Turner had lists of accolades and awards longer than he could recall, but talking about his family and the importance of preserving the natural environment lit him up in ways awards and honours could not.
A statement from the Turner family said he died peacefully yesterday morning after visits from family on Tuesday. His much-loved partner, Jillian Sullivan, was with him.
Recalling being at cricketer brother Glenn’s matches and caddying for golfer brother Greg brought forth smiles and stories that clearly delighted him.
Turner was a gentle man who thought before he spoke, paused to consider what someone else had said and then replied with insight and compassion. He had a wicked sense of humour and loved to tell stories, often against himself.
His passion for the environment was inexhaustible, but he never put himself apart, or above, those making a living from the land. He acknowledged the need for farmers and their produce, but was against expansion and development beyond what was essential.
Since 1999, Turner had lived in Oturehua, a Maniototo village of about 40 residents with possibly more writers and editors than any other town its size.
Turner was the first of the writers community to arrive in the village, followed by Ms Sullivan, who would become his partner.
In December 2023, Dunedin-born Turner said he felt he belonged in the wide open spaces of the Maniototo.
‘‘By that time, I had stood on the summit of the highest mountains in New Zealand and I’d climbed most of the other big ones with a friend of mine or by myself sometimes. I could go fishing in the upper waters of the rivers and streams. Discovering the rivers and streams and valleys strengthened my love for the South Island.’’
Sitting in his book-filled house with art casually hung and books on shelves, tables and in piles around the room, while wearing a beloved hand-knitted jersey, Turner spoke with passion and love of the environment.
He was a founding member, with Graye Shattky, of the Central Otago Environmental Society, which awarded Turner its inaugural life membership in December 2023.
‘‘Some people felt ‘who the hell are they?’. ‘Bit of a nerve you two, who do you think you are?’ because, in part, a considerable percentage of the rurals thought you shouldn’t be critical of anything that farmers and the others were actually doing.’’
However, his time spent in the outdoors had made him apprehensive that the natural qualities would be turned over,
‘‘And you could understand why that was done.
‘‘Because the wider population felt the need for meat, wool and so on. And so did I.
‘‘All I was trying to say was, don’t do any more than is very necessary and try to preserve sections of the natural world out there, because it was here, guys, before we were here.’’
In November, Turner was made NZ Poet Laureate of Nature for his lifetime’s work in poetry and activism, fighting for and celebrating the natural world. He was New Zealand Poet Laureate in 2003-05.
Turner also had an honorary doctorate of literature from the University of Otago, an ONZM for his services to literature and the environment, the Prime Minister’s Award for Literary Achievement in Poetry, the Commonwealth Poetry Prize and several national book awards for poetry.
Aside from his literary honours, Turner was a passionate cyclist, mountaineer and hockey player, representing New Zealand in the 1960s.
He scaled many major mountains including Aoraki/Mt Cook. Cycling was the sport he pursued into his later years.
He spent the morning of his 80th birthday party, in March last year, riding with seven-time Tour de France competitor Julian Dean.
Turner visited Dean and his family when they were living in Spain and rode with his team, making him probably the world’s oldest Tour de France training partner, Dean said.
In a 2023 interview, Turner, who was battling with ‘‘that bastard Alzheimer’s’’, said he would continue working to preserve the environment for the rest of his life . . . and possibly beyond.
‘‘I’m not a youngster any more so I’m not going to have much time left to do much about it, but seeing I’m going to heaven, I’ll be able to do it there.’’
An obituary will follow.
