NZEDGE Obituaries — New Zealand through the eyes of the world's media

Michael Volkerling, Cultural Visionary (1948-2014)

One of the principal architects of New Zealand’s cultural and creative sectors, Dr Michael Volkerling, died suddenly on 13 June, 2014 in Sydney, aged 66. At the time of his death he was Principal…

Britain’s Well-Loved Celebrity Chef Ross Burden

New Zealand chef Ross Burden, who became a celebrity in the UK after reaching the final of BBC MasterChef in 1993, has died in Auckland, aged 45 of an infection relating to treatment for…

James McCullough Remembered as One of the “Truly Great” Financial Correspondents

New Zealand-born James McCullough, one of Australia’s best-known financial journalists and columnists, and a former London correspondent for the Australian, has died at 56 in Brisbane. McCullough was the long-time writer of the influential City…

Australian Film Industry Pioneer a Mentor to Many

New Zealand-born filmmaker David Hannay, who has died aged 74, will be remembered as one of the pioneers of the modern Australian film industry, a passionate cinephile, mentor and loyal friend. Hannay entered the film…

Remembering Sixties Country Star Houston Wells

The life of Houston Wells, sixties country singer, is celebrated in the Independent this month. Wells, born Andrew Smith in 1932 north of Newcastle upon Tyne, lived on the shores of Lake Taupo until…

Friends Bid Farewell to an “Outstanding Human Being”

Auckland-born television personality and former model Charlotte Dawson who has died in Sydney, aged 47, was “outrageous, outgoing and outspoken”, said sports presenter Ben Fordham, who worked with Dawson at Channel Nine. “More than anything…

Decorated Lifetime of Service at Sea

Rear-Admiral Ted Thorne, who has died aged 89, was a New Zealander who was on hand when female naval personnel suffered their greatest loss of the Second World War. Wellington-born Thorne was under training in…

Famed Computer Hacker Fondly Remembered

Celebrated New Zealand computer hacker Barnaby Jack, who exposed vulnerabilities in bank ATMs and sparked safety improvements in medical devices, has died in San Francisco. He was 35. Jack was one of the world’s…

Archaeologist Made Extraordinary Contributions to Field

New Zealand-born archaeologist Mike Morwood, who was best known for discovering Homo floresiensis, has died in Darwin, aged 82. In 2003, Morwood led a joint Australian-Indonesian team of archaeologists, which uncovered what appeared to…

The World Loses a Great Philosopher

New Zealand-born political theorist Kenneth Minogue, a leading figure in Britain’s conservative intellectual life, has died aged 82. Minogue was Professor of Political Science at the London School of Economics from 1984 to 1995,…

Speculative Theorist Challenged Course of History

Christchurch-born Michael Baigent, co-author of The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail, one of the most controversial books of the 1980s, has died in Brighton, England, aged 65. Baigent grew up in Nelson and…

Transport Man Made Tough Decisions from the Top

Nelson-born Frank Baldwin, who died in March aged 81, was “known for a career marked by innovation and a certain amount of controversy,” Mark Juddery writes in an obituary for The Sydney Morning Herald….

Famed Potter Found Answers in Social Artform

New Zealand-based potter Mirek Smíšek, who won fame with his ceramic artifacts for the Lord of the Rings film trilogy, has died in Wellington, aged 88. Smíšek and his wife made some 700 vases,…

Timothy McFarland: ‘Unrivalled Teacher’ and Expert on Medieval German Literature

Hamilton-born Timothy McFarland taught medieval German literature ‘with passion to generations of students,’ at University College London. ‘If the impact of a great university teacher is on the horizons they open up and the…

It’s the Joy that Always Wins Out

New Zealand mountaineer George Lowe, the last survivor of the 1953 British expedition that conquered Everest, has died in Ripley, England aged 89. Hastings-born Lowe played a crucial part in the party’s success, displaying…

Gifted Broadcaster

Broadcaster Phillip Leishman, who’s career ranged from regional television in Dunedin to Olympic and Commonwealth Games, and to game show Wheel of Fortune, has died aged 61. “He was an extraordinarily gifted presenter and…

One of Our Greats Farewelled

“There are few things I can say about my work that are better than saying nothing,” Ralph Hotere once said. With his death on 24 February, aged 81, art commentators and New Zealanders from…

A Damn Good Reporter

Longtime NBC news correspondent New Zealander Tom Aspell has died aged 62. NBC News president Steve Capus described Aspell as “understated, selfless, perpetually cool, shrewd, wry, curmudgeonly, and a damn good reporter”. “From Southeast…

He Leaves a Chasm

Broadcaster Sir Paul Holmes has died at his home in Hawkes Bay. He was 62. Holmes rose through the ranks of media in New Zealand, and not long into fronting his self-named TVNZ current…

Lloyd Phillips, Film Producer

New Zealand’s first Oscar winner, international film producer Lloyd Phillips has died in Los Angeles after a heart attack, aged 63. Born in South Africa and raised in New Zealand, Phillips had a long…

Dodson’s Insulin Legacy

Distinguished biochemist and “outstanding x-ray crystallographer”, Palmerston North-born Guy Dodson has died in York, aged 75. Dodson was world-renowned for his research on the three-dimensional structure of biologically important proteins, particularly insulin; for his…

Extraordinary Talent Sorely Missed

Oscar-winning sound editor New Zealander Mike Hopkins, 53, who worked on the Lord of the Rings trilogy and other blockbusters, has died in a rafting accident on the Waiohine River in the Tararua Range….

Brilliant Ideas Remain

Gifted Wellington-born academic Amanda Rohloff, who has died aged 30, is fondly remembered by her friend, Philippa Chandler in a Guardian obituary. “She grew up in Karori, excelled at hockey as a teenager and…

Distinguished Man Of Figures

Wellington-born applied mathematician Professor Bruce Morton has died in Melbourne aged 86. Under his leadership, Monash, where he worked for 25 years, became the leading university for its atmospheric science program in Australia. Professor…

Anti-corruption Pioneer Remembered

Wellington-born activist and writer Jeremy Pope, who has died aged 73, “was one of the pioneers in what is now a global movement to curb corruption and improve integrity in government,” friend and colleague…

Deservedly Great Painter

New Zealand artist Don Binney, best known for his striking emblematic paintings of birds, has died in Auckland aged 72. Binney worked in oil, acrylic, charcoal, ink and carbon pencil. Many public collections feature…

Choir Founder Profiled

Dunedin-born Marie Courtis Greathouse, who helped found the San Antonio Choral Society in 1965, is profiled by the San Antonio Express-News website mySanAntonio.com. Greathouse moved to England in her early 20s, where for a time…

Wartime Pianist Remembered

The New Zealand-born pianist Colin Horsley, who was among the last links to the era of British music-making dominated by Sir Henry Wood, has died on the Isle of Man. He was 92. “From…

Magically Marvellous Mahy

“Margaret Mahy, an award-winning children’s author who tested the limits of her readers’ whimsy and courage with fantastical tales of witches, hauntings, infinite fog, and robbers brought to account by peppery grown-ups wielding chocolate…

Pioneering Potter Remembered

New Zealand-born decorative ceramicist Kenneth Clark, who has died aged 89, was to tiles what James Dyson is to vacuum cleaners, Sarah Hosking writes for the Guardian. “He took a domestic product that had…

Unsung Hero of Buchenwald

Napier-born Squadron Leader Phil Lamason, who has died aged 93, was the leader of a group of Allied airmen sent to Buchenwald concentration camp by the Gestapo. Lamason worked in the Hawkes Bay as…

Ultimate Legend Remembered

Rugby legend Fred “The Needle” Allen – who at age 92 was the oldest living All Black and one of the rare group of players to have both played in and coached the national…

Tilly the Force of Nature

Wellington actor and artist Grant Tilly, well remembered for his performance in The Daylight Atheist, has died, aged 74. Having starred in many stage and television productions including Foreskin’s Lament and Gliding On, Tilly is known for being…

Well-Respected Senator Farewelled

Picton-born Western Australian senator Judith Adams has died in Perth, aged 68. The former nurse, midwife and farmer was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1998. “Senator Adams had many friends in the Australian Parliament,…

Distinguished Scientist

Molecular physicist Sir Paul Callaghan, who was best known for his work with magnetic resonance, a field that has practical applications in everything from health care to industrial production, has died. He was 64….

Betty Fondly Remembered

New Zealand freshwater algae expert Dr Elizabeth Flint, known as Betty, who was still at the wheel of her 1958 Ford Consul in her 90s, has died, aged 102. Flint’s friend Catherine Haines writes…

Life Spent Winning

Former All Blacks captain and New Zealand Rugby Union chairman Christchurch-born Jock Hobbs, has died of cancer in Wellington, aged 52. Hobbs played 21 Tests for the All Blacks as an openside flanker between…

Matchless Legend Remembered

Former All Blacks lock Richard “Tiny” White, regarded as New Zealand’s finest rugby players in his position, has died in Gisborne aged 86. White played 30 matches, including 23 consecutive tests for New Zealand…

Servant of Cricket

New Zealand cricket commentator, coach, administrator and former Canterbury offspinner, Peter Sharp has died aged 72. Sharp played eight first-class matches over two seasons, taking 21 wickets at an average of 26.90. He began…

New Zealand Farewells A Leader

Lloyd Morrison, Wellington businessman, founder of infrastructure investment company Infratil, philanthropist and patron of the arts, has died in Seattle’s Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, aged 54. Speaking from Seattle, his brother…

Courageous Man To The End

Nelson-born Jason Richards, V8 Supercar champion “to the last”, has died in Melbourne. He was 35. Peter Kogoy writes Richards’ obituary for The Australian: “His duel at the wheel of the Team BOC Commodore with…

One Legendary Queen

Transgender icon Taumaranui-born Carmen Rupe has died in Sydney, aged 75. Carmen was born into a family of 13 and was known as Trevor Rupe for about the first 20 years of her life….

Man Of Masterpieces

Kerikeri resident Russell Garcia, an California-born arranger, composer and conductor who was an influential figure in the West Coast music scene during the 1950s and ‘60s and whose work in Hollywood included writing the…

Kerr’s Final Fight

New Zealand Business Roundtable leader Roger Kerr, once described by Sir Douglas Myers as a “national treasure”, has died. He was 66. Kerr was born in Nelson in 1945 and spent his childhood on…

Open-minded Visionary

New Zealand-born psychoanalyst Joyce McDougall, who made significant contributions to the understanding of perversions, psychosomatic symptoms, female sexuality, creativity and addictions, has died aged 91. Her clinical insights, theoretical originality, open-mindedness and lack of…