Note: links in archived stories may have expired due to the removal of the stories from, or changes to, the websites from which they were derived.

First NZ star of silver screen 
NZ's first movie star has died in a Rotorua hospital aged 101. Witarina Harris, of Ngati Whakaue descent, was chosen by Universal Pictures to star as Princess Miro in the 1928 silent film Under the Southern Cross (later overdubbed as The Devil's Pit). Shot in NZ, the film was rediscovered by the late archivist Jonathan Dennis, who provided a copy to the NZ Film Archives. Witarina Harris became the Film Archives' patron and travelled to film festivals in Europe till her mid-90s. She was presented with a Taiki Ngapara lifetime achievement award at the NZ Film Archives 25th anniversary gathering in December 2006. 
(12 June 2007)

Tributes flow for reading expert
Educators the world over have mourned the loss of Dame Marie Clay, an internationally renowned reading expert who has died in Auckland aged 81. Clay was a leading figure in the International Reading Association (IRA), serving as its president from 1992-3. "Marie Clay was a remarkable educator," said current IRA president Timothy Shanahan in an official statement. "She was by far the most important champion of the idea that reading problems could be identified and addressed with young children. Previous to her landmark efforts, it was common educational practice to ignore early learning delays in the hopes that these children might outgrow the problems, with the result that many struggling readers fell further behind ... Her passing is a great loss to the education community and to the world." Clay is best known in NZ for the acclaimed Reading Recovery Programme she established in 1983, which continues to be used in primary schools all over the country. "Not only was Dame Marie a highly skilled thinker, but she was always accessible to the teaching profession to spread her ideas and engage in dialogue about literacy," says Irene Cooper, president of the NZ Educational Institute. "She will be sadly missed, but her work remains as her memorial." 
(13 April 2007)

Tribute to Peter Munz 
Historian, author and Victoria University of Wellington emeritus professor Peter Munz has died aged 85. Born in Chemnitz, Germany, Munz was part of the wave of mostly Jewish intellectuals who fled fascist Germany and Italy in the 1930s. He studied history, German and philosophy at Canterbury University in Christchurch before gaining his PhD from Cambridge. Munz became a senior lecturer at Victoria University in 1949 and held the history chair from 1968 to 1986, after which he became emeritus professor. Although a specialist in medieval history, Munz had a lifelong interest in philosophy. He studied under both Karl Popper at Canterbury and Ludwig Wittgenstein at Cambridge and published numerous books on both philosophers, including Our Knowledge of the Growth of Knowledge: Popper or Wittgenstein? (1985) and Beyond Wittgenstein's Poker: New Light on Popper and Wittgenstein (2004). His most important historical work is Frederick Barbarossa: A Study in Medieval Politics (1969). "A friendly man, he invited his MA students, after examinations were over, to a lunch at his home," writes friend and former student Russell Price in the Guardian, "He will be remembered with gratitude and affection by many former students. He was a notable member of that great 1930s Jewish diaspora." 
(12 March 2007)

Former AB and famous father
Former All Black Brian Fitzpatrick has died aged 75. A sturdily built five eigthths, Fitzpatrick was a strong runner and tackler. He made two tours with All Black sides in the early 1950s, playing in three tests and 19 other first-class matches for NZ. Terry McLean, who covered Fitzpatrick's last tour, rated him the best tackler in the team. Fitzpatrick also played for Victoria University, New Zealand Universities, Wellington and Auckland. Brian Fitzpatrick's son, Sean, is the most capped All Black in history. 
(2 October 2006)

Brian Barratt-Boyes 
Internationally acclaimed New Zealand pioneering heart surgeon Brian Barratt-Boyes has died aged 82. Educated at Wellington College and Otago University Medical School, Barratt-Boyes battled against bureaucracy for more funding and staff to do what was necessary for a country that he observed had “the rather dubious position of leading the world in the incidence of heart disease.” Barratt-Boyes was knighted in 1971 for his numerous contributions to the advancement of heart surgery including: performing New Zealand’s first cardio-pulmonary bypass (1958), leading the team at Green-lane Hospital that carried out the first successful heart operation in New Zealand to give a 3 year old “blue baby” a new lease of life (1965), introducing aortic valve replacement (1982) and pioneering a now standard procedure of lowering infant body temperature (1985). In a sad twist of fate, Barratt-Boyes’ greatest battle was with his own heart problems, a condition he kept to himself until 1974 when a Green Lane colleague performed a coronary artery bypass on him. Barratt-Boyes underwent a further three heart operations in his lifetime, the last performed two weeks before his death.
(March 2006)

Edge connection for leading scientist 
Pioneering archaeologist Lady Aileen Fox has died aged 98. Born and educated in England, Lady Fox held a visiting lectureship at Auckland University from 1972 to 1983. She conducted excavations at Tiromoana Pa (where she noted similarities with the hill forts of southern Britain, her area of expertise), carried out field survey work with students and became closely involved with the archaeological committee of the Historic Places Trust. She was also a key figure in the establishment of the New Zealand Journal of Archaeology. 
(20 January 2006)

A life's work 
NZ born education pioneer and author Dion "Darcy" Dale has died. Dale devoted his life to the teaching and studying of deaf and partially hearing children. He was particularly prominent in promoting the use of lip reading and vocal communication as opposed to sign language, which he felt could potentially isolate deaf children from the non-signing majority. Dale authored four books and a Lancet article on educating the deaf and hearing impaired, and founded a groundbreaking diploma course for teachers of the deaf at the London University Institute of Education in 1965. 
(10 November 2005)

