A strong contingent from the construction firm, the Department of Conservation, the Arts world and Christchurch City officials attended Lady Isaac's packed funeral last week, which is testament to the respect she garnered over her 60 years of work and generosity to the people of Christchurch.
In addition to the conservation projects, her trust has been dishing out a huge level of funding to environmental projects, university scholarships and the arts.
Outside the Christchurch Arts centre, flanked by streets of half-demolished stone houses, a bronze bust of Lady Isaac rises proudly.
This humble environmental champion never sought any such acknowledgement; her work and achievements made her happy. I take my hat off to her: despite the fact that she has no children; the fruits of her labour will be there for generations of other people to enjoy.
Her story, which will continue to be told through the Isaac Conservation and Wildlife Trust, is a great example for people who have profited from the resources of the land, on how to give back to the environment.
One of the cornerstones of how she lived her life was to leave the world a better place. If we had more people who thought along the same lines as Lady Isaac New Zealand would be a much better place.