Sir Owen Woodhouse, July 18, 1916-April 16 2014
Former Napier Boys' High School pupil Sir Owen Woodhouse died on Wednesday, aged 97, and tributes have been paid to the "father of ACC" across the political realm.
Sir Owen, a 1953-1961 Crown prosecutor in Napier who became president of the Court of Appeal, is best known for his role as chairman on the Royal Commission on Accident Compensation in 1966 and 1967, producing the Woodhouse Report, which recommended the no-faults scheme New Zealand has today.
Former Prime Minister Sir Geoffrey Palmer said Sir Owen was a lifelong friend and had been his mentor throughout his legal career. "I owe him a great deal.
"The thing about Woodhouse was he's had the broadest range of experience anyone could ever have. He didn't just do law. He had great human compassion, a wonderful social conscience and a great feeling for people. He wasn't some dry, desiccated, black-letter lawyer. He was a man of astonishing intelligence and wonderful humanity."