Asia-Pacific Network

Owen Wilkes: global peace activist
Owen Wilkes, the New Zealand peace activist and global peace researcher, has died in Hamilton aged 65. In a tribute written from Beijing by Peter Hayes, he said “Owen Wilkes was a profoundly wedded to values of peace and sustainability. His research on overseas military base structures was relentlessly systematic. He gave the public access to basic knowledge about the role of espionage systems hosted by many countries and previously held secret by the operators. Owen never compromised his primary allegiance to building an informed civil society with bottom-up peace and human security strategies. Overall, his pen probably did more to reduce the risk of nuclear war and human catastrophe from nuclear weapons than any other individual activist-researcher in history.” Owen Wilkes’ achievements included revelations in the 1980s that the communications centre at Tangimoana in the lower North Island was an electronic spy station and part of an American worldwide network (denied by the Government), building a solar-powered house near Punakaiki, recording 450 Maori archeological sites between Kawhia and Awakino, and receiving a Swedish award for promoting international peace. In a message Wilkes left at the time of his death, he indicated his objection to the artificial extension of human life beyond its natural span, which he believed was 60 years. “I’m five years past my expiry date. Sorry to upset anyone and everyone, but better to go now rather than suffer years of uniformity, muddle headedness and absent mindedness.” Tributes can be read at the converge.org.nz site.
 (19 May 2005)

Sir Joh bows out
Dannevirke-born and controversial seven-times Premier of Queensland Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen has died aged 94. The maverick politician was one of the most colourful but also divisive leaders in Australian political history. He was religiously, socially and politically conservative. Rock-solid in his convictions, he would steamroll opponents, barely consulted outside a small group of trusted supporters and dismissed questions from the media with his trademark: "Don't you worry about that." His hatred of unions and use of tough, often violent, policing methods to quell protests won strong support and made bitter enemies. He vigorously backed farmers and big business while attacking civil liberties, conservationists and greater land rights for Aborigines. Sir Joh was forced into early retirement after losing a leadership challenge and a few years later was charged with perjury over evidence he gave at the Fitzgerald corruption inquiry. But after a controversial trial the jury couldn't reach a verdict. In recent years, he battled financial problems and failing health. 3,000 people attended his State funeral.
(2005)

George Silk, LIFE
photographer, dies, 87
Born Levin 1916, educated Auckland Grammar, George Silk became a combat photographer for Australian Ministry of Information, covering the battles at close hand in the Middle East, North Africa, Greece and New Guinea. He joined LIFE magazine as a war correspondent in 1944. Captured, escaped, wounded during the war, he took the first pictures of Nagasaki after the atomic bomb had been dropped. Silk stayed with LIFE for 34 years, specializing in adventure, exploration and sports photography, including the Olympics and America's Cup. He was named US Magazine Photographer of the Year four times. He pioneered the use of a special camera for depicting athletes in motion. Using an adapted racetrack photo-finish camera to take sequential stills of the athletes, the "strip" camera exposed the film as it rolled past a hole. He had lived in Westport, Connecticut. The NGA in Canberra had a retrospective exhibition of his work in 2000.
(25 October 2004)

A sporting life
NZ-born BBC sports producer and director, Malcolm Kemp, has died aged 57 of cancer. Kemp's illustrious career saw him executive produce seven Grand Nationals, the 1994 football World Cup and 1996 European Cup, and direct the BBC's coverage of the 2002  Commonwealth Games in Manchester - the latter winning both Bafta and RTS awards. "Malcolm was an extraordinarily gifted director," said BBC Director of Sport, Peter Salmon. "From enormous sporting occasions such as the Commonwealth Games to World Darts from Frimley, Malcolm brought originality, flair and confidence to any project he touched."
Registration site
(6 April 2004)

Pioneer storyteller
The death of ground-breaking NZ filmmaker Mike Walker was noted in the Scotsman, Miami Herald, and LA Times. Walker worked as director, co-producer and co-writer on the films Kingi’s Story, Kingpin and Mark II which, with their gritty portrayal of urban Maori youth, are considered precursors to Lee Tamahori's Once Were Warriors and Ian Mune's What Becomes of the Broken Hearted.
(5 July 2004)
   

Comic genius
Martin Emond, internationally renowned comic-book artist, illustrator, and tattooist, died in LA on March 19 aged 34. Emond created the popular character Switchblade (star of NZ clothing brand Illicit) and the acclaimed White Trash and Rolling Red Knuckles series, the latter of which earned him a cult following in Japan. An inspiration to his Kiwi contemporaries, Emond worked with US giants Marvel and DC Comics, and collaborated with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles creator Kevin Eastman, hardcore rocker Glen Danzig, and Tundra’s Gordon Rennie. He was working on an animated version of Rolling Red Knuckles for Pirate.Net, a subsidiary of Fox TV, when he died. Silver Bullet described him as “a prolific creator who worked to support up and coming artists and never let success go to his head.” see also NZ Listener obituary
(20 March 2004)

A voice to remember
A Stanford University obituary paid tribute to Susan Okin, the Auckland-born author, lecturer, and activist described by a Stanford University colleague as “perhaps the best feminist political philosopher in the world.” The author of three acclaimed books – Women in Western Political Thought (1979), Justice, Gender and the Family (1989), and Is Multiculturalism Bad for Women? (1999) – Okin was one of the leading feminist voices in the study of Western family and employment law. She died aged 57.
(12 March 2004)
    

A world in pictures
British photojournalist, Joan Wakelin, died on September 23 aged 75. Wakelin is best known for her images of Sri Lankan boat-people, Australian Aboriginal and NZ Maori communities; the latter with which she had a special connection. She lectured on the photography of NZ people and landscapes as a guest of the government in the 1980s and 90s.
(29 October 2003)
   

Reconstructionist
Esteemed facial surgeon and dental safety innovator, David Poswillo, has died aged 76. Born in Gisborne, Poswillo's career took him to Australia, England, Wales, Canada, and the US. As well as his role as a surgeon, Poswillo was "one of the most stimulating speakers that trainee surgeons could encounter," worked for the World Health Organisation, was treasurer and senior vice president of the Royal Society of Medicine, and, in 1989, was awarded a CBE. Guardian: "He possessed that rare combination of logical thought and extraordinary imagination that could contemplate future surgical possibilities." See the NZEdge bio of edge predecessor Sir Harold Gillies.
(25 June 2003)

