Dunedin heritage advocate Elizabeth Kerr has died following a short illness.
She was 57.
Ms Kerr was a former New Zealand Historic Places Trust Otago committee chairwoman, University of Otago Design Studies tutor and private heritage consultant.
University fellow Michael Findlay said she was ''a tireless advocate for local architecture'', and said she had most recently been prominent through her blog What If? Dunedin, where her views on development in the city ''were read and valued by many, even if she occasionally drew the ire of her opponents''.
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The full text of my brief article sent to the ODT does Elizabeth more justice. Here it is:
Elizabeth Kerr was a tireless advocate for local architecture. Raised in Waikouaiti, she studied at the Auckland School of Architecture during the 1980s and developed a keen and original critical mind. Her MArch thesis that started as a study of shop front architecture became a stinging review of the School's treatment of female students and she was someone to be respected in the student body. On returning to Dunedin, Elizabeth chaired the Otago committee of the New Zealand Historic Places Trust while tutoring in the University's Design Studies programme before working privately as a heritage consultant. She researched an early version of the Harbourside precinct and produced numerous reports and articles on the built environment. She has most recently been prominent through her blog What If? Dunedin where her views on development in the city were read and valued by many, even if she occasionally drew the ire of her opponents. Brave, unafraid of strong opinions and a warm friend to many, Elizabeth was an example to those who value a strong public debate on our architecture.
Michael Findlay
Oh, Liz, dear e.j.