Griffin on Fenwick
Dick Griffin writes:
We all lost a man of extraordinary consequence this week.
Rob Fenwick transcended the political divide and the bickering nonsense of party positioning.
His determination to bridge the posturing and focus on real action that may, in time, ameliorate the damage to our environmental heritage was unremitting.
On Tuesday his very personal campaign ground to a halt. This extraordinarily articulate, empathetic, commercially nimble and complex man was finally overwhelmed by cancer. He died at his Remuera home in the loving company of his wife and daughters. …
His contribution to the social, commercial and environmental mores of our nation was extraordinary.
I have been fortunate to cross the paths of a remarkable range of dedicated and committed men and women but for me, and dare I say an extraordinarily diverse range of New Zealanders, Rob was in a league of his own. …
His intrinsic joy of life was the hall-mark of the man who earned the respect of all who crossed his path. Washington politicians, European royalty and the grumpy Duke of Edinburgh were all charmed by the seemingly mild-mannered but quietly assured New Zealand environmental lobbyist.
So: Knight Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit, Knight of Justice and Chancellor of the Order of St John, member of the Business Hall of Fame, Distinguished Fellow of the institute of Directors, Chair of Antarctica New Zealand, Chair of the Fred Hollows Foundation, Chair of the Sustainable Development movement, holder of the Blake medal for sustainable wildlife protection and much loved by the Ngati Whatua Orakei who will host his farewell on Saturday. The list does go on and includes Chair of the World Wide Fund for Nature, founder of Living Earth deputy chair of TVNZ etc … but I hope the point is made.
I was fortunate enough to have met Rob a few times. He was a great New Zealander who showed that concern for the environment is something all New Zealanders care about, not just certain political parties.
Worth also reading the full article for Griffin’s recounting of the larrikin side of Sir Rob.