Giovanni Intra remembered
We are diminished to report the death of Giovanni Intra in New York City on December 17th 2002. Giovanni, artist, critic, gallerist  went east to stir up the LA art scene and established the gallery,  China Art Objects, and its location, Chinatown, as a fresh new locus that, "changed the landscape" of the West Coast art world and was internationally regarded as one of the most influential new galleries. Giovanni was remembered in Art Forum, LA Times, New York Times, Las Vegas Sun, and The Independent. A tribute exhibition for Giovanni will be held at The Hamish McKay Gallery in Wellington from January 18th - February 1st. Kelly Carmichael's NZEDGE profile of Giovanni remains here.
(17 Dec 2002)
      

"The Boot" remembered
Rugby fans around the world farewell Don "the Boot" Clarke, an incomparable All Black legend. Business Day calls him "an icon for a generation of NZers," while The Australian remembers his match-winning conversion against France at Athletic Park in 1961, "kicked into a gale-force wind, which people still talk about." Independent: "The man who beat the British and Irish Lions by himself […] a massive man [who] kicked some of the most famous goals in rugby history."
(31 December 2002)
         

A believer in the green light
"Without a doubt one of the most brilliant journalists and columnists of his generation." Neal Travis, the "brash, swashbuckling New Zealand import", legendary editor of The New York Post's in/famous Page Six gossip column, as well as a novelist, died on 14th July. The high school drop-out from Dunedin worked as a journalist in NZ and Australia before hitting the big time in New York. "Gatsbyesque" Travis was a huge personality in New York, known as much for his "Savile Row tailored shirts and handsome shock of silver hair," friends in high places, and rapier wit as for his no-holds-barred style of reportage.
(July 2002)
         

An iron wool
John Milner, a New Zealander noted for successfully opening the Eastern Bloc to the international wool trade, dies aged 84. During the cold war, a period when bureaucracy and suspicion were rife, Milner's "exceptional charm and approachability" cut across red tape and other hazards of trade beyond the Iron Curtain.
(7 November 2001)
         

Legendary Kiwi credited with giving great journalist his start
Rex Lopez died late last month, ending an illustrious career as a journalist and critic. Lopez spent much of his life in Australia, but legendary Kiwi journalist, radio commentator, war correspondent, novelist and television personality Eric Baume gave him his first break: a job as a copy boy in London.
(24 August 2000)
                

Obituary: Sir Peter Platt, musicologist
Sir Peter Platt was born in Sheffield but spent a lifetime merging the music of the edges in the antipodes: he regarded an understanding of the music of the regions as crucial and guided his students in their study of Maori and Aboriginal music, many becoming expert musicologists. Platt was Professor of Music at the University of Otago for twenty years, and was made a member of the Order of Australia earlier this year
(21 August 2000)
 

 
Frozen tomb of Kiwi war pilot uncovered
The RAF has never forgotten a Kiwi pilot, flight officer Arthur Round, and his crew who died when their aircraft crashed in a glacier in northern Iceland during a World War Two mission. An RAF mountain rescue team is planning this week to recover the airmen's frozen remains so that they can be buried with full military honours.
(2 July 2000)
                    

Muse behind Watership Down dies happy talking to rabbits in New Zealand
Ronald Lockley, internationally renowned naturalist, died in New Zealand on April 12, aged 96. The Economist obituary dryly notes that "New Zealanders liked Ronald Lockley, admired his reputation as a protector of nature, and would never laugh at him just because he talked to whales.
(29 April 2000)
 

Famed wartime pilot Irving "Black" Smith dies
Invercargill born Group Captain Irving Smith, famed for his courage and low-level precision bombing raids during WWII, died on Feb 16. 
(22 March 2000)
                 Invercargill born Group Captain Irving Smith, famed for his courage and low-level precision bombing raids during WWII, died on Feb 16. 
(22 March 2000)
                

David Young, CEO of world's largest air tour operation dies
Young, 58, a transplanted New Zealander, died of cancer in Las Vegas. He was CEO of Scenic Airlines.
(15 May 2000)
        

Right-hander's ultimate innings 
Walter Mervyn Wallace, one of New Zealand's greatest batsmen has died, aged 91. As a young man Merv Wallace appeared such a prodigy that the New Zealand press did not scruple to make allusions to Don Bradman. While no one has been able to sustain that comparison, there was never any question of Wallace's extraordinary natural ability. A key player of the Parnell Club side at only 16, Wallace made his debut for Auckland in the Plunket Shield in December 1933, and first represented New Zealand (though not in a Test) against Errol Holmes's MCC side in 1935-36. Wallace played 13 tests between 1937 and the 1953 seasons. He served as New Zealand's coach in the team's 1956 Indian and Pakistan tour, and was Test selector for a number of years. From 1947 to 1982 he ran a sports shop with New Zealand tennis player Bill Webb. Of Wallace, former New Zealand captain John Reid said he was: "The most under-rated cricketer to have worn the silver fern." 
(24 March 2008)

The world mourns our humble colossus 
Sir Edmund Hillary - adventurer, philanthropist and global icon - has died aged 88. The lanky beekeeper from Tuakau found international fame in 1953 as the first person to scale Mt Everest, together with his Sherpa guide Tenzing Norgay. "In the annals of great heroic exploits, the conquest of Mount Everest by Sir Edmund and Mr. Norgay ranks with the first trek to the South Pole by Roald Amundsen in 1911 and the first solo nonstop trans-Atlantic flight by Charles A. Lindbergh in 1927," reads his New York Times obituary. Fame did not sit easily with Sir Ed. He preferred to be known for his philanthropic work rather than his high-profile adventures, and saw his greatest achievement as the founding of the Sir Edmund Hillary Himalayan Trust. Nepali Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala praised Hillary's lifelong devotion to Nepal in an official message of condolence: "The Government and people of Nepal shall always cherish the fond memories of his selfless devotion to the cause of development of the Everest region, his human qualities and courageous spirit as well as his contribution to make Nepal known to the world." NZ PM Helen Clark has announced a state funeral to honour the man she calls "the best-known New Zealander ever to have lived". "Sir Ed described himself as an average New Zealander with modest abilities," she said in her official statement. "In reality, he was a colossus. He was a heroic figure who not only knocked off Everest but lived a life of determination, humility and generosity ... All New Zealanders will deeply mourn his passing." Click here to read Sir Edmund Hillary's NZ Edge Heroes biography, the most popular in our ongoing series. 
(11 January 2008)

Kate Webb: War Correspondent 

Tributes flow for China expert 
Leading Sinologist Professor Elisabeth "Lisa" Croll has died from cancer aged 63. Born in Reefton, on the South Island's West Coast, Croll gained a BA and MA at Canterbury University before completing a second MA and PhD at the University of London's School of Oriental and African Studies. She published prolifically on the role of women and children in China, with many of her books becoming set texts for courses on China's development. As well as her academic success, Croll enjoyed a distinguished career as an international consultant and policy adviser on issues such as social development, poverty alleviation and the rights of women and children. She worked for the International Labour Organisation, the World Bank, the Ford Foundation and the Department for International Development, and, in 1998, was appointed to the UN Council in Tokyo. She was made a Companion to the Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George (CMG) for services to higher education earlier this year. 
(10 October 2007)

Tributes flow for leading philanthropist
Leading NZ philanthropist Sir Roy McKenzie has died aged 84. McKenzie spent most of his life managing the JR McKenzie Trust, which was founded by his father from the profits of the family's national chain of budget department stores. In addition, he established the Roy McKenzie Foundation and the Centre for the Study of Families at Victoria University, was a patron of the Outward Bound Trust and councillor at the Council for Educational Research, and made significant contributions to Women's Refuge, the Deaf Decade Trust, Birthright, the hospice movement, and the Nga Manu Native Reserve Trust. "It was a life very well lived," said Philanthropy New Zealand executive director Robyn Scott. "He believed passionately in the power of people 'giving back' and he viewed himself as just part of being able to make that happen." 
(3 September 2007)

Professional outsider remembered 
World renowned mathematician and nuclear fusion sceptic Leslie Woods has died aged 84. Born in Reparoa, a tiny settlement between Rotorua and Taupo, Woods was the first student of Seddon Memorial Technical College to win a scholarship to Auckland University. His studies in mathematics and engineering were interrupted by World War Two, in which he served as fighter pilot in the Pacific. On resuming his studies, Woods won a Rhodes scholarship to Oxford, where he earned a DPhil in computational aerodynamics and a first-class honours BSc in engineering. A series of prestigious academic postings in Australia and England culminated in his appointment as chairman of Oxford's Mathematical Institute (1984 to 1989) and being made professor emeritus in 1990. "In calling his memoirs Against the Tide: An Autobiographical Account of a Professional Outsider, the strikingly individual New Zealander Leslie Woods ... displayed considerable self-awareness," wrote former colleagues Garry Tee and Graeme Wake in the Guardian. "... [His] robustly disputed publications on the key question of the generation of energy through nuclear fusion made his academic career as colourful and combative as his active service." 
(7 June 2007)

A star among men 
Frank Bateson, one of the world's most respected astronomers, has died in Tauranga aged 97. Born in Wellington in 1909, Bateson was the internationally acknowledged expert on variable stars (those which intermittently vary in brightness). His was an illustrious career that began early: he founded the Royal Astronomical Society of NZ in 1927 aged 18, was elected a fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society in 1933 aged 24 and, in 1970, was awarded the OBE for his services to NZ and international astronomy. In 1963, Bateson founded NZ's first major observatory at Mt John in South Canterbury, where he reigned as astronomer-in-charge for six years until ill-health forced his retirement. When minor planet 2434 was discovered from Mt John in 1981, it was named "Bateson" to honour his work. "Frank was that rara avis, the untrained amateur who could foot it with the professionals," writes Don Milne in the NZ Herald. "Everyone has their heroes ... For me, well up there is a man called Frank Bateson." 
(19 April 2007)

Political force remembered
Auckland-born Leo McCarthy, a prominent figure in Californian state politics, has died of a kidney ailment aged 76. A lifelong Democrat, McCarthy was the state assembly speaker from 1974-80 and went on to serve a record three terms as lieutenant governor of California. "Never did he lose sight of what his purpose was there, which was to make life better for people in California," said current lieutenant governor John Garamendi. "Leo set the standard among modern lieutenant governors." The McCarthys left NZ for San Francisco in 1934, when Leo was just three years old. He studied at the University of San Francisco before beginning his career in politics as a campaign manager and aide to a state senator. Nearly a thousand mourners attended his funeral at San Francisco's St Ignatius Church, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, John Garamendi and former San Francisco mayor and Assembly speaker Willie Brown. 
(10 February 2007)

A life behind the lens 
Filmmaker, writer and photographer John Patrick Feeney has died in Wellington aged 84. Born in Ngaruawahia and educated at Victoria University, Feeney served as a lieutenant in the Royal NZ Naval Reserve during World War II and participated in the D-Day landings on 6 June 1944. He worked for the NZ Film Unit in the 1950s and, midway through the decade, moved to Canada to film the inhabitants of the Canadian Arctic. His documentary about Inuit carving - The Living Stone - was nominated for an Academy Award. In 1963 Feeney arrived in Egypt to spend a year making another documentary film. He ended up staying for 40 years, completing several documentaries and writing numerous books on Middle Eastern cooking. Photographing Egypt: Forty Years Behind the Lens is the most extensive collection of his photographic work, which also featured in Saudi Aramco World and Reader's Digest magazines. 
(23 December 2006)

NZ cricket patriarch remembered
Walter Hadlee, involved in NZ test cricket from the start has died in Christchurch aged 91. A productive and aggressive batsman, Hadlee played 11 Tests for NZ, eight of those as captain, and later served as national team manager, selector and chairman, as well as president of the cricket board. "Walter was very much the patriarch of NZ Cricket and made an enormous lifetime contribution," said current NZC chairman Sir John Anderson. Hadlee was awarded an OBE in 1950, a CBE in 1978, and was inducted into the NZ Sports Hall of Fame in 1995. Three of his five sons - Barry, Dayle and Richard - also played Test cricket, with legendary fast bowler Richard knighted for his services to the game in 1990. 
(29 September 2006)

