Renowned poet, environmental advocate and Central Otago icon Brian Turner has died, aged 80.

Described by the Oxford Companion to New Zealand Literature as “an unrepentantly regional Otago poet whose work moves constantly beyond the merely local or descriptive’’, Turner's name was synonymous with his beloved Central Otago.

Born and raised in Dunedin, he moved to Oturehua in 1999, the first writer to settle in what is now a rich enclave of literary talent in the heart of the Maniototo, his love of the region evident in his writings and championing of the environment.

Turner passed away yesterday morning. Partner Jillian Sullivan was by his side.

An accomplished writer with a career spanning nearly five decades, Turner was New Zealand Poet Laureate from 2003–05, and received numerous accolades during his literary career including the Prime Minister’s Award for Literary Achievement in Poetry, Lauris Edmund Memorial Award for Poetry, the J.C. Reid Memorial Prize and the Commonwealth Poetry Prize.

Turner was also awarded an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Otago.

In the 2020 Queens Birthday Honours he was awarded a New Zealand Order of Merit (ONZM) for services to literature and poetry. 

At the time Turner told The Central App he grew up with no real culture of writing in his family, other than his dad’s love of classical music and his mother’s love of reading. 

“All of a sudden I found myself scribbling in notebooks, and it was a way of figuring out what I thought.

“I started writing poetry and prose because I believe there’s no finer way of saying things. 

Brian absorbed in his love of words. PHOTO: JILLIAN SULLIVAN

Turner said he couldn’t help but write.

“It’s a condition, you can’t do much about it.

“I’ve got notebooks and stuff with all this writing in it. There’s no finer way of saying things. It’s a condition you’ve got. 

“I don’t know what I truly think until I see what I’m saying. Then you go back and you tweak the work. 

“Conundrums are everywhere in life, they are everywhere to be explored.”

Late last year he was honoured with a newly-created award specifically designed for him – NZ Poet Laureate of Nature.

Brian in his beloved Central Otago. PHOTO: JILLIAN SULLIVAN

The Central Otago Environmental Society bestowed Turner - who was co-founder and honorary life member of the society - with the honour for his lifetime’s work in poetry and activism, fighting for and celebrating the natural world.

But his accomplishments were not limited to his writing.

Turner was also a veteran road cyclist and experienced mountaineer, knocking off most of NZ’s major peaks.

“They (mountains) can be a big challenge, literally and figuratively,” he said. 

“They take you to places only a few people have been quite often.”

Brian Turner at the launch of his book Night Fishing at Central Stories. PHOTO: THE CENTRAL APP FILES

Turner came from a family of top-level sportsmen - he played hockey for New Zealand in the late 1960s, early 70s while brother Glenn captained the New Zealand cricket team.

His father was a first-class cricket umpire and cycling coach, and youngest sibling Greg played golf internationally. 

Turner caddied for Greg when he won the 1997 NZ Open and also on the golfing circuit in Australia and Europe.

Speaking to The Central App recently, Greg said during that time Turner provided invaluable insight and guidance from not only an elite top-level sportsman but big brother. 

“While not a golfer he was a top sportsman and there are a lot of mental things that cross those boundaries in high performance sport so that was really helpful.”

Greg said poets could “elicit a whole lot of emotions in a single line as they allow themselves to go places that most of us don’t’’ - something in which his brother was an “expert’’.

He described Turner as a ‘’deep, intelligent thinker who doesn’t take things lightly’’.

“He has such an intense love of the outdoors and natural NZ, and a lot of his poems relate to that.”