RIP Sir Bruce Slane

Stuff reports:

Sir Bruce Slane’s children are mourning his death, just nine days after their mother Lady Penelope Slane also died.

Sir Bruce, who was New Zealand’s first Privacy Commissioner from 1992 to 2003, died around lunchtime on Saturday.

Lady Penelope’s funeral is on Monday, so the family will wait for at least another week before farewelling Sir Bruce.

Their son Peter said it was a tragedy to lose both parents within such a short space of time, and his father had been hit hard by his mother’s death. …

Sir Bruce was chairman of the Broadcasting Tribunal for the entirety of the organisation’s life.

In 1989 he was presented with a special award at the radio industry awards, “in recognition of an outstanding contribution to radio in New Zealand”.

He was also active in the business world, holding directorships on various company boards.

In 1985 he received a CBE, and in 2003 was appointed a distinguished companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit. In 2009, he was knighted for services to personal and human rights.

Current Privacy Commissioner John Edwards remembered Sir Bruce as an upstanding legal professional with a strong sense of social justice.

“Bruce was a humanist and a great lawyer but he was modest and self-effacing,” he said.

Sir Bruce was 85 when he died. He leaves behind an excellent legacy.