Dr Tyler, a specialist GP in the city, had for many years been at the heart of medical and primary care governance.
Emergency services were called after reports a man had suffered critical injuries on a trail by Lookout Rd, in the suburb of Mt Victoria, about 9.30am yesterday.
A resident who found Dr Tyler lying unconscious under a tree and called an ambulance said it was clear that he had been hit on the head.
Dr Tyler was taken to hospital where he died a short time later.
His roles included being chair of the Medical Assurance Society (MAS), Compass Health, the Wellington Independent Practitioners Association (WIPA) and bpac NZ, and he was involved in setting up the Wellington After Hours Medical Centre.
At MAS, he was a director for 37 years, including 21 years as chair, at the time of his retirement from the organisation in 2017.
The then full-time Johnsonville GP had considered leaving earlier, but no successor was apparent, New Zealand Doctor Rata Aotearoa reported at the time.
"People were happy with what I was doing, and I enjoyed the role," Dr Tyler said. "I had a good CEO [Martin Stokes], which always helps immensely."
In 2014, when he retired as chair of Compass, New Zealand Doctor wrote that he'd had a hand in primary care governance since WIPA was formed with six practices in 1995.
He served on and/or chaired organisations that eventually became Compass Health.
Another Wellington specialist GP, Richard Medlicott, spoke today of Dr Tyler's legacy.
"He was a great guy - fun to be around, smart and hard-working."
Dr Tyler was awarded his medical degree at the University of Otago in 1973.