Lord of the dance 
Wellington born Kristian Fredrikson, one of the most celebrated theater and dance designers in New Zealand and Australia has died in a Sydney Hospital of complications from pneumonia at the age of 65. His career began in Wellington as a reporter for The Evening Post, Dominion and Truth. After a short stint at design school, Fredrikson moved to Australia at the age of 21 and began working with the Melbourne Theatre Company. He went on to create sets at costumes for the New Zealand Ballet, Australian Ballet, Australian Opera, South Australian Opera, the Sydney Dance Company, the Sydney Theatre Company and the Houston Ballet in the United States. "All of us at the ballet are deeply saddened by the loss of Kristian," Australian Ballet artistic director David McAllister said. "Those of us who worked with him closely considered him as part of the family and we all benefited from his prodigious talent and imagination…the world will be a little less beautiful now that we don't have Kristian to redesign it for us." Sydney Dance Company artistic director Graeme Murphy said "Kristian, bugger you. So much to do. So sad to lose such a great friend and theatrical luminary." Throughout his 40-year career Fredrikson's talents were honoured with many awards, most recently a Helpmann Award and Green Room Award in 2003 for his work on the Australian Ballet's production of Swan Lake. 
(10 November 2005)

Building bridges on canvas 
One of NZ's most respected Maori artists and pioneer of indigenous art in schools, John Bevan Ford, has died aged 75 from cancer. While tremendously skilled in traditional Maori wood carving, Ford is best perhaps known for his striking linear paintings using a mixture of coloured inks, acrylics, graphite and pastels. He was the first NZ artist to present his work at a series of guest lectures at New York's Metropolitan Museum in 1990. In 1998, he was artist in residence at the British Museum's Maori Art exhibition. He has created major sculptures for the Chinese cities of Chang-chun and Beijing and his works feature in the collections of numerous galleries throughout Britain, Holland, Germany, Australia and NZ. Guardian: "Highly responsive both to nature and to symbolism, [Ford] readily absorbed motifs and symbols from other cultures. Much of his art was concerned with making bridges: between the past and the present, between different cultures and peoples."

(14 October 2005)

"Pragmatic idealist, friend of the earth and a good man" 
NZ has lost an inspiring political figure with the death of Green Party co-leader Rod Donald. Donald died of a rare virus affecting the heart aged just 48. He will be remembered for his tireless campaigning in aid of human rights and fair trade, as well as for spearheading the introduction of MMP in 1993 and leading the national branch of Trade Aid. "Rod is the last person that you would expect to die suddenly like this," says Donald's co-leader Jeannette Fitzsimmons. "He was my political other half and we were complementary. Our strengths were different, our weaknesses were different and I shall miss him enormously." 
(9 November 2005)

Science’s conscience
John Ziman, NZ-born scientist and humanist, has died aged 79. “After a brilliant youthful career in physics research, he turned increasingly to reflection on the values and societal entanglements of the scientific endeavour as a whole … Ziman was one of the very few who insisted on being a real scientist, but yet reflective and socially responsible. He paid the price, but helped make possible much that is now taken for granted.” Click here for the full Guardian obituary.
(2 February 2005)

David Lange 1942-2005
Former Prime Minister David Lange died on Saturday 13 August aged 63 after a long battle with ill health. He was regarded as "the best loved New Zealand political figure of the last 20 years" (Guardian Unlimited). Elected to office in 1984 at the age of 41 (New Zealand's youngest Prime Minister), Lange inherited a country in the midst of a political and economic crisis. The policies his government employed to steer the country through this era of transition were certainly radical. Lange's greatest legacy to New Zealand will likely be his anti nuclear policy. Lange's "No-Nukes" stance took New Zealand's foreign policy to the world stage and carved out a path for other countries to follow. During a debate on nuclear weapons against American evangelist Jerry Falwell at the Oxford Union, Lange, a highly skilled orator, famously responded to an interjector by saying: "Hold your breath just for a moment. I can smell the uranium on it". Working as a lawyer in South Auckland for many years, Lange had always been an advocate of those marginalized by society. He received great respect from the Pacific Island community when he actively campaigned against the "Dawn Raids". Lange's strong social conscience stemmed from his Methodist beliefs. His sharp wit and luminous personality have found no equal in New Zealand's political history. Throughout the ups and downs of his leadership Lange kept his sense of humour, a trait he reportedly maintained until the last moments of his life.

Obituaries ran in The Guardian, The Times, The Independent, The Washington Post, The New York Times, The Daily Telegraph (Australia), The LA Times, The New Zealand Herald among others.

An international loss
Janet Frame featured in the New York Times as one of many international art world notables to die in 2004, together with Marlon Brando, Ray Charles, Richard Avedon, Julia Child and more. Frame died of cancer on January 29 last year.
(29 December 2004)
     

A long innings remembered
Obituaries for Auckland-born British Conservative MP, Sir Trevor Skeet, appeared in both the Independent and Guardian. Independent: “Academia in Britain has been vastly enriched by the infusion of talent from NZ, of whom Ernest Rutherford is only one among the most eminent. In politics, NZers have fared less well … I believe, the reason why Trevor Skeet never achieved the ministerial office to which his competence and assiduity surely entitled him, was that his colleagues reacted with, ‘Why should we give precedence and a plum job to a bloke from Auckland?’” Skeet remained in office well into his 70s, and was known for his relentless pursuit of facts and “knack for being right.”
(18 August 2004)
   

Custodian of the English language
Eminent lexicographer Robert W Burchfield has died aged 81. The Wanganui-born scholar rose to fame as editor of the 4-volume Supplement to the Oxford English Dictionary. The massive undertaking took nearly 30 years to complete - from 1957 to 1986 - and provoked heated debate, court cases, even death threats along the way. The task was a labour of love for the man who once described the English language as "a monster accordion, stretchable at the whim of the editor, compressible ad lib." Obituaries for Burchfield appeared in almost every major paper, including the Guardian, New York Times, LA Times, and Belfast Telegraph. Guardian: "Long before the Rockies crumble, the English language will have changed beyond our imagining, but for now, and a considerable time to come, Burchfield's work will fuel that shoal of volumes bred by a whale of a dictionary which is relished by all who marvel at what words can do."
See NZEDGE Hero story
(7 July 2004)

"The New Zealand native who helped open the door to the stars"
William Pickering, one of the leading figures in US space exploration, died of pneumonia in California aged 92. A graduate of Canterbury University and the California Institute of Technology, Wellington-born Pickering rose to prominence as Director of the US Air Force's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. It was in this capacity that he oversaw America's first successful space flight and subsequent decades of planetary discovery. "Dr Pickering was one of the titans of our nation's space program," said current JPL director, Charles Elachi. "It was his leadership that took America into space and opened up the moon and planets to the world." Similarly glowing epitaphs appeared in the New York Times, Guardian, Sydney Morning Herald, and Independent. "[He] brought a vision and passion to space exploration that was remarkable," said NASA's Associate Administrator for Space Science, Ed Weiler, in Pickering's official obituary. "His pioneering work is the very foundation we have built upon to explore our solar system and beyond."
Free registration site
(17 March 2004)

Epilogue written to a life of words
NZ lost one of its edgiest inhabitants with the death of Janet Frame from acute myeloid leukemia on January 29. Frame, the author of 11 novels, 5 collections of short stories, a poetry collection, and an acclaimed 3-part autobiography, was NZ's leading contender for a Nobel Prize for literature, twice nominated. She was regarded as the country's greatest living author, if not of all time. The world's press has expressed sorrow at Frame's passing, with tributes in the Times, Scotsman, New York Times, New Zealand Herald, Hindustan Times, International Herald Tribune and Guardian, and obituaries by compatriots Michael King in the Sydney Morning Herald and Guardian, and CK Stead and Fleur Adcock in the Independent. Fellow author Witi Ihimaera likened Frame's death to losing a beloved grandmother: "She had been so much a part of all our lives. She's been an icon." "Janet Frame has made an extraordinary contribution to both New Zealand and the world's literary canon," said Creative New Zealand head, Elizabeth Kerr. "Reading Janet Frame's novels and poetry is to take a journey into what it means to be human. Her death is a sad loss for writers and readers throughout the world, and for New Zealanders."
(2003)

"A life set to music"
Edwin "Ted" Carr - "grand old man of NZ music" - has died aged 76. At times a conductor, teacher, dancer and animator, Carr achieved his greatest fame late in life as a composer. His most famous work is End of the Golden Weather, which he wrote for the NZSO.
(8 April 2003)
   

IE (International Exploration) browser
"David Lewis was the most wonderfully fantastic scallywag I have ever met. His love for the ocean can only be balanced by the love of beautiful women for him" (Dick Smith). David Lewis - sailor, doctor, womanizer, anthropologist, and author - was born in England, raised in Rarotonga, but "always called himself a New Zealander." He achieved fame in the late 1960s for learning first-hand the traditional navigation techniques of Pacific islanders, which had long been a mystery to European sailors. He also paved the way for private enterprise in Antarctica by founding the  Oceanic Research Foundation in 1975. He died this month aged 85.
(16 November 2002)

Life and legacy
An in-depth look at Peter Blake's life and (controversial) death makes some interesting observations about NZ society. The article surverys Blake's mana: "a figure of clear-cut grace and stature" yet reflects on criticisms of his "red-blooded Kiwi male" reaction to a dangerous situation. Part of Blake's legacy for NZers has been the "haunting question of culpability and blame," a question directed at individuals and at society as a whole. Musing, the article concludes with a Shakespearean: "there are only men and their choices."
(21 September 2002)
       

 


"for you to see our world the right
way round."
Allen Curnow, one of New Zealand's great 20th-century writers and poets, has died in Auckland. Daily Telegraph: "regarded by many as New Zealand's greatest poet" Curnow helped define a separate NZ identity in verse, "deeply committed to the landscapes and cultures of his home." Sydney Morning Herald: "He made us see as if for the first time". You Will Know When You Get There: A door/ slams, a heavy wave, a door, the sea-floor shudders./ Down you go alone, so late, into the surge-black fissure.
(28 September 2001)
          

Ngati filmmaker dies 
Barry Barclay, New Zealand film director and the first Maori to direct a feature film has died, aged 63, in Rawene. Barclay's Ngati won best film at Italy's Taormina Film Festival in 1987 and screened at the Cannes Film Festival. He also wrote and directed Te Rua, a fictional story about a group of Maori who set off for a Berlin museum to claim back tribal carvings. New Zealand Film Commission chief executive Dr Ruth Harley said Barclay holds an honored place in New Zealand film. "His legacy will be not only in his films and creative work but also in his outstanding contribution to the development of New Zealand film though his support for developing filmmakers," Harley said. Barclay was made a Member of the Order of New Zealand in the 2007 Queen's Birthday Honours and was appointed one of New Zealand's Artist Laureates in 2004, in recognition of his contributions to cinema. Barclay was of Ngati Apa descent and lived at Omapere in the Far North's Hokianga district. 
(19 February 2008)

Film industry loses behind-the-scenes star

Tributes flow for industry titans NZ has lost two of its leading business figures with the deaths of Sir James Fletcher and Nick Nobilo (pictured) on August 29. Fletcher, 92, became Managing Director of construction dynasty Fletcher Holdings in 1942. He was knighted for services to industry and the community in 1980. "We don't have enough industrialists or business people that we can look up to. He is one we can revere," said Fletcher family friend John Hart. Nikola 'Nick' Nobilo, 94, founded the Nobilo Wines empire in 1943 after emigrating to NZ from Croatia six years earlier. Nobilo helped steer the NZ wine industry away from hybrid grape varieties and fortified wines to a higher level of quality wines made from classic grape varietals. "You can't talk about where New Zealand wine has got to in the world today - and it is absolutely impressive - without taking into account the contribution of the Nobilo family," said Terry Dunleavy, editor of NZ Winegrower.
(30 August 2007)

A rebel remembered 
British political figure Anne Gilman, "a rebel from New Zealand", has died aged 76. Gilman was born in NZ and attended Canterbury University, where she founded the student magazine, Canta. Gilman's daughter, Catherine, describes her mother as a "colourful and lively bohemian woman, [who] had been a vegetarian since the age of six" in an obituary for the Guardian. Gilman became mayor of the north London borough of Islington in the 1990s, after many years working for trade unionist and communist groups in the UK. Her mayoral inauguration ceremony featured Maori dancers and her "greening" project for Islington included the planting of numerous native NZ trees. 
(5 July 2007)

Brad McGann was acclaimed director
NZ filmmaker Brad McGann has died aged 43 (cancer). His adaptation of the Maurice Gee novel In My Father’s Den won ten awards at the 2006 NZ Screen Awards, and the International Critics Award at the Toronto Film Festival. In an interview with Senses of Cinema, McGann said the film “was about secrets, complicated and fractious familial relationships, the effects of physical and emotional isolation, and the tragic loss of potential in the death of a young person. It was also about people trying to reconcile themselves with the past, and how the past is very much a part of the present…I had no interest in exploring the sexual connotations of “intimacy”, but more an intimacy that occurs when two people begin to bare their souls to each other...in this film there is a subtle exploration between “shadow” and “light” – the joyous moments and the sadness that underlies the human condition.” McGann cited his influences as Dennis Potter (for the musical quality of his narratives), Krystof Kieslowski (for his visual poetry), Ken Loach (for his unrelenting realism), Atom Egoyan (especially The Sweet Hereafter), Ang Lee (especially The Ice Storm), early Roman Polanski such as Cul-de-sac and Knife in the Water (for their atmosphere and economical storytelling).
(2 May 2007)

Praise for bright and vital 
Ferris South Australian Liberal Senator Jeannie Ferris has died after a two-year battle with ovarian cancer. Born in NZ, Ferris studied agribusiness and worked as a journalist and political adviser before entering Australian parliament in 1996. She had been government whip since 2002. Fellow Liberal Senator Nick Minchin described her as an "energetic and bright person" to the ABC. "She was quite a remarkable human being," he said. "She's had adversity and difficulty in her life but approached her tasks of representing South Australia in the Senate and working as Government whip and on various parliamentary and party committees with enormous energy and vitality." Ferris was particularly admired for her cross-party women's work and her establishment of an ovarian cancer research facility. 
(2 April 2007)

A great mind remembered 
NZ Nobel laureate, Alan Graham MacDiarmid, has died in Philadelphia aged 79. Professor MacDiarmid won the 2000 Nobel Prize in chemistry for his joint discovery that some plastics could be made to conduct electricity by incorporating impurities. The finding laid the foundations for next generation plastics, with offshoot innovations including "smart" sunlight-reflecting windows, televisions and computer screens, luminous traffic signs and light-emitting wallpaper. Born in Masterton, MacDiarmid grew up in Kerikeri and the Hutt Valley during the Depression. He funded his part-time chemistry degree at Victoria University by shovelling coal and sweeping floors at the institution before winning a Fulbright Scholarship to study in America in 1950. He spent most of his academic life at Pennsylvania University and has published more than 600 scientific papers. US colleague Dr Hsuan Feng likens MacDiarmid to fellow NZ Nobel winner Ernest Rutherford: "Rutherford discovered radioactivity that changed the world in the 20th century, and Alan MacDiarmid discovered conducting polymers that will change the economy of the 21st century." MacDiarmid was awarded the Rutherford Medal (NZ's top science prize) and made a Member of the Order of NZ in 2001. Paul Callaghan, director of the MacDiarmid Institute at Victoria University Wellington, describes him as a New Zealand superhero and says MacDiarmid never forgot his roots as a New Zealander. "I think Alan is to science and technology what Ed Hillary is to the outdoors. He's a superhero. Although people may not know exactly what Alan did, the fact that he won a Nobel Prize is a big thing and I think that New Zealanders love other New Zealanders who get out there in the world and take on the best and win… he's shown what's possible for Kiwis." 
(8 February 2007)

History maker remembered
International archery associations and Olympic committees have paid tribute to Neroli Fairhall, who has died aged 61. Fairhall won a gold medal in archery for NZ at the 1982 Commonwealth Games in Brisbane, a Paralympic gold, and was a national champion and record holder in NZ throughout her career. At the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics she made history by being the first paraplegic athlete to compete at the Games, placing 35th. She was awarded an MBE for services to sport and continued coaching archery in Christchurch long after her retirement. "[Neroli] inspired all who came into contact with her," said Archery NZ president Colin Mitchell in the NZ Herald. 
(13 June 2006)

End of an era 
NZ lost its last WW1 veteran with the death of Victor "Bob" Rudd aged 104. Born in London in 1901, Rudd served with the British Army's 9th Lancers regiment in the final months of the war after lying about his age. He emigrated to NZ in the 1920s and eventually settled in Greymouth, where he worked variously as a waterfront worker, cobbler and labourer. Rudd lived independently at home until shortly after his 100th birthday. He outlived his wife and son and is survived by a daughter, Valda. "He was a great storyteller. He really held the floor," she says. "As he's got older, he didn't stopped going back to the days of the First World War." 
(20 November 2005)

Mrs Peace leaves her mark
Political activist, peace campaigner and renowned author, Sonja Davies, has died aged 81, leaving an inspiring legacy in her wake. According to her Guardian obituary, Davies – known to many as ‘Mrs Peace’ - ranks alongside Sir Edmund Hillary and Janet Frame as one of NZ’s national treasures. Among other things, Davies was a holder of the Order of NZ, an executive member of the World Peace Council, chaired the NZ committee for the UN international year of peace in 1986, and was an active trade unionist and member of parliament. The Sonja Davies Peace Award, which promotes women's initiatives and the cause of peace in Aotearoa, was established in 2004 in honour of Davies’ 80th birthday. Her memoir Bread and Roses, which was made into an acclaimed film by Gaylene Preston, is one of the cornerstone stories of NZ’s national identity.
(18 June 2005)
 

Battle of Britain hero dies 
Group Captain Edward Preston "Hawkeye" Wells, one of the RAF's most outstanding WWII pilots has died at the age of 89. Born in Cambridge (NZ) on 26 July 1916 and educated at Cambridge High School, Wells was called up a month after WWII broke out in 1939. He learned to fly at New Plymouth and Woodbourne and arrived in England in 1940 when the Battle of Britain was at its peak. He is credited with destroying 13 enemy aircraft, 3 probable destroyals and damaging 15. For these incredible feats he earned the nickname "Hawkeye" among his peers and was the first pilot to be awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross in August 1941 for showing "showing the greatest courage and determination". Johnnie Johnson, the RAF's most successful WWII pilot, considered him the "complete Wing Leader and the finest shot and most accurate marksman in Fighter Command." Wells' coolness under pressure became legendary. When a shouted warning came through that a Messerschmitt was on their tails, Wells answered: "It's okay, it's only a Spitfire". Wells retired from the RAF in 1960 as a Group Captain and later moved to Spain from where he traveled the world in search of subtropical fruit species, many of which he grew commercially in Spain.
(11 November 2005)

Black Mountain Poet
Robert Creeley, who helped transform postwar American poetry by making it more conversational and emotionally direct, has in Odessa, Tex. He was 78. Robert Creeley’s association with New Zealand dates from 1976 when he visited at the invitation of the NZ Students’ Art Council and read in the six university cities. In Dunedin he also met Penelope Highton, to whom the poem ‘So There’ is dedicated. They were married in Buffalo, NY in 1977. He taught and read to graduate and undergraduate classes at Auckland University in 1995 as part of a residency. While here he wrote ‘The Dogs of Auckland,’ an eight-part meditation on time and place, memory and death. Creeley’s New Zealand collaborators included painter Max Gimblett and poet and printer Alan Loney. 
(1 April 2005)

National Ikon
An Independent obituary for Pat Hanly calls him “the jester of modern NZ art … His images - exuberant, colourful, feisty and humorous - reflected the personality of their maker.” The subjects of Hanly’s works ranged from domestic scenes to re-enactments of his famous anti-nuclear protests. In the 1998 film Pacific Ikon, shortly after he was diagnosed with Hodgkinson’s disease, Hanly stated “We are awaiting death with interested anticipation. Some of my best friends are dead.” He is survived by wife, muse, and fellow artist Gillian Taverner (Gil Hanly).
(19 November 2004)
   

He maimai aroha
Haere atu koutou hei whetu te rangi, tiaho mai mo ake tonu atu. He tohu aroha ki tenei morehu kuia.
Rahera Windsor, spiritual leader of Britain’s Maori community, died May 3rd 2004 Born in Pupuke, 1925, she married Englishman John Windsor in 1951 and followed him to London. There she assumed a central role in expatriate Maori society, as a member of the Te Kauri Maori Women’s Welfare League, War Graves Commission, Victoria League and, most importantly, a founding member of Ngati Ranana (‘the London tribe’) – the Maori cultural club based at the NZ High Commission. As London’s - indeed Europe’s – resident authority on Maori language and culture, Mrs Windsor met with people as diverse as Jacques Cousteau (whom she advised on the significance of marine life to Maori), Kiri Te Kanawa and Zinzan Brooke. A week before her death she joined Ngati Ranana in singing Whakaaria Mai (How Great Thou Art) at the ANZAC service held in Westminster Abbey.
(24 June 2004)
    

Giant kauri tragically felled
NZ mourns the loss of its preeminent cultural historian, Michael King. The author of 34 books - including the groundbreaking autobiographical work Being Pakeha and acclaimed biographies of Dame Whina Cooper, Hone Tuwhare, and Janet Frame - King was honoured last year as a "giant kauri" of NZ literature at the inaugural Prime Minister's Awards for Literary Achievement, and named New Zealander of the Year by the New Zealand Herald. His Penguin History of New Zealand has sold a staggering 70,000 copies since its publication last October, highlighting the great esteem in which he is held by everyday New Zealanders as a chronicler of their times. King was killed instantly in a car crash on March 30 - along with his wife Maria Jungowska - just weeks after announcing his full recovery from throat cancer.
(31 March 2004)  

A life lived by the sea
NZ-born WW2 hero, Sir William Crawford, has died in England aged 95. Crawford was gunnery officer and lieutenant-commander aboard the Rodney during the sinking of Germany's great battleship, the Bismarck. His distinguished naval career also saw him at the frontline of the Cuban missile crisis in Washington in 1962. Crawford retired as vice-admiral and KCB in 1963, and continued to sail for pleasure into his 90s.
(5 July 2003)

Byow! cartoonist with cut through remembered
John Kent, well-known political cartoonist, lecturer and illustrator, died on April 13 aged 65. Born in Oamaru, Kent's work was a familiar feature in Private Eye,  Guardian, Daily Mail, The Sun and, finally, The Times. He will be remembered for such original and provocative strips as Grocer Heath, the long running political and sexual satire Varoomshka, Fifth Form at St Maggie's and Cap'n Bob. "New Zealand politics were rough on the surface and rough beneath; British politics seemed perfumed with courtesy, but oiled in subtlety. The culture shock gave him the clarity of vision to cut through the cant and the double standards."
(19 April 2003)
   

Sir Garfield Todd "a legend in his lifetime"
Tributes continue to flow for NZ-born former PM of Southern Rhodesia, Sir Garfield Todd. The Washington Post obituary remembers his "rugged good looks, fluent oratory and lucid memory," and the Guardian calls him "an internationally respected guru […] the conscience of his country." Todd passed away October 13.
(October 2002)
   

Farewell to a literary legend
Hone Tuwhare, one of NZ's most distinguished and best-loved writers, has died in Dunedin aged 86. Tuwhare was the first Maori poet to be published in English (No Ordinary Sun, 1964) and one of the leading figures in the Maori cultural renaissance of the 1970s. Born in Kaikohe of Ngapuhi descent, Tuwhare spoke only Maori until the age of nine. He began writing in 1939, combining ancient Maori myth with contemporary political issues in a uniquely accessible style. Maori Party MP Hone Harawira said Hone Tuwhare was a writer who could "say what people really felt in their bones…You just have to look at his poetry to se