The death of local body stalwart Dennis Bowman is a loss to the Far North and the region as a whole, Northland Regional Council chairman Bill Shepherd says.
Mr Bowman, 82, who represented the regional council's most northern constituency, Te Hiku, died at Kaitaia Hospital on Sunday after he was taken ill on Friday.
He had previously served on the Far North District Council and Te Hiku Community Board before successfully contesting the regional council's Te Hiku constituency in the 2013 local body elections.
"Dennis was very much an iconic member of the community he represented and his long-standing understanding of it and the wealth of local knowledge he had accumulated over many years was greatly appreciated and a great asset to council both locally and at a region-wide level over the past year," Mr Shepherd said.
His regional council roles had included membership of the environmental management committee and Te Taitokerau Maori advisory committee, as well as important local river liaison committee work.