Tributes flow for Richard
Colleagues ‘shattered' by loss of councillor
Tributes are flowing for Bay of Plenty “community champion” and “rare human” Richard Crawford, who died after suffering a heart attack while biking in Rotorua.
The Maketu¯-te Puke councillor and former Te Puke Community Board leader passed away Sunday morning after the medical incident on Saturday, Western Bay of Plenty District Council said in a statement.
Chairwoman of Te Puke Community Board, Kassie Ellis, described the former Te Puke volunteer firefighter as the “epitome of a community champion” and “tireless in wanting the best for his town”.
Kassie said “nothing was impossible” for Richard, that he never gave up on his mission to “leave this world a better place”.
“Richie, it’s been a privilege. For now, goodbye to our strong leader, community navigator, empathetic listener and friend.”
Maketu¯-te Puke councillor Grant Dally said Richard would be remembered as a “rare human” who cared about those less fortunate.
“The difference was, he got on, did the mahi, mustered people, and created organisations to satisfy needs in the community – and was very successful at it.”
Grant said he met the recreational cyclist in 2012 while working on what would become the popular Te Ara Kahikatea Pathway.
Grant nominated Richard for Te Puke Community Board in 2019. Richard served his term as chairman before being elected a district councillor in 2022, and had “really found his confidence and voice in the role”.
Grant described him as an empathetic, inclusive leader keen to forge better relationships with mana whenua and ethnic communities. “We will miss him.”
The Daily Charitable Trust general manager Chrissi Robinson said chairman Richard Crawford was a visionary for the birth 10 years ago of the organisation, which runs Te Puke’s award-winning social enterprise The Daily Cafe among other initiatives.
She described him as generous, positive and as comfortable making high-level trust decisions as he was “grabbing a tool from the ute to do some maintenance”.
Chrissi said he “genuinely loved people” and was the trust’s “schmoozer”, showing endless energy as he took on challenges in his 60s.
She said he spoke of two passions
driving his work with the charity: A desire to leave the town he loved “better than [he] found it”, and his faith and deep personal friendship with Jesus, which she believed he would have wanted other people to know.
Rotorua MP Todd Mcclay said he held “great respect and admiration” for Richard, and his passing was a great loss for his wha¯nau and the community.
Todd said they often spoke about council matters and he would “deeply miss those conversations and his friendship”.
Bay of Plenty MP Tom Rutherford said Richard was a “fantastic” community leader with “a strong desire to make a positive impact on others”.
Councillors and community board members are “shattered” by news of their “hugely respected” colleague’s death, Western Bay Mayor James Denyer said on Sunday. “The news of his death is a huge shock, and his passing will be felt keenly by his [council] colleagues . . . and in the wider Te Puke community.”