She was a passionate sponsor of the creative arts and literature nationally and in the Western Bay of Plenty region.
Medlicott had been closely involved with the Acorn Foundation since 2008, sponsoring an adult learner scholarship at the University of Waikato from 2012 to 2015.
Since 2012, the $5000 annual Jann Medlicott Creative Arts Scholarship has been awarded to someone studying towards a career in creative arts. This is administered by Creative Bay of Plenty.
In 2016, Medlicott began anonymously sponsoring the now-$60,000 national Acorn Foundation Fiction Prize awarded at the Ockham New Zealand Book Awards.
She made her identity known only in 2020, declaring her belief that "we are products of what we read, not what we eat".
"Our novelists have a deep understanding of the human condition and can convey it in all its messiness. We need them. Everything I've read in my life has made me who I am," she said at the time.
The prize - now called the Jann Medlicott Acorn Prize for Fiction - is wage and inflation-adjusted annually and continues in perpetuity. It has been described by the foundation and the New Zealand Book Awards Trust as one of the world's richest literary prizes.
This year's prize was won in May by Wellington novelist and playwright Whiti Hereaka, of Te Arawa descent, for her book Kurangaituku, which tells the traditional Te Arawa story of Hatupuku and fearsome birdwoman Kurangaituku.
Medlicott was recognised in the 2021 Queen's New Year's Honours, becoming a member of the NZ Order of Merit for her services to philanthropy, the creative arts and radiology.
Medlicott studied medicine at Otago University and worked as a radiologist from the late 1970s until her retirement in 2011.
Her contributions to the radiology field include years as clinical director of Tauranga Hospital's radiology department and co-founding two private radiology practices in the city.
She was also a former chairwoman of the New Zealand branch of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Radiologists.
Christine Cloughley described herself as one of Medlicott's "soul sisters", and said she had known her for about 20 years after they met through a mutual friend.
"We soon realised we shared some common interests, especially our love for books and creative literature, and formed a book club of two.
"Jann was a highly intelligent reader of mainly non-fiction books at the time, but she started reading more fiction books and our friendship developed from there.
"She was a very articulate and gifted communicator through her speech and in her writings. Jann was a very people-orientated, engaging person, an absolutely passionate, huge supporter of arts and a real champion for New Zealand literature."
She said this was "not only important for booksellers but also New Zealand writers of fiction".
"Jann was a very open-minded, highly intelligent, amazing person. She was loads of fun. There definitely won't be another Jann, we loved her to bits," Cloughley said.
Margot McCool, Acorn Foundation's donor and community engagement manager, said she was deeply saddened by Medlicott's death.
"Jann was a passionate supporter and advocate for New Zealand literature and it made her very cross to see how some of our New Zealand's sporting heroes are highly recognised and rewarded for what they do, yet some of our amazing world-class writers have to struggle to scratch out a living to support their families and try to write part-time if they can, sometimes for little reward or the recognition they deserve," she said.
"Jann was committed to doing something to try and change that and she has made a huge difference in the lives of recipients of her endowment funds.
"She was an amazing, very intelligent and engaging woman, right to the end. Her huge contribution to the creative arts and literature scene will live on for many years to come."
Creative Bay of Plenty funding and projects administrator Annie Hill said Medlicott's generosity was "transformational" to those who had benefited from her philanthropy and those who would do so in the future.
"Jann was an amazing person who has left an absolutely amazing lasting legacy."
On Twitter, NZ Book Awards Trust chair Nicola Legat described Medlicott as "remarkable".
"NZ has lost a taonga nui, but thanks to Jann's generosity and foresight, her legacy to Aotearoa novelists lives on," she said.
