Jane Robertson - Adopting a different persona

She’s been privy to some top-secret local government deliberations and was responsible for that election tie coin toss that earned Glyn Lewers a council seat. However, Jane Robertson is probably best known regionally for her on stage theatrical prowess and ability to deliver a truly powerful scream.

Raised and educated in Dunedin, Jane was a diligent student, proficient in piano and classical singing – co-dux of Kaikorai Valley High in 1984, receiving a BA Honours in English at Otago University, adding music in her final year.

“I’d always wanted to be a classical opera singer, but it was expensive to study further,” she says. “But I got to sing in some pretty cool operas in Dunedin, falling into acting and theatre.”

Jane worked for the Otago District Health Board, before beginning what would become an almost 30-year career in local government.

In those early years she was a member of Dunedin’s Opera Alive – a small theatre group that David Bain was also a part of. They’d not long performed The Gondoliers opera when tragedy struck David and his family. “I knew them all, the kids had helped with our productions and their dad had been in a show. As a group it was very hard,” she says.

In 1995 Jane became administration officer for the Waimate District Council, taking council and committee minutes. Here she became famous for her on stage scream, cast as Miss Hannigan in the Waimate Theatre Group’s season of Annie. “That was the most fun I’ve ever had on stage.”

In 1997 she moved to the Dunedin City Council, as committee secretary then governance support officer, sent to sister city Otaru in northern Japan twice as council representative.

Fully immersed in Dunedin theatrical circles, Jane was a master of the British accent, slotting perfectly into a group that performed Gilbert and Sullivan operas, starring in seven of the 12.

When partner Mike Brettell scored a job in Queenstown in 2004 Jane initially worked for Central Lakes Trust as acting executive officer before becoming the Southland District Health Board’s communications officer, commuting to Invercargill.

She was on her way to interview for a Ministry of Justice position in Queenstown when the Queenstown Lakes District Council human resources manager called, suggesting she interview for a vacancy. The Justice interview didn’t go so well but Jane was invited straight to the council offices and offered the governance role.

Clive Geddes was mayor, and Duncan Field was CEO. “In the Waimate council chambers they had two taxidermized wallabies on platforms. There was nothing like that in Queenstown,” she smiles. “Just the ‘Puffing Society’ – three smoking councillors on the patio outside the chambers every meeting break.” Cr Kathy Neale kept the entertainment value high while public forum made things “quite interesting”.

“I once went to set up the Lake Hawea Community Hall for a meeting and was met by the powerful cooking smell of a lady making industrial levels of tomato relish,” Jane says. “She got quite defensive when I suggested we open the windows.”

She’s sat through many a long meeting in the Queenstown council chambers, drawing on her theatre skills to get through. “I always think of a council meeting as a bit of a performance. We’re all playing a role.”

Jane was made electoral officer in 2009 – a role she held until 2022, also deputy to the contractor this year.

In 2019 she got her moment of fame when former mayor Glyn Lewers and A.J. Mason tied, Glyn Lewers applying for a recount with just one vote in it. “We set up the Memorial Hall and counted batches of 50 checking every vote to see if it tallied. My colleague and I found the mistake - a voting paper had a huge, big tick that covered part of the voting box space for the person above.” The matter went to the district court where an order was made for a coin toss, which Jane, who’d never tossed a coin before, had to administer. She practised all morning. “It was a pretty rare occurrence. We had calls from TV, everybody. The legislation has since been changed.”

Taituarā wanted to honour her for 30 years’ service this year. “I confessed to those three years in other roles so asked for a rain check until 2028,” she grins. “The public view of and trust for councils and what they do has changed over the years, but I’m hoping I will still be working here then.”

Jane also teaches piano at Turn Up The Music.

After initially performing for Showbiz Queenstown, she found her niche with Queenstown Shakespeare (now Remarkable Theatre) in Scene Stealers in 2005. Now a life member of Remarkable Theatre and “pretty proud of that”, she’s written and directed several shows, including the upcoming ‘Love Is In The Air’, featuring legendary lovers, in Queenstown Gardens. “I’ve written a scene for Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor and we’re a bit short this year if there are any Romeos and Juliets out there.”