity to organise.

Peter trained as a lawyer when he became a dad. And while we have no doubt of Peter's organising skills, we are lucky to have him for his legal skills.

His work over the decades has included some of the most significant wins for workers in Aotearoa, from pay equity to Uber, and he has supported hundreds of TEU members over the years. Peter likes to win cases. So do we.

Those who have been fortunate enough to see Peter in action in hearings will have witnessed a razor-sharp critical intellect and an articulation of arguments hard to counter.

Few have made such contributions to making a real change to workers’ lives in the legal realm of Aotearoa.