Environment champ a true ‘greenie’ to the end

Norman ‘‘Noz’’ Fletcher was a ‘‘political junkie’’ who fought for the environment for 60 years.

At 88-years-old, he joked his last act would be to drown in front of an oil rig. That would be the ultimate, final attempt to raise awareness about climate change, he said.

The prominent Marlborough environmentalist died in Marlborough Hospice on December 16, and while ‘‘unfortunately there were no oil rigs nearby’’, his family played him a track with sounds of the ocean.

They call him a ‘‘multidimensional’’ character, who was always writing letters to the newspaper about the environment and justice.

‘‘I just hope that we can see our carbon footprint going down rather than up before I shuffle off the mortal coil,’’ Fletcher told Stuff in September.

He was also an actor, passionate about theatre, an entertainer, a great joke teller, dad to Pepi and Nick and ‘‘beloved Nozzie’’ to a ‘‘diverse and extensive wha¯ nau’’.

He moved to Waikawa with wife Alison in the early 1990s, to a block covered in Old Man’s Beard, overlooking the Marlborough Sounds.

They spent years regenerating the property, killing weeds, planting natives, and turning it into the magic place they called ‘‘Moon Sounds’’.

Every time a grandchild was born, Fletcher would create a winding track through the bush and name it in their honour.

For years, Fletcher grew native trees and herbs, which he would sell at the markets on Saturday. From the sales, he raised funds for the Green Party, Marlborough Environment Centre and just about ‘‘anyone who needed money’’.

He had studied at Cambridge University and been in the early Auckland theatre scene where he had played parts in many films, TV shows and plays.

Later, he brought that theatrical experience to Picton where he wrote and performed in plays, and was ‘‘loved by all ages’’.

When spoken to in September, as part of Stuff ’s coverage of Climate Now, Fletcher explained how the attitude toward environmentalists had changed over the years.

They had once been on the fringes of society, regarded as ‘‘jandal-wearing, tree-hugging fruit loops’’, scoffed at for their environmental concerns, he said.

He thought there was still a certain stigma attached to being a ‘‘greenie’’.

‘‘It’s changing but there’s still a residue of people that just don’t want to admit that being green is a good thing,’’ he said.

Between the Fletchers, they had a significant number of fights under their belts. Save Manapouri, Nuclear Free New Zealand and Make Poverty History to name a few.

Fletcher died surrounded by family last week.

A celebration of Noz’s life will be held at Port Marlborough Pavilion in Waikawa on January 11.