Obituary: Owen McShane, free enterprise advocate

The respected commentator and town planning consultant Owen McShane has died suddenly at his home in the Kaipara.

A regular contributor to the National Business Review, the NZ Herald and this newspaper, Mr McShane was a long-time commentator on Auckland and Kaipara planning issues and the Resource Management Act.

Although officially retired, he ran the Centre for Resource Management Studies from his home on the Oneriri Peninsula, near Kaiwaka. With a background in architecture and town planning, he advised on strategic planning, marketing and business development, and was outspoken on issues facing Auckland and Kaipara councils.

His wife Jenny sent a note to his friends telling them of his unexpected death on Tuesday. "Please know that he valued your friendship and intellectual support so much," she said.

NZ Herald columnist Fran O'Sullivan said on Facebook that Mr McShane's death came about a year after a major heart operation.

David Farrar, of political blog Kiwiblog, said Mr McShane's huge contribution to public policy ranged from his newspaper columns to ministerial reviews of the Resource Management Act.

"He was a wealth of knowledge on planning issues, and a consistent voice for less regulation and centralised control. He was a fine New Zealander," Mr Farrar wrote.

Mr McShane is survived by his wife Jenny and sons Clifton and Simon.

A service will be held at the Kaiwaka War Memorial Hall, Kaiwaka-Mangawhai Rd, at 2pm on Tuesday, March 13, followed by a private cremation.

In lieu of flowers the family has asked for donations to the National Heart Foundation, PO Box 17160, Greenlane, Auckland 5.