Fran Collett
Bebe Fran Collett (6 November 1936 — 30 June 1972)[1] was an American-New Zealand journalist. She was the first woman officially admitted to New Zealand House of Representatives' press gallery.
Born Bebe Fran Baxter,[2] Collett was originally from California. She graduated from the University of Colorado with a Bachelor of Arts in journalism in 1958.[1][3] After a short lived marriage to Arthur Petersen, she moved to Aotearoa in 1964 with her second husband, Eric Collett.[2] Collett worked as a journalist for the New Zealand Press Association (NZPA). She separated from her husband shortly after their arrival.[2]
In 1965 she joined the parliamentary press gallery as a reporter for NZPA, becoming the first woman to officially do so.[3] Women, including author Robin Hyde, had previously reported on parliament, but had not been allowed to join the gallery.[2] As part of the conditions of her employment, Collett was forbidden to use the press gallery's access to the parliamentary bars.[2] As a female journalist, Collett faced the usual misogynistic speculation about how she obtained information; she (along with the rest of the press gallery) was also spied on by the New Zealand Security Service, who also attempted to recruit her.[2] She had a relationship with cabinet minister Tom Shand, which was an open secret around parliament.[2]
She left the gallery in 1967. She later covered industrial relations for the New Zealand Broadcasting Corporation, then worked as a sub-editor for The Dominion and then later the Sunday Times.[2]
Collett died of acute respiratory failure in June 1972.[2] Her papers, deposited in the Alexander Turnbull Library in 2005, revealed a series of relationships with MPs and government ministers when researched in 2026.[2]
References
[edit]- 1 2 "Collett, Bebe Fran, 1936-1972". Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa. Retrieved 9 February 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Nicola Saker (8 February 2026). "Sex, politics and spies: Did a female reporter's liaisons with powerful NZ figures risk national security at the height of the Cold War?". New Zealand Listener. Retrieved 9 February 2026.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - 1 2 "WOMAN IN MALE SANCTUM". The Press. 7 July 1965. p. 2. Retrieved 30 December 2025 – via Papers Past.