Widely regarded as the authority on New Zealand rugby history, Mr Palenski was also the driving force behind the New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame as its chief executive.
He was inducted into the hall at a special ceremony at his Dunedin home late last year which included a video presentation from sporting luminaries.
Former All Blacks captain Graham Mourie referring to his friend and biography collaborator as a "good man, as well as a good journalist", and Olympic rowing great Rob Waddell paying tribute to Mr Palenski’s "incredible lifetime’s work".
Mr Palenski started as a journalist with The Evening Star in Dunedin before becoming a titan of the written word with the New Zealand Press Association and The Dominion.
Besides his contributions to journalism he was a notable author, historian and administrator.
Most of the 50-odd books he wrote focussed on rugby— and he gained a doctorate at the University of Otago with a thesis examining the evolution of national identity, including the role played by the national game.
He also served as the chairman of the Otago Rugby Football Union.
The Hall of Fame’s future appears to lie outside Dunedin as the site is no longer considered viable, but it would probably have gone years ago had it not been for Mr Palenski’s indefatigable work, highlighted in the video from 2021 below